BBC Churchill's Bodyguard (2005) s01e02 Episode Script
Lawrence and Walter Save the Day
I am ex-Detective Inspector Walter Henry Thompson and was Winston Churchill's bodyguard for a period of nearly 18 years.
In almost any piece of film you'll see of Britain's great wartime leader This is the man in the background anonymous and secret.
Untill now his critical role in saving the life of Churchill from a series of attacks has been hidden from the wider public.
He himself intended that he would never be taken alive and issued direct instruction to me i was to have his 45 colt, fully loaded he intended to use every bullet/Nbut one on the enemy the last one he saved for himself.
After the war Walter Thompson censored book told just part of the story his full memoirs were suppressed even by Churchill himself.
Only now can we can recount the number of assassination attempts on Churchill's life many foiled by Walter.
This series, with with unique access to these incredible memoirs reveals for the first time, the story of Walter's life with Winston.
Together they traveled thousands of miles, on precarious journeys to meet Stalin and Roosevelt, and other world's leaders.
Together they rode with Lawrence of Arabia dodged German assassins, were nearly shot down by enemy aircraft, lone gunman, U-Boats and IRA hitmen.
This is a story of the political upheavals of the 20th century Churchill's constant brushes with death and the role played by an ex post office messeger in preventing an early end to hid life.
With this weapon he was a dead shot anyone that came within range of his weapon would never survive.
The gunmen of the Irish Republican Army and the Bolsheviks of the new Soviet regime in Russia weren't the only people after Winston Churchill when Walter became his bodyguard, at the beginning of 1921.
Within weeks they would be journeying through one of the most dangerous places on earth.
A place seething with religious and ethnic hatreds.
Where Winston, as a senior minister of one of the great powers would be the target of every fanatic a grudge to settle.
It was a journey which would test Walters nerve and skill and one on which he found an unexpected ally, Lawrence of Arabia.
When Prime Minister David Lloyd George told the 46 year old Winston Churchill that he was to move from the War Office to become colonial secretary His bodyguard realized that this would increase the danger of assassination even more for he would now be dealing with whole new world of extremists As Colonial Secretary, Winston would have decide how to govern the many new colonies and protectorates which Britain had acquired at the end of the first world war.
Former German colonies in Africa could be transferred fairly smoothly to the existing colonial civil service, but it was all together different matter in the volatile Middle East.
There the Ottoman Empire which had ruled over the whole vast area between the Turkis border and the Suez canal and the Iraqi border had been dismembered.
Britain, acting on behalf of the new League of Nations, was given responsibility for Palestine, Transjordan, the arabian peninsula, and Mesopotamia the whole of today's Iraq.
The region was heating with rival groups, all hoping to achieve power after the collapse of the Empire which had ruled them for centuries.
80 years later, arguably, nothing has changed.
Prime Minister Lloyd George and his new colonial secretary swiftly decided to call a conference in Cairo to which all interested parties would be invited.
With Churchill as chairman, they would work out arrangements how to govern the new territories.
This Cairo conference would be held from the 12th to the 20th of March.
This meant that within weeks of joining Winston, Walter faced the challenge of keeping him safe in one of the most dangerous places in the wor The place where a senior British Minister would be the natural target for anyone with a grudge to settle as well as for all sorts of terrorists.
An incident just before they set off, showed the complexity of the problems with which Winston would have to grab Walter was walking away from the colonial office with Winston, when they noticed Lord James Rothschild, a senior member of a banking dynasty and a fervent supporter of the idea of a permanent home for the Jews waiting nearby Walter noted in his journal, the confrontation which then ensued.
he approached Winston and commenced to talk about the trip to Palestine Winston was not pleased with the tone of his voice, and when Rothschild raised it, and demanded that Palestine be for the Jews, amd that the Arab should be cleared out, Winston paused, and then said : "I will not take my orders from you as to my journey to Palestine.
"I am going to do my best to make a fair arrangement between the two peoples.
Don't interfere!" with that he turned and walked away.
For centuries, Jews dispersed all over the world had dreamt of a return to the homeland of their forefathers, the fact that this has been under the arab control since the Year 636 except for an interlude under the Crusaders during the 12th century has done nothing to slow the growth of a Zionist movement dedicated to reclaiming it.
During the first world war Arthur Balfour, the then British Foreign Secretary had written to Jimmy Rothschilds' brother Lionel, chairman of the British Zionist federation indicating in general terms British support for a national Jewish home in Palestine.
This became known as the Balfour declaration and was a reason for Jimmy's attempt to buttonhole Churchill.
His intervention showed that the Zionists have no intention of letting Britain or her new colonial secretary off the hook.
And their opponent, the Palestinian Arabs felt that they had a far better claim to the territory since they had lived there for centuries.
would be watching like hawks to make sure he didn't favour them.
Walter must obviously be on his guard he needed all the information he could get on possible threats.
But nothing he could gather prepared him for what lay ahead in Egypt.
As they got ready for the journey, Winston revealed that he had another priority one which would further complicate Walter's attempts to guard him.
Before leaving Sussex square Winston sent for me "Thompson, you are going to be very useful to me on this trip 'I would like you to take charge of my painting equipment 'as you alone will be with me when i'm painting.
" I did not see any harm in this and said "I will do my best.
" Winston had taken up oil painting shortly after his traumatic dismissal from being First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915 following the Gallipoli disaster.
He soon became an accomplished amateur painter particularly of landscapes as his friend, Violet Bonham Carter once remarked it was the only activity which he ever did in complete silence.
There is no doubt that Winston felt that he led a charmed life and that no harm would come to him.
sometimes this led to behave as if Walter was just another servant rather that the protector of his life.
Whatever the reason, acting as his easel and painting kit carrier was to be the one of Walter's unpaid and least favorite jobs for the rest of their time together.
I very soon learned that painting was no mere enthusiasm it was a disease and before anytime at all had passed i had become worn out at the thought of the menial lugging of his damn boxes.
Winston too had a second responsibility on this trip for he had retained the job of Secretary of State for aviation as well as becoming Colonial Secretary.
As Winston had two roles to consider in connection with this journey to Egypt and Palestine he was accompanied by Lord Trenchard to assist in Air Force matters and Lawrence of Arabia to help with the Arab question.
Winston had always been enthusiastic about the enormous military and civil potential of flight Before the first world war he had started to learn to fly and when appointed to be Secretary of State for Aviation he returned to this with an enthusiasm which was unfortunately not matched by his skill.
During 1919 he experienced two serious crashes during training But despite this, it took all clementine's persuasive powers to stop him continuing.
Now he had to decide whether Lord Trenchard's suggestion that the New Territories could be controlled from the air a few squadrons of bommers with RAF manned armored cars and locally recruited troops as policemen on the ground would be feasible.
Trenchard's plan would save enormous Garrison of troops and had obvious attractions for a cash-strapped government.
This aspect of his ministerial responsibilities during the trip to Egypt and the middle east would certainly present Winston with a political and bureaucratic nightmare.
Metaphorical blood would undoubtedly be spilt in the Whitehall corridors of power.
But it was the other aspect of Winston's job trying to find a solution to problems which had dogged the area for centuries which carried the very real risk that real blood would be spilt and as Walter was about to find, many people thought that it would be Churchill's.
As Detective Sergeant Walter Thompson prepared to guard Winston Churchill during his controversial trip to the Middle East he must have been nervous about his first visit to such a totally alien part of the world.
At this stage, Walter's experience of travel was very limited a couple of cross-channel trips to Northern France while he had been guarding Prime Minister Lloyd George Now he was to be thrown into one of the world's most dangerous places the regions boiling with religious and ethnic hatreds.
And one in which a British politician might well proven irresistible target to a fanatic.
Walter's nerve cannot have been improved by the advice he got from TE Lawrence who would be acting as Winston's personal advisor on Arab matters.
He told me that Churchill's life would be at risk from the instant we were on Arab soil.
We would get excellent help from the Egyptian police but the Arab masses were dangerous and inflammable.
Walter knew that the man who gave him this advice was not one who would be easily frightened, but he had trouble initially linking the modest figure he was introduced to with the Lawrence of Arabia who had become a legend during the first world war and one of the most enigmatic and romantic figures of the early 20th century.
He was a simple, untidy, slight and even awkward man and at first i had difficulty in believing that here was indeed the uncrowned King of Arabia.
I was deeply impressed by the sincerity and earnestness with which he talked to his adopted people.
His regard for them could only have been equalled by their worship of him.
Very shortly Walter was to be thankful for the extraordinary relationship between Lawrence and his adopted people it was to get him and Winston out of several of the most threatening incidents of their trip.
Lawrence's involvement with the Arabs had begun in 1911 when he worked in Mesopotamia as an archaeologist he admired them and learnt their language fluently During 1915 he was chosen as the man who might persuade the Arabs to revolt against the Turks.
Lawrence started by making secret journeys to contact the leading tribal chieftains in the Arabian Peninsula.
He picked on one, Syeikh Faisal as the most likely leader to unite the Arabs and worked with him to cause a revolt against Turkish rule in 1916.
Lawrence proved a natural guerrilla leader as the Arabs sabotage the railways to cut off Turkish Garrison's and reinforcements.
He then led the Arabs to capture all the major cities of the area.
He wasn't a man to lead from the rear and personally led the Arabs north to attack the Turks in Palestine in collaboration with general Allenby the British commander in Egypt.
This offensive climaxed with the capture of Jerusalem on the 9th of December 1917.
In the autumn of 1918 when Allenby's advance was resumed Lawrence led the Arab forces to capture Damascus Throughout the war Lawrence had believed that the Arabs were fighting for their independence and that this had been promised at least tacitly by the British government.
So when the Arabs were fobbed off with vague promises during the Paris conferences at the end of the war Lawrence was deeply disillusioned.
Nevertheless the Cairo conference to which Churchill took him as his main advisor seemed another opportunity to do the right thing.
Before the development of long-range passenger aircraft the speed of travel was much more leisurely than today.
Even when a senior government minister was eager to get to a major conference But it wasn't always comfortable Churchill and his party traveled by train to Paris from there they had to endure what Walter reckoned was one of the worst journeys he had ever.
The train from Paris to Marseilles via Lyon.
It was impossible to talk, eat, sleep, shaved stand or even think all one could do was somehow survive the inexplicable discomfort to the journey's end and then forget it all Churchill's wife Clementine was holidaying in camp on the French Riviera so she met Walter and Winston at Marseilles there they took a liner across the mediteranian to Alexandria.
It was Walter's first trip to anywhere but Northen France and the testing and potentially disastrous baptism of fire as Winston's bodyguard.
Lawrence had already increased his sense of of foreboding but at least he now gave Walter some advice about what to do when things got sticky.
I must never use my revolver except in great emergencies a show of force by fists would be highly respected.
And I might make friends for Churchill by beating off such attackers as got near him whereas I would make enemies by firing.
Lawrence knew well that the British were deeply unpopular in Egypt.
Nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, the country had been under effective British control since the building of the Suez Canal in 1869 and demands for real independence had increased rapidly since the end of the first world war.
Although Winston was not directly responsible for the government which was controlled through the foreign office there was widespread suspicion that Britain was aiming to increase rather than relax it's grip.
And Winston was bound to be a target for demonstrators.
As the liner docked in Alexandria, Walter must have felt that his worst fears were coming true.
Heat and a swarm of flies hit us as we tied up a huge crowd at our boost Egyptians and Arabs collected on the dock and the sight of Winston and his party coming down the gangway made them yell with fury He seemed quite unperturbed by the first blast of of booing and jeering but the expressions on the faces of the crowd as we were hastily welcomed by the local officials and hustled into the cars were distinctly men And as they got into the car and Walter took his place beside the driver a voice said : "Never let Mr.
Churchill out of your sight!" it was Walters first encounter with the legendary Russel Pasha, Thomas Russell, who was head of the Egyptian police force and had made his name as Walter put it as scourge of the drugs fields.
Walther must have had some anxious moments as they drove off through the menacing crowd at any moment things might turn ugly, at any moment an assassin might dash foward.
But to his relief they got to their hotel safely and were hustled inside to another howling mob.
Immediately after lunch the official business began and Winston being taken to inspect an RAF camp.
Walter accompanied him and on their return the two men were in the dining room.
Mrs.
Churchill who had had a tiring day had gone to her room suddenly she appeared at the door in an agitated state.
"quick" she said as I hastened over to her.
"There's someone in the room next to mine .
.
".
I made a dash for it without waiting to hear anymore the door had been locked from the inside but I could hear someone moving about As I could not open door I stepped back and charged, and after two attempts it broke down as it broke away I went headlong into the room to see an Arab clambering through the window and at once out of sight.
Fortunately none of the official boxes had been tampered with beyond that there was nothing of value in the room.
While someone kept watch over the room, I made my way towards a dining room to inform Winston but he was already on his way to see me and seemed a bit disappointed he had missed the show.
He said "Thompson you had better sleep in that room whilst we're here.
" So i lost my comfortable bed and had to sleep on a camp bed with my revolver under my pillow.
The next day another large and hostile crowd had gathered outside the hotel.
Anticipating this, Walter had arranged for the party to leave by a side door and be driven to the station through the back streets.
The Royal train had been sent to meet them and as they were boarding it a threatening crowd began to gather.
Stones were soon being thrown and the situation seemed to be getting out of control At last the train began to move but far too slowly for Walter's like.
I remain standing in the compartment doorway and was not going to move till the train had picked up enough speed so she could not be boarded or effectively stoned or fired.
It was as well he did, for the train soon slowed right down for a level crossing.
Waiting was a large and menacing crowd which had obviously anticipated this.
It was soon swarming around the train, rocks were being thrown and the most daring of the crowd were trying to climb up the running boards and forced open the door.
Walter knew that soon, matters were going to turn really ugly.
For the crowd was now working itself up into a frenzy and at any moment it would go critical.
There was was a sudden sound of splintering glass Two windows had been smashed, one ahead of churchill's compartment and one behind.
Lawrence, with the quiet wave of the hand, caution me to hold my position, he went to the end of the car.
As the train came to a halt, it must have seen that the lives of his boss Winston Churchill and the rest of his party was seriously at risk.
The Egyptian crowd was working itself up into a frenzy if it managed to break into the train, then Walter's first experience of guarding Winston would likely to end in disaster.
A huge mass of ugly-looking Egyptians, some fighting for a hold on the outside window ledges, was choking this stretch of the crossing stones began to rain against the sides of the carriages and window after window smashed into the corridors, spilling glass over the mulberry carpeting.
For the first time Walter realized, how calm Winston was when his life was in danger.
All the while Winston sat totally unperturbed in the corner of the royal saloon, calmly smoking a cigar.
I was close behind holding his despatch box when a stone came through the broken window and hurtled between us.
Winston turned to me and said "Thompson, you'd better get that to Archie you may need both your hands free soon.
" We all exchanged grins and Sir Archibald asked "If Thompson is going to need both hands, what about us?" Despite Walter's slightly boy zone paper desription, it must have been a terrifying moment.
almost every window in the train had been smashed and glass was everywhere.
a screaming mob was trying to burst in through the broken windows that it seemed that at any moment, they would have to start fighting them off.
Then at last the train picked up speed and pulled away leaving the Egyptians running after it, still making despairing attemps to jump aboard.
Soon the immediate danger seemed to have passed Lawrence came back, he never spoke much "It will be alright, there's nothing left to smash.
" About five miles from Cairo the train ground to an unexpected halt and everyone tensed.
Walter must have feared the worst.
But it was only two British senior officers who boarded, and warned Churchill that another large and hostile crowd was waiting at Cairo station.
So the party transferred to cars while the train steamed on into the station as a decoy.
The ruse worked and they got to their hotel without any more problems.
There, General Sir Edmund Allenby who was now High Commissioner to Egypt greeted Churchill.
While he was doing this, Russel Pasha singled out Walter again.
He took me aside from the others and said : "Churchill is in grave danger," "Never on any account let him out of your sight whilst he's in this part of the world.
" "Trust nobody, black or white guard him as you would your own life even in the sanctuary of his bedchamber.
" I replied "that is what I'm here for and I shall do my utmost to see that no harm comes to him.
As part of his precautions, Walter instructed the doorman at the hotel that he must be told at once if Churchill left the building without him.
So when he was told shortly afterwards that his boss had left the hotel alone and on foot, he was horrified.
Walter set off to locate Britain's colonial secretary as he roamed the hostile streets of Cairo dreading what he might find.
Appalled to hear that his boss was now wandering alone through the streets of Cairo Walter raced downstairs, But Winston Churchill was nowhere to seen He had disappeared into the hot and dusty streets with their teeming crowds of beggars, street vendors and passers-by.
For Walter it must have been a heart-stopping moment to realize that the man he was meant to be keeping safe was now exposed and vulnerable.
The doorman reckoned that Churchill was on his way to see Field Marshal Allenby So Walter got directions to his residence and dashed there.
He was mightily relieved to meet Churchill just coming out of the house but did not let this show when Winston smiled and greeted him as if he hadn't a care in the world.
I said "I understood that you were not going out sir" "if I am to carry out my duties of guarding you, both to your satisfaction and my own," "I must be informed when you are due to leave the hotel.
" "I've a big responsibility and you could make my task very much easier.
" My tone then was definitely Scotland Yard doing it's job.
His attitude then really gave me the first indication of his true character.
It was to be my first experience of anything approaching intimacy with him "I will do all i can to help you, Thompson.
" he replied.
Were beginning to understand each other.
His last sentence carried with it a smile of such genuine appreciation, that I almost apologize for having addressed him in tones which, however respectful were definitely at its most official.
Throughout the trip, Walter could never lower his guard while Churchill was in the hotel where the conference was being held, he did at least have the backup of the Egyptian Police But once they were out in the open, the danger was everywhere.
This was made only to clear a couple of days later, when Allenby took Churchill to pay a courtesy visit to the Egyptian King Fuad, at the Abdeen Palace.
As they got near the palace, their cars were surrounded by a crowd of students and agitators, shouting slogans and hurling abuse.
Allenby and Churchill's car just managed to get through the gates Suddenly the mob overflowed and launched itself the howling and gesticulating massive brown faced maniac straight for the gates.
Stones began to fly and real trouble seemed imminent the sentries that had enough, they vanished into the courtyard like greased lightning.
The student then swarmed round our car, some jumping on the running board the RAF sergeant said "don't show your gun mr.
Thompson, use yout fist.
" This was really right down my street and the sergeantand and i hit out one on each side of the car.
It was an ugly position, but we apparently used our fists to such good avail, that suddenly the main body drew off as a number of officials came out of the palace and spoke to those remaining.
We were then informed that the mob was going to our hotel to catch us when we returned Winston came out and by taking a shortcut we got back before the demonstrators.
Churchill soon plunged into chairing the conference, call to decide the government of the British controll part of middle east Walter was able to relax lightly.
knowing that his man was in closely guarded place.
But at intervals, Churchill was able to get away, to relax on painting trips to the Pyramids.
For Walter these excursions were anything but relaxing every moment, that Winston was out in the open, his life was in danger.
The one occasion Winston came near to being really harmed was during a longer outing to the tombs at Saqqara, about 17 miles southwest of Cairo and in this case the wounds were self-inflicted.
To Walter's horror, as they prepared to set off it was revealed that the guests of honor were to be mounted on camels supplied by the Egyptian Camel Corps and accompanied by a cavalcade of Arab sheiks and other dignitaries on horseback.
For both Winston and Walter, it was their first encounter with the ship of the desert, and neither proved a natural rider.
Suddenly I saw Winston, who had seemed to be enjoying himself fall sideways to the ground there was immediate confusion, like a cavalry charge, the Arabs reined their horses in swung them on their haunches and launched themselves upon his prone figure, dismounting they surrounded him as he sat up clamoring as I thought in menacing tones.
Actually, i discover afterwards, they were imploring the great man to mount on one of their steeds and not hazard himself again upon a ship of the desert.
However, they did not know their man as I was coming to know him.
Churchill is never dismayed by any mishap, however large it seems to spur him on to even greater endeavors.
he meant to finish the ride by the same means as he started it and said " I started on a camel I want to finish on a camel.
" As Mr.
Churchill remounted the kneeling camel, now placidly chewing the cud, i heard Colonel Lawrence shaking with laughter explain the cause of the tumble.
"Your animal knew he was going to have the honor of carrying you, Winston.
So he blew himself out as a demonstration of his pride on this occation.
then because of your riding style, he decided his rider could not have been the great man nor of whom he had heard, but merely a very common person who should be got rid of as speedily as possible.
So he just let out the air, the saddle girth loosened off you came, pride went before the fall.
The visit ended without any other disasters, but Walter suffered appalling saddle sores and stiffness for days afterwards.
The Cairo conference ended with, what most people at the time considered, considerable success.
Kingdoms would be established in Transjordan and Mesopotamia, which would now be known as Iraq this would remain for the time being under British supervision on behalf of the League of Nations.
Once the monarchies were safely established, the countries would become fully independent.
Arabia would also remain under British control until a single government could be established over the feuding tribes.
so too did the League of Nation's mandate of Palestine where tension between Arabs and Jews, continued to grow ominously.
The second stage of Churchill's trip was to Palestine Russel Pasha gave Winston a chilling warning.
He told me we were moving into a climate of unclassifiable fanaticism and that Churchill's life was going to be attempted sometime during the train trip from Cairo.
Walter realized that Palestine would be even more dangerous than Egypt.
With the warning of Russel Pasha ringing in his ears Walter was on edge as the train carrying his boss's party continued on a slow, hot and dusty journey across the Sinai to Palestine.
But nothing could stop Churchill halting the train next morning in the middle of the desert and demanding and getting a bath in the hot water from the engine.
Our next stop was Gaza, where we were to talk with a number of Arab leaders.
Outside the crowds must have numbered about 2.
000 and as an address of welcome was being presented to mr.
Churchill, the rumble of voices gained in volume.
The time came for us to leave but when we reached the door the crowd stood stockstill with apparently no intention of allowing us to return.
Winston waited a moment, then turned to Colonel Lawrence "what is this? A demonstration for or against?" "I think they only want to look at you.
" Lawrence replied.
but how long are they going to keep us here, for the longer we wait the more I so deteriorate.
it was then that I had my first experience of the great prestige enjoyed by Lawrence of Arabia amongst of his people of the desert.
Mounted Police had been trying to move the Arabs from the door but they just seized the horse's bridles and pushed them horse and ride backwards.
As the horsemen were driven back, so the crowd surged onto us but Lawrence held up his hand.
I watched those dark mysterious faces with fascinated interest.
Lawrence spoke only a few words Those Eastern countenances bore a universal look of devotion as his voice cried out his message.
Then he stepped back and as if the Red Sea had once more parted to allow the passage of the fleeing Israelites so an isle appeared by magic through the crowd.
As the Arabs moved back to form the Isle, they walked backwards bowing as they went.
But immediately Winston move forward they just stood and looked.
Lawrence followed, which appeared to be a sign of devotion for many of the crowd threw themselves, down on their faces, with arms outstretched towards him As Winston's soreness he turned to me "they worship him" he said.
As we moved onward toward our train the crowd closed him behind us and escorted by guard apparently in its entirety we finally reached the train.
The whole which Lawrence had over the Arabs was again shown as the party journeyed on from Gaza to Jerusalem.
Some little distance from Jerusalem our train slowed up and stopped.
I could hear a murmuring away towards the engine.
and looking out, i spied a number of Arabs who were apparently blocking the line with their bodies the murmur grew to a roar as part of the crowd came marching down the side of the train towards our compartment Winston with a cigar in his mouth sat in his seat, imperturbable as ever while Lawrence walked over and opened the window.
As his face appeared, so absolute silence fell just as it had at Gaza.
At length he spoke.
Again, I had the sensation that those Brown Hawk faced men outside were worshipping him.
The crowd broke into a great shout and Lawrence slipped back to Winston, telling him that the Arabs wanted to see him.
Winston rose and went to the window, Lawrence standing just behind him Suddenly two Arabs, more colorfully clad than their fellows, edged to the front of the crowd and presented Mr.
Churchill with a scroll.
I understood that it was a petition, dealing with the problem of Jewish influence in Palestine.
Winston accepted it gravely and as he placed it in his pocket, the crowd roared its approval.
suddenly they began dancing around like children cheering mad and as the train gathered speed again they continued to dance alongside cheering and waving us farewell.
That was our last stop before reaching Jerusalem.
Lawrence's intervention had again defused a potentially ugly incident and Walter was mightily relieved when they finally steamed into Jerusalem station.
The party was to stay at the British High Commissioner's residence and Walter was amused to discover who had been its previous owner.
When we reached it, I found it to be a very modern looking building far superior to anything that we had passed on our way after leaving the station.
Situated on the Mount of Olives, it was built for Kaiser Wilhelm and was intended to be his eastern palace.
The German eagle was still to be seen carved over the main gateway.
The house was then being used as Sir Herbert Samuel's official residence and thus a British High Commissioner was living in the structure intended by the all-highest to be the dwelling from which he would have directed the affairs of his eastern empire.
on an eminence in the grounds, was a small finely carved stone structure with a special chair, facing a panoramic view of a vast landscape it was the Kaiser's seat.
Here but for the grace of God and the old contemptible and their successors, British and Allied, Wilhelm had intended to sit for hours, contemplating the vastness of his new domains.
Walter enjoyed sitting in the kaiser's seat and admiring the view bu he may have been exaggerating slightly, the empire-building intentions of the all-highest.
The German government had certainly seen the Ottoman Empire as an excellent way to embarrass the British in the Middle East and the Kaiser had worked hard and successfully to persuade the Sultan to enter the first world war on Germany's side but it is unlikely that he ever envisaged a wholesale takeover of the region.
Throughout their stay in Jerusalem, Walter continued to be fascinated by the effect that Lawrence had on the local population.
It was very colorful to see Lawrence dressed in his Arab clothing what more remakeble was the reaction of the arabs for whenever he appeared in the narrow streets of Jerusalem, Arabs would come rushing down the streets and in some cases prostrate themselves at his feet.
I did notice that he hesitated a moment when this happened and appeared to speak to those at his feet.
Walter was also increasingly fascinated by Churchill My training at Scotland Yard part of which was the study of faces gave me much room for thought in studying Winston.
During his visits to the holy places in Jerusalem particularly to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and later to Bethlehem i noticed how visibly moved he was, in each case he just stood not saying a word, and left in a similar manner.
throughout the visit, both during his trips to the famous sites and during his private talks Winston had to tread a delicate line between the two opposed factions.
While telling the Arabs that the British government is the greatest Muslim state in the world and it is well disposed to the Arabs, have cherishes their friendship, he also confirm that the British government would like to see some sort of Jewish National Home in Palestine.
This he symbolized by planting a tree at the new Jewish University on Mount Scopus.
As we now know, Churchill would not be the last politician to find the problems of the Middle East almost impossible to solve.
They still resonate today.
Nevertheless as Walter later discovered Winston had shown considerable statesmanship during his visit.
Later Lawrence wrote his book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom and sent Winston a copy I was privileged to see the inscription inside which read "Winston Churchill who made a happy ending to this show, "and 11 years after we set our hands to making an honest settlement "all our work still stands.
" "I ought to have given you two copies of this work.
" There were no more alarming incidents as the party travelled back from Jerusalem to Alexandria.
but Walter's relief must have been considerable as they went aboard the liner which was to take them back across the Mediterranean.
Once again it was a leisurely journey with stops at Sicily and Naples for sightseeing and relaxation.
Churchill got back to London on the 12th of April, after an absence of more than six weeks.
On his return, both his public and personal lives soon faced fresh crises.
The Irish situation was fast getting out of control and for the next 18 months, Walter was constantly on his guard against further Irish threats to kill Churchill.
But it was in his personal life, that Winston suffered his greatest tragedy one which Walter was powerless to prevent.
During may, within weeks of his return Winston's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill tripped while coming downstairs in very high heels.
Her leg was so badly broken, that it had to be amputated.
Then gangrene set in.
One night I heard Winston coming down the stairs in considerable haste and as I reached the door of my room, he was tucking his nightshirt into his trousers and I could see tears in his eyes "Come along Thompson! We're going over to Lady Randolph.
I'm afraid she's dying.
" He left the house without putting any more clothes on and ran all the way to his mother's house about two hundred yards away.
On the way he was telling me rather disjointingly, that his mother, following the loss of her leg had bled profusely during the night and was not expected to survive.
I immediately said that if I was the same blood group, I would willingly give my blood.
He turned to me and put his arm around my shoulder and said : "Thompson I shall never forget this, even if it is too late.
" Doctors arrived and although my blood group happened to be the same as Lady Randolph, It was too late.
Churchill was as good as his words and never did forget Walter's selfless offer.
The incident although tragic, played a major part in building the trust and friendship between the two men.
By the end of his first year as Churchill's bodyguard Walter had not only only kept him safe through several moments when his life had been in grave danger but the two men had forged bonds of mutual respect and friendship which were to last for the rest of their lives.
Over the next 10 years, their relationship was to go through many changes as Winston's career reached new heights and then seemed to have collapsed.
Walter had to move back to other duties But when Winston's determined opposition to Indian self-rule brought new threats of assassination, It was to Walter, that he again turned for protection.
The next time Winston's life was threatened, it was to be from a direction neither man could have anticipated.
Tekkichan^^
In almost any piece of film you'll see of Britain's great wartime leader This is the man in the background anonymous and secret.
Untill now his critical role in saving the life of Churchill from a series of attacks has been hidden from the wider public.
He himself intended that he would never be taken alive and issued direct instruction to me i was to have his 45 colt, fully loaded he intended to use every bullet/Nbut one on the enemy the last one he saved for himself.
After the war Walter Thompson censored book told just part of the story his full memoirs were suppressed even by Churchill himself.
Only now can we can recount the number of assassination attempts on Churchill's life many foiled by Walter.
This series, with with unique access to these incredible memoirs reveals for the first time, the story of Walter's life with Winston.
Together they traveled thousands of miles, on precarious journeys to meet Stalin and Roosevelt, and other world's leaders.
Together they rode with Lawrence of Arabia dodged German assassins, were nearly shot down by enemy aircraft, lone gunman, U-Boats and IRA hitmen.
This is a story of the political upheavals of the 20th century Churchill's constant brushes with death and the role played by an ex post office messeger in preventing an early end to hid life.
With this weapon he was a dead shot anyone that came within range of his weapon would never survive.
The gunmen of the Irish Republican Army and the Bolsheviks of the new Soviet regime in Russia weren't the only people after Winston Churchill when Walter became his bodyguard, at the beginning of 1921.
Within weeks they would be journeying through one of the most dangerous places on earth.
A place seething with religious and ethnic hatreds.
Where Winston, as a senior minister of one of the great powers would be the target of every fanatic a grudge to settle.
It was a journey which would test Walters nerve and skill and one on which he found an unexpected ally, Lawrence of Arabia.
When Prime Minister David Lloyd George told the 46 year old Winston Churchill that he was to move from the War Office to become colonial secretary His bodyguard realized that this would increase the danger of assassination even more for he would now be dealing with whole new world of extremists As Colonial Secretary, Winston would have decide how to govern the many new colonies and protectorates which Britain had acquired at the end of the first world war.
Former German colonies in Africa could be transferred fairly smoothly to the existing colonial civil service, but it was all together different matter in the volatile Middle East.
There the Ottoman Empire which had ruled over the whole vast area between the Turkis border and the Suez canal and the Iraqi border had been dismembered.
Britain, acting on behalf of the new League of Nations, was given responsibility for Palestine, Transjordan, the arabian peninsula, and Mesopotamia the whole of today's Iraq.
The region was heating with rival groups, all hoping to achieve power after the collapse of the Empire which had ruled them for centuries.
80 years later, arguably, nothing has changed.
Prime Minister Lloyd George and his new colonial secretary swiftly decided to call a conference in Cairo to which all interested parties would be invited.
With Churchill as chairman, they would work out arrangements how to govern the new territories.
This Cairo conference would be held from the 12th to the 20th of March.
This meant that within weeks of joining Winston, Walter faced the challenge of keeping him safe in one of the most dangerous places in the wor The place where a senior British Minister would be the natural target for anyone with a grudge to settle as well as for all sorts of terrorists.
An incident just before they set off, showed the complexity of the problems with which Winston would have to grab Walter was walking away from the colonial office with Winston, when they noticed Lord James Rothschild, a senior member of a banking dynasty and a fervent supporter of the idea of a permanent home for the Jews waiting nearby Walter noted in his journal, the confrontation which then ensued.
he approached Winston and commenced to talk about the trip to Palestine Winston was not pleased with the tone of his voice, and when Rothschild raised it, and demanded that Palestine be for the Jews, amd that the Arab should be cleared out, Winston paused, and then said : "I will not take my orders from you as to my journey to Palestine.
"I am going to do my best to make a fair arrangement between the two peoples.
Don't interfere!" with that he turned and walked away.
For centuries, Jews dispersed all over the world had dreamt of a return to the homeland of their forefathers, the fact that this has been under the arab control since the Year 636 except for an interlude under the Crusaders during the 12th century has done nothing to slow the growth of a Zionist movement dedicated to reclaiming it.
During the first world war Arthur Balfour, the then British Foreign Secretary had written to Jimmy Rothschilds' brother Lionel, chairman of the British Zionist federation indicating in general terms British support for a national Jewish home in Palestine.
This became known as the Balfour declaration and was a reason for Jimmy's attempt to buttonhole Churchill.
His intervention showed that the Zionists have no intention of letting Britain or her new colonial secretary off the hook.
And their opponent, the Palestinian Arabs felt that they had a far better claim to the territory since they had lived there for centuries.
would be watching like hawks to make sure he didn't favour them.
Walter must obviously be on his guard he needed all the information he could get on possible threats.
But nothing he could gather prepared him for what lay ahead in Egypt.
As they got ready for the journey, Winston revealed that he had another priority one which would further complicate Walter's attempts to guard him.
Before leaving Sussex square Winston sent for me "Thompson, you are going to be very useful to me on this trip 'I would like you to take charge of my painting equipment 'as you alone will be with me when i'm painting.
" I did not see any harm in this and said "I will do my best.
" Winston had taken up oil painting shortly after his traumatic dismissal from being First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915 following the Gallipoli disaster.
He soon became an accomplished amateur painter particularly of landscapes as his friend, Violet Bonham Carter once remarked it was the only activity which he ever did in complete silence.
There is no doubt that Winston felt that he led a charmed life and that no harm would come to him.
sometimes this led to behave as if Walter was just another servant rather that the protector of his life.
Whatever the reason, acting as his easel and painting kit carrier was to be the one of Walter's unpaid and least favorite jobs for the rest of their time together.
I very soon learned that painting was no mere enthusiasm it was a disease and before anytime at all had passed i had become worn out at the thought of the menial lugging of his damn boxes.
Winston too had a second responsibility on this trip for he had retained the job of Secretary of State for aviation as well as becoming Colonial Secretary.
As Winston had two roles to consider in connection with this journey to Egypt and Palestine he was accompanied by Lord Trenchard to assist in Air Force matters and Lawrence of Arabia to help with the Arab question.
Winston had always been enthusiastic about the enormous military and civil potential of flight Before the first world war he had started to learn to fly and when appointed to be Secretary of State for Aviation he returned to this with an enthusiasm which was unfortunately not matched by his skill.
During 1919 he experienced two serious crashes during training But despite this, it took all clementine's persuasive powers to stop him continuing.
Now he had to decide whether Lord Trenchard's suggestion that the New Territories could be controlled from the air a few squadrons of bommers with RAF manned armored cars and locally recruited troops as policemen on the ground would be feasible.
Trenchard's plan would save enormous Garrison of troops and had obvious attractions for a cash-strapped government.
This aspect of his ministerial responsibilities during the trip to Egypt and the middle east would certainly present Winston with a political and bureaucratic nightmare.
Metaphorical blood would undoubtedly be spilt in the Whitehall corridors of power.
But it was the other aspect of Winston's job trying to find a solution to problems which had dogged the area for centuries which carried the very real risk that real blood would be spilt and as Walter was about to find, many people thought that it would be Churchill's.
As Detective Sergeant Walter Thompson prepared to guard Winston Churchill during his controversial trip to the Middle East he must have been nervous about his first visit to such a totally alien part of the world.
At this stage, Walter's experience of travel was very limited a couple of cross-channel trips to Northern France while he had been guarding Prime Minister Lloyd George Now he was to be thrown into one of the world's most dangerous places the regions boiling with religious and ethnic hatreds.
And one in which a British politician might well proven irresistible target to a fanatic.
Walter's nerve cannot have been improved by the advice he got from TE Lawrence who would be acting as Winston's personal advisor on Arab matters.
He told me that Churchill's life would be at risk from the instant we were on Arab soil.
We would get excellent help from the Egyptian police but the Arab masses were dangerous and inflammable.
Walter knew that the man who gave him this advice was not one who would be easily frightened, but he had trouble initially linking the modest figure he was introduced to with the Lawrence of Arabia who had become a legend during the first world war and one of the most enigmatic and romantic figures of the early 20th century.
He was a simple, untidy, slight and even awkward man and at first i had difficulty in believing that here was indeed the uncrowned King of Arabia.
I was deeply impressed by the sincerity and earnestness with which he talked to his adopted people.
His regard for them could only have been equalled by their worship of him.
Very shortly Walter was to be thankful for the extraordinary relationship between Lawrence and his adopted people it was to get him and Winston out of several of the most threatening incidents of their trip.
Lawrence's involvement with the Arabs had begun in 1911 when he worked in Mesopotamia as an archaeologist he admired them and learnt their language fluently During 1915 he was chosen as the man who might persuade the Arabs to revolt against the Turks.
Lawrence started by making secret journeys to contact the leading tribal chieftains in the Arabian Peninsula.
He picked on one, Syeikh Faisal as the most likely leader to unite the Arabs and worked with him to cause a revolt against Turkish rule in 1916.
Lawrence proved a natural guerrilla leader as the Arabs sabotage the railways to cut off Turkish Garrison's and reinforcements.
He then led the Arabs to capture all the major cities of the area.
He wasn't a man to lead from the rear and personally led the Arabs north to attack the Turks in Palestine in collaboration with general Allenby the British commander in Egypt.
This offensive climaxed with the capture of Jerusalem on the 9th of December 1917.
In the autumn of 1918 when Allenby's advance was resumed Lawrence led the Arab forces to capture Damascus Throughout the war Lawrence had believed that the Arabs were fighting for their independence and that this had been promised at least tacitly by the British government.
So when the Arabs were fobbed off with vague promises during the Paris conferences at the end of the war Lawrence was deeply disillusioned.
Nevertheless the Cairo conference to which Churchill took him as his main advisor seemed another opportunity to do the right thing.
Before the development of long-range passenger aircraft the speed of travel was much more leisurely than today.
Even when a senior government minister was eager to get to a major conference But it wasn't always comfortable Churchill and his party traveled by train to Paris from there they had to endure what Walter reckoned was one of the worst journeys he had ever.
The train from Paris to Marseilles via Lyon.
It was impossible to talk, eat, sleep, shaved stand or even think all one could do was somehow survive the inexplicable discomfort to the journey's end and then forget it all Churchill's wife Clementine was holidaying in camp on the French Riviera so she met Walter and Winston at Marseilles there they took a liner across the mediteranian to Alexandria.
It was Walter's first trip to anywhere but Northen France and the testing and potentially disastrous baptism of fire as Winston's bodyguard.
Lawrence had already increased his sense of of foreboding but at least he now gave Walter some advice about what to do when things got sticky.
I must never use my revolver except in great emergencies a show of force by fists would be highly respected.
And I might make friends for Churchill by beating off such attackers as got near him whereas I would make enemies by firing.
Lawrence knew well that the British were deeply unpopular in Egypt.
Nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, the country had been under effective British control since the building of the Suez Canal in 1869 and demands for real independence had increased rapidly since the end of the first world war.
Although Winston was not directly responsible for the government which was controlled through the foreign office there was widespread suspicion that Britain was aiming to increase rather than relax it's grip.
And Winston was bound to be a target for demonstrators.
As the liner docked in Alexandria, Walter must have felt that his worst fears were coming true.
Heat and a swarm of flies hit us as we tied up a huge crowd at our boost Egyptians and Arabs collected on the dock and the sight of Winston and his party coming down the gangway made them yell with fury He seemed quite unperturbed by the first blast of of booing and jeering but the expressions on the faces of the crowd as we were hastily welcomed by the local officials and hustled into the cars were distinctly men And as they got into the car and Walter took his place beside the driver a voice said : "Never let Mr.
Churchill out of your sight!" it was Walters first encounter with the legendary Russel Pasha, Thomas Russell, who was head of the Egyptian police force and had made his name as Walter put it as scourge of the drugs fields.
Walther must have had some anxious moments as they drove off through the menacing crowd at any moment things might turn ugly, at any moment an assassin might dash foward.
But to his relief they got to their hotel safely and were hustled inside to another howling mob.
Immediately after lunch the official business began and Winston being taken to inspect an RAF camp.
Walter accompanied him and on their return the two men were in the dining room.
Mrs.
Churchill who had had a tiring day had gone to her room suddenly she appeared at the door in an agitated state.
"quick" she said as I hastened over to her.
"There's someone in the room next to mine .
.
".
I made a dash for it without waiting to hear anymore the door had been locked from the inside but I could hear someone moving about As I could not open door I stepped back and charged, and after two attempts it broke down as it broke away I went headlong into the room to see an Arab clambering through the window and at once out of sight.
Fortunately none of the official boxes had been tampered with beyond that there was nothing of value in the room.
While someone kept watch over the room, I made my way towards a dining room to inform Winston but he was already on his way to see me and seemed a bit disappointed he had missed the show.
He said "Thompson you had better sleep in that room whilst we're here.
" So i lost my comfortable bed and had to sleep on a camp bed with my revolver under my pillow.
The next day another large and hostile crowd had gathered outside the hotel.
Anticipating this, Walter had arranged for the party to leave by a side door and be driven to the station through the back streets.
The Royal train had been sent to meet them and as they were boarding it a threatening crowd began to gather.
Stones were soon being thrown and the situation seemed to be getting out of control At last the train began to move but far too slowly for Walter's like.
I remain standing in the compartment doorway and was not going to move till the train had picked up enough speed so she could not be boarded or effectively stoned or fired.
It was as well he did, for the train soon slowed right down for a level crossing.
Waiting was a large and menacing crowd which had obviously anticipated this.
It was soon swarming around the train, rocks were being thrown and the most daring of the crowd were trying to climb up the running boards and forced open the door.
Walter knew that soon, matters were going to turn really ugly.
For the crowd was now working itself up into a frenzy and at any moment it would go critical.
There was was a sudden sound of splintering glass Two windows had been smashed, one ahead of churchill's compartment and one behind.
Lawrence, with the quiet wave of the hand, caution me to hold my position, he went to the end of the car.
As the train came to a halt, it must have seen that the lives of his boss Winston Churchill and the rest of his party was seriously at risk.
The Egyptian crowd was working itself up into a frenzy if it managed to break into the train, then Walter's first experience of guarding Winston would likely to end in disaster.
A huge mass of ugly-looking Egyptians, some fighting for a hold on the outside window ledges, was choking this stretch of the crossing stones began to rain against the sides of the carriages and window after window smashed into the corridors, spilling glass over the mulberry carpeting.
For the first time Walter realized, how calm Winston was when his life was in danger.
All the while Winston sat totally unperturbed in the corner of the royal saloon, calmly smoking a cigar.
I was close behind holding his despatch box when a stone came through the broken window and hurtled between us.
Winston turned to me and said "Thompson, you'd better get that to Archie you may need both your hands free soon.
" We all exchanged grins and Sir Archibald asked "If Thompson is going to need both hands, what about us?" Despite Walter's slightly boy zone paper desription, it must have been a terrifying moment.
almost every window in the train had been smashed and glass was everywhere.
a screaming mob was trying to burst in through the broken windows that it seemed that at any moment, they would have to start fighting them off.
Then at last the train picked up speed and pulled away leaving the Egyptians running after it, still making despairing attemps to jump aboard.
Soon the immediate danger seemed to have passed Lawrence came back, he never spoke much "It will be alright, there's nothing left to smash.
" About five miles from Cairo the train ground to an unexpected halt and everyone tensed.
Walter must have feared the worst.
But it was only two British senior officers who boarded, and warned Churchill that another large and hostile crowd was waiting at Cairo station.
So the party transferred to cars while the train steamed on into the station as a decoy.
The ruse worked and they got to their hotel without any more problems.
There, General Sir Edmund Allenby who was now High Commissioner to Egypt greeted Churchill.
While he was doing this, Russel Pasha singled out Walter again.
He took me aside from the others and said : "Churchill is in grave danger," "Never on any account let him out of your sight whilst he's in this part of the world.
" "Trust nobody, black or white guard him as you would your own life even in the sanctuary of his bedchamber.
" I replied "that is what I'm here for and I shall do my utmost to see that no harm comes to him.
As part of his precautions, Walter instructed the doorman at the hotel that he must be told at once if Churchill left the building without him.
So when he was told shortly afterwards that his boss had left the hotel alone and on foot, he was horrified.
Walter set off to locate Britain's colonial secretary as he roamed the hostile streets of Cairo dreading what he might find.
Appalled to hear that his boss was now wandering alone through the streets of Cairo Walter raced downstairs, But Winston Churchill was nowhere to seen He had disappeared into the hot and dusty streets with their teeming crowds of beggars, street vendors and passers-by.
For Walter it must have been a heart-stopping moment to realize that the man he was meant to be keeping safe was now exposed and vulnerable.
The doorman reckoned that Churchill was on his way to see Field Marshal Allenby So Walter got directions to his residence and dashed there.
He was mightily relieved to meet Churchill just coming out of the house but did not let this show when Winston smiled and greeted him as if he hadn't a care in the world.
I said "I understood that you were not going out sir" "if I am to carry out my duties of guarding you, both to your satisfaction and my own," "I must be informed when you are due to leave the hotel.
" "I've a big responsibility and you could make my task very much easier.
" My tone then was definitely Scotland Yard doing it's job.
His attitude then really gave me the first indication of his true character.
It was to be my first experience of anything approaching intimacy with him "I will do all i can to help you, Thompson.
" he replied.
Were beginning to understand each other.
His last sentence carried with it a smile of such genuine appreciation, that I almost apologize for having addressed him in tones which, however respectful were definitely at its most official.
Throughout the trip, Walter could never lower his guard while Churchill was in the hotel where the conference was being held, he did at least have the backup of the Egyptian Police But once they were out in the open, the danger was everywhere.
This was made only to clear a couple of days later, when Allenby took Churchill to pay a courtesy visit to the Egyptian King Fuad, at the Abdeen Palace.
As they got near the palace, their cars were surrounded by a crowd of students and agitators, shouting slogans and hurling abuse.
Allenby and Churchill's car just managed to get through the gates Suddenly the mob overflowed and launched itself the howling and gesticulating massive brown faced maniac straight for the gates.
Stones began to fly and real trouble seemed imminent the sentries that had enough, they vanished into the courtyard like greased lightning.
The student then swarmed round our car, some jumping on the running board the RAF sergeant said "don't show your gun mr.
Thompson, use yout fist.
" This was really right down my street and the sergeantand and i hit out one on each side of the car.
It was an ugly position, but we apparently used our fists to such good avail, that suddenly the main body drew off as a number of officials came out of the palace and spoke to those remaining.
We were then informed that the mob was going to our hotel to catch us when we returned Winston came out and by taking a shortcut we got back before the demonstrators.
Churchill soon plunged into chairing the conference, call to decide the government of the British controll part of middle east Walter was able to relax lightly.
knowing that his man was in closely guarded place.
But at intervals, Churchill was able to get away, to relax on painting trips to the Pyramids.
For Walter these excursions were anything but relaxing every moment, that Winston was out in the open, his life was in danger.
The one occasion Winston came near to being really harmed was during a longer outing to the tombs at Saqqara, about 17 miles southwest of Cairo and in this case the wounds were self-inflicted.
To Walter's horror, as they prepared to set off it was revealed that the guests of honor were to be mounted on camels supplied by the Egyptian Camel Corps and accompanied by a cavalcade of Arab sheiks and other dignitaries on horseback.
For both Winston and Walter, it was their first encounter with the ship of the desert, and neither proved a natural rider.
Suddenly I saw Winston, who had seemed to be enjoying himself fall sideways to the ground there was immediate confusion, like a cavalry charge, the Arabs reined their horses in swung them on their haunches and launched themselves upon his prone figure, dismounting they surrounded him as he sat up clamoring as I thought in menacing tones.
Actually, i discover afterwards, they were imploring the great man to mount on one of their steeds and not hazard himself again upon a ship of the desert.
However, they did not know their man as I was coming to know him.
Churchill is never dismayed by any mishap, however large it seems to spur him on to even greater endeavors.
he meant to finish the ride by the same means as he started it and said " I started on a camel I want to finish on a camel.
" As Mr.
Churchill remounted the kneeling camel, now placidly chewing the cud, i heard Colonel Lawrence shaking with laughter explain the cause of the tumble.
"Your animal knew he was going to have the honor of carrying you, Winston.
So he blew himself out as a demonstration of his pride on this occation.
then because of your riding style, he decided his rider could not have been the great man nor of whom he had heard, but merely a very common person who should be got rid of as speedily as possible.
So he just let out the air, the saddle girth loosened off you came, pride went before the fall.
The visit ended without any other disasters, but Walter suffered appalling saddle sores and stiffness for days afterwards.
The Cairo conference ended with, what most people at the time considered, considerable success.
Kingdoms would be established in Transjordan and Mesopotamia, which would now be known as Iraq this would remain for the time being under British supervision on behalf of the League of Nations.
Once the monarchies were safely established, the countries would become fully independent.
Arabia would also remain under British control until a single government could be established over the feuding tribes.
so too did the League of Nation's mandate of Palestine where tension between Arabs and Jews, continued to grow ominously.
The second stage of Churchill's trip was to Palestine Russel Pasha gave Winston a chilling warning.
He told me we were moving into a climate of unclassifiable fanaticism and that Churchill's life was going to be attempted sometime during the train trip from Cairo.
Walter realized that Palestine would be even more dangerous than Egypt.
With the warning of Russel Pasha ringing in his ears Walter was on edge as the train carrying his boss's party continued on a slow, hot and dusty journey across the Sinai to Palestine.
But nothing could stop Churchill halting the train next morning in the middle of the desert and demanding and getting a bath in the hot water from the engine.
Our next stop was Gaza, where we were to talk with a number of Arab leaders.
Outside the crowds must have numbered about 2.
000 and as an address of welcome was being presented to mr.
Churchill, the rumble of voices gained in volume.
The time came for us to leave but when we reached the door the crowd stood stockstill with apparently no intention of allowing us to return.
Winston waited a moment, then turned to Colonel Lawrence "what is this? A demonstration for or against?" "I think they only want to look at you.
" Lawrence replied.
but how long are they going to keep us here, for the longer we wait the more I so deteriorate.
it was then that I had my first experience of the great prestige enjoyed by Lawrence of Arabia amongst of his people of the desert.
Mounted Police had been trying to move the Arabs from the door but they just seized the horse's bridles and pushed them horse and ride backwards.
As the horsemen were driven back, so the crowd surged onto us but Lawrence held up his hand.
I watched those dark mysterious faces with fascinated interest.
Lawrence spoke only a few words Those Eastern countenances bore a universal look of devotion as his voice cried out his message.
Then he stepped back and as if the Red Sea had once more parted to allow the passage of the fleeing Israelites so an isle appeared by magic through the crowd.
As the Arabs moved back to form the Isle, they walked backwards bowing as they went.
But immediately Winston move forward they just stood and looked.
Lawrence followed, which appeared to be a sign of devotion for many of the crowd threw themselves, down on their faces, with arms outstretched towards him As Winston's soreness he turned to me "they worship him" he said.
As we moved onward toward our train the crowd closed him behind us and escorted by guard apparently in its entirety we finally reached the train.
The whole which Lawrence had over the Arabs was again shown as the party journeyed on from Gaza to Jerusalem.
Some little distance from Jerusalem our train slowed up and stopped.
I could hear a murmuring away towards the engine.
and looking out, i spied a number of Arabs who were apparently blocking the line with their bodies the murmur grew to a roar as part of the crowd came marching down the side of the train towards our compartment Winston with a cigar in his mouth sat in his seat, imperturbable as ever while Lawrence walked over and opened the window.
As his face appeared, so absolute silence fell just as it had at Gaza.
At length he spoke.
Again, I had the sensation that those Brown Hawk faced men outside were worshipping him.
The crowd broke into a great shout and Lawrence slipped back to Winston, telling him that the Arabs wanted to see him.
Winston rose and went to the window, Lawrence standing just behind him Suddenly two Arabs, more colorfully clad than their fellows, edged to the front of the crowd and presented Mr.
Churchill with a scroll.
I understood that it was a petition, dealing with the problem of Jewish influence in Palestine.
Winston accepted it gravely and as he placed it in his pocket, the crowd roared its approval.
suddenly they began dancing around like children cheering mad and as the train gathered speed again they continued to dance alongside cheering and waving us farewell.
That was our last stop before reaching Jerusalem.
Lawrence's intervention had again defused a potentially ugly incident and Walter was mightily relieved when they finally steamed into Jerusalem station.
The party was to stay at the British High Commissioner's residence and Walter was amused to discover who had been its previous owner.
When we reached it, I found it to be a very modern looking building far superior to anything that we had passed on our way after leaving the station.
Situated on the Mount of Olives, it was built for Kaiser Wilhelm and was intended to be his eastern palace.
The German eagle was still to be seen carved over the main gateway.
The house was then being used as Sir Herbert Samuel's official residence and thus a British High Commissioner was living in the structure intended by the all-highest to be the dwelling from which he would have directed the affairs of his eastern empire.
on an eminence in the grounds, was a small finely carved stone structure with a special chair, facing a panoramic view of a vast landscape it was the Kaiser's seat.
Here but for the grace of God and the old contemptible and their successors, British and Allied, Wilhelm had intended to sit for hours, contemplating the vastness of his new domains.
Walter enjoyed sitting in the kaiser's seat and admiring the view bu he may have been exaggerating slightly, the empire-building intentions of the all-highest.
The German government had certainly seen the Ottoman Empire as an excellent way to embarrass the British in the Middle East and the Kaiser had worked hard and successfully to persuade the Sultan to enter the first world war on Germany's side but it is unlikely that he ever envisaged a wholesale takeover of the region.
Throughout their stay in Jerusalem, Walter continued to be fascinated by the effect that Lawrence had on the local population.
It was very colorful to see Lawrence dressed in his Arab clothing what more remakeble was the reaction of the arabs for whenever he appeared in the narrow streets of Jerusalem, Arabs would come rushing down the streets and in some cases prostrate themselves at his feet.
I did notice that he hesitated a moment when this happened and appeared to speak to those at his feet.
Walter was also increasingly fascinated by Churchill My training at Scotland Yard part of which was the study of faces gave me much room for thought in studying Winston.
During his visits to the holy places in Jerusalem particularly to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and later to Bethlehem i noticed how visibly moved he was, in each case he just stood not saying a word, and left in a similar manner.
throughout the visit, both during his trips to the famous sites and during his private talks Winston had to tread a delicate line between the two opposed factions.
While telling the Arabs that the British government is the greatest Muslim state in the world and it is well disposed to the Arabs, have cherishes their friendship, he also confirm that the British government would like to see some sort of Jewish National Home in Palestine.
This he symbolized by planting a tree at the new Jewish University on Mount Scopus.
As we now know, Churchill would not be the last politician to find the problems of the Middle East almost impossible to solve.
They still resonate today.
Nevertheless as Walter later discovered Winston had shown considerable statesmanship during his visit.
Later Lawrence wrote his book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom and sent Winston a copy I was privileged to see the inscription inside which read "Winston Churchill who made a happy ending to this show, "and 11 years after we set our hands to making an honest settlement "all our work still stands.
" "I ought to have given you two copies of this work.
" There were no more alarming incidents as the party travelled back from Jerusalem to Alexandria.
but Walter's relief must have been considerable as they went aboard the liner which was to take them back across the Mediterranean.
Once again it was a leisurely journey with stops at Sicily and Naples for sightseeing and relaxation.
Churchill got back to London on the 12th of April, after an absence of more than six weeks.
On his return, both his public and personal lives soon faced fresh crises.
The Irish situation was fast getting out of control and for the next 18 months, Walter was constantly on his guard against further Irish threats to kill Churchill.
But it was in his personal life, that Winston suffered his greatest tragedy one which Walter was powerless to prevent.
During may, within weeks of his return Winston's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill tripped while coming downstairs in very high heels.
Her leg was so badly broken, that it had to be amputated.
Then gangrene set in.
One night I heard Winston coming down the stairs in considerable haste and as I reached the door of my room, he was tucking his nightshirt into his trousers and I could see tears in his eyes "Come along Thompson! We're going over to Lady Randolph.
I'm afraid she's dying.
" He left the house without putting any more clothes on and ran all the way to his mother's house about two hundred yards away.
On the way he was telling me rather disjointingly, that his mother, following the loss of her leg had bled profusely during the night and was not expected to survive.
I immediately said that if I was the same blood group, I would willingly give my blood.
He turned to me and put his arm around my shoulder and said : "Thompson I shall never forget this, even if it is too late.
" Doctors arrived and although my blood group happened to be the same as Lady Randolph, It was too late.
Churchill was as good as his words and never did forget Walter's selfless offer.
The incident although tragic, played a major part in building the trust and friendship between the two men.
By the end of his first year as Churchill's bodyguard Walter had not only only kept him safe through several moments when his life had been in grave danger but the two men had forged bonds of mutual respect and friendship which were to last for the rest of their lives.
Over the next 10 years, their relationship was to go through many changes as Winston's career reached new heights and then seemed to have collapsed.
Walter had to move back to other duties But when Winston's determined opposition to Indian self-rule brought new threats of assassination, It was to Walter, that he again turned for protection.
The next time Winston's life was threatened, it was to be from a direction neither man could have anticipated.
Tekkichan^^