Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George are often lionized as Britain’s greatest war leaders. Both came to power during titanic struggles when things looked bleak – Lloyd George in WWI, Churchill in WWII.

The popular view in the UK is that they saved their country at time of need; overcoming adversity and leading Britain to victory.

Author Robert Lloyd George takes a look at the close friendship between his great grandfather and Winston Churchill. Lloyd George and Churchill came from different worlds. Lloyd George was from a small home in North Wales, his father a teacher who died young. George’s uncle was his role model and helped him become a strong debater. Churchill, the grandson of a Duke, and son of Lord Randolph Churchill, was born at Blenheim Palace. Churchill was a descendant of the Spencer Family, his mother the daughter of an American millionaire.

Both men were outsiders politically, mainly because neither attended university. Both loved sparring. Churchill’s driving force seemed to be competing with his father’s political memory. George and Churchill forged a life-long friendship that started on the debate floors of Parliament. George influenced Churchill to switch from Conservative to Liberal. Even after the war, the two continued to see each other and discuss matters of the day, despite being increasingly divided politically after 1923.

Robert Lloyd George has the advantage of his family archives in writing this book. The personal documents and accounts of people make it feel as thought you’re living the historical events. The book is very readable and shows Churchill in a kinder light. He’s more human and approachable in his interaction with Lloyd George. There are many photos of the two together. In the years between 1904 and 1914 they met every day and had private discussions.

When Lloyd George established the Ministry of Munitions on 1915, he discovered an acute shortage of acetone, a key ingredient for making shells. He met with Jewish chemist Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who had a new process of making acetone from chestnuts. The Zionist movement, established in 1896 in Vienna by Theodore Herzl, was seeking a homeland for the Jews. Weizmann charmed George, and this friendship would be significant in the formation of Israel. George was already sympathetic, Herzl was his law firm’s client. In 1917, the Prime Minister Lloyd George surprised the House of Commons by stating in a speech that Turkey would not be allowed to keep Palestine or Mesopotamia (Iraq).

All in all a fascinating and educational read of a remarkable friendship that spanned events that still reverberate today.

David & Winston: How a Friendship Between Churchill and Lloyd George Changed the Course of History, Hardback 336 pages Publisher: Overlook Press; (April, 2008) Language: English. ISBN- 978-1585679300 $29.95

Gabrielle Pantera is the book reviewer for the British Weekly and a screenwriter.