Churchills in Africa

For the Churchill family, the 1890s were fateful years. The first half of the decade saw the tragic decline and death of Lord Randolph Churchill; the second half launched his young son, Winston, on his spectacular career. Both events were influenced by the turbulent state of affairs prevailing in South Africa—a place then attracting the attentions of ambitious men throughout the world. It offered not only riches but the chance of political involvement and military renown; behind the glitter of Kimberley's diamonds, the Transvaal's gold and the opening-up of Rhodesia, a situation was developing which led inevitably to the Anglo-Boer War. Such a set of circumstances proved irresistible to the spirited Churchills. In his last book, Cecil Rhodes and the Princess, Brian Roberts threw a new light on a little-known aspect of Rhodes's life. Here he shows how, in their various ways, Lord Randolph, his remarkable sister, Lady Sarah Wilson, and the young Winston made their mark on the African scene. Though their stories have been told before, Mr. Roberts sets the results of his own unsparing research against the earlier versions with revealing results. Lord Randolph's elaborate expedition to Mashonaland in 1891, though ostensibly a patriotic venture connected with state-aided emigration, is shown also to have been a desperate attempt to "strike it rich" by a man who, four years out of office and extremely short of money, had formed his own gold prospecting syndic...