French battleship Bretagne, on fire and mortally wounded, just before capsizing in the harbor at Mers-el-Kébir
Operation Catapult: Winston Churchill and the British Attack on the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir
The Associated Press called the Royal Navy’s July 1940 attack on the French fleet “the strangest of all naval actions in the world’s history,” and said Winston Churchill’s ensuing speech to the House of Commons was “like no other every heard in its ancient halls.”
This little-remembered incident from Churchill’s second month as Britain’s Prime Minister briefly shocked the world. During a one-sided bombardment at Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria, the Royal Navy killed 1,257 French seamen.
Two thousand miles to the east, as French and British admirals in Alexandria worked toward a brittle compromise to save lives, Britain’s actions at Mers-el-Kébir jeopardized the French Admiral’s willingness to cooperate.
In the view of Churchill biographer Paul Reid, this story has “all the vital incredients - action, diplomacy, Winston, betrayal, heroics.”
Operation Catapult: Winston Churchill and the British Attack on the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir will be published by the U.S. Naval Institute Press.
You can learn more about the U.S. Naval Institute and its publications here.
Additional details coming soon.
Churchill Archives
Even my chair seems braced for action in the reading room at the Churchill Archives at the University of Cambridge.
That’s my laptop, my yellow notepad, and the first ribbon-bound folder of documents presented by an archivist as I’m about to get to work in the papers of Winston Churchill and dozens of his contemporaries - while a bust of Sir Winston looks over my shoulder.
Research
In return for a £1 daily courtesy fee, researchers at the Churchill Archives may take pictures of just about any documents of interest.
I captured over 700 images during my time at Cambridge. In addition to papers from Winston Churchill, General Sir Edward Louis Spears, Admiral James Somerville, and dozens of others, I also worked with the original handwritten diary of John Colville (Churchill’s private secretary), and stumbled upon a postcard to Sir Winston from George Bernard Shaw.
It was a sublime and enriching experience.
Writing
You mention a book …
Can you actually write?
Fair question. Of course I would like you to believe so. These short pieces on a variety of topics can help you decide.
Disclaimer: I fudged the dates on these posts from my past so I could display them in a specific sequence on this page. The original publication date appears at the end of each article.
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Bill Whiteside: Background & Newsletter
Chartwell gardens
I built this site to serve as a biography of my book more so than a biography of me. Still, in case we haven’t met …
I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, the oldest of 6 kids, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Management. My wife Barbara and I have lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for more than 30 years, and have been blessed with a son (Billy) and a daughter (Brittany).
After selling software for 35 years, I abandoned that career to finish writing a book that I started researching to keep my mind engaged during my time on the road. I was intrigued by an incident from early in Winston Churchill’s first term as Britain’s prime minister, and as I dug into the story from multiple angles, my diversion evolved into an obsession. The more I learned, the more it became a book I just had to write.
Considering my non-pedigreed background as a software salesman, this entire research and writing process has been quite an education in itself.
On the first Monday of each month I email a free newsletter in which I share stories about my adventures in researching, writing, marketing, and publishing my book. I would love to send it to you if you would be so kind as to complete the form below. If you’re inclined to go rogue, you can email me directly at bill.whiteside@perfectlytruestory.com.
You can find past newsletters on my Newsletter Archive page.
Thanks,
Bill Whiteside