Original menu from a luncheon held at the Guildhall on February 23, 1940, held to honor of the “Officers and Men of H.M.S Ajax and H.M.S. Exeter,” 4.5 x 7, four pages, and bound with its original red and white ribbon. Signed on the front cover in fountain pen, “WS Churchill.” Front cover also bears a pencil signature of Anthony Eden, Churchill’s foreign secretary and his eventual successor as Prime Minister, along the top edge. In very good condition, with scattered toning and soiling to covers and pencil notations to back cover.
In his official capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill attended this event at which he gave his famous address, “The Navy is Here.” He congratulated the “brave sea captains and hardy tars” of the HMS Ajax and the HMS Exeter for their victory in the first sea battle of the war, the Battle of the River Plate. The September 1939 battle was the only one to occur in South America and resulted in the scuttling of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the face of a superior British naval force. “The brunt of the war has fallen on the sailor men,” Churchill said to the gathering, a truthful statement in a war that had thus far largely been confined to naval engagements. Coming to the close of his speech, he promised Britain’s allies: “The long arm of British sea power can be stretched out, not only for foes, but also for faithful friends.” A remarkable souvenir of an important address. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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