Not so Brendan Bracken, who distanced himself from his nationality to become Winston Churchill’s right-hand man. Bracken moved to Liverpool in 1919 and found employment as a teacher, claiming he had been to the University of Sydney. In 1923 the editor of the Observer introduced him to Winston Churchill, who had decided to contest Leicester West in the general election. In 1939 Churchill joined Neville Chamberlain’s war cabinet; Bracken became his private secretary, continuing as such when Churchill became prime minister. From 1950, he was chairman of the board of governors of Sedbergh, where he financed the restoration of an 18th-century building, complete with inscription, “Remember Winston Churchill”.

Source: The Irish Times April 18, 2018 09:56 UTC