Winston Churchill said his most famous statement during his first weeks as Prime Minister.
Following the heroic evacuation of British soldiers from Dunkirk in May and June 1940, Churchill stated, “We shall battle them on the beaches,” amid worries that Nazi Germany was planning an invasion.
Following significant conservation and hours of restoration, a painting held by Churchill depicting the historic Dunkirk evacuation is now on public display for the first time at his old house in Kent, Chartwell.
The oil on canvas painting by wartime artist Ernest Townsend shows some of the 330,000 soldiers evacuated safely from France following Nazi Germany’s invasion. It was gifted by the artist’s son to Churchill in 1947.
Whilst Churchill was sent thousands of gifts after he led Britain to victory in the Second World War, he could only accept a select few. Townsend’s painting was one of those that he said he would be ‘honoured to accept’.
The painting, which is 4feet and 7inches wide, was originally delivered to Churchill – himself a keen painter – at his London home but was then moved to Chartwell.
It sustained a four-inch tear in its canvas over the years and the varnish covering it had yellowed. It was restored after 100 hours of cleaning and repair.
To repair the tear, conservators used sutures and borrowed the technique honed by medics to sew up wounds.
Whilst it is not yet known where the painting was initially hung, researchers do know that it was in Churchill’s studio in the garden of his home when he died in 1965.
To repair the tear the painting, conservators carefully humidified the area to relax the threads of the canvas, whilst protecting the painting with Gore-Tex to make sure no water came into direct contact with it.
The torn edge was then neatly aligned and temporarily held in place with the same kind of tape used for sports injuries.
National Trust conservator Sophie Reddington added: ‘The threads were re-woven with a surgical needle and then secured with adhesive – in a similar way to how wounds are treated with sutures.
‘I was introduced to the technique a few years ago and am delighted by its success as a temporary fixing method.’
The frame of the painting is known to be much older than the work itself and is believed to date from the 18th century.
In what may have been a sign of the war-imposed shortage of materials, the frame was cut down in size so it could be used, rather than the painter making use of a brand new frame.
Chartwell’s curator Katherine Carter said: ‘Churchill’s ‘we shall fight them on the beaches’ speech has gone down in history among the greatest wartime orations.
Whilst Churchill was sent thousands of gifts after he led Britain to victory in the Second World War, he could only accept a select few. Above: Churchill at Chartwell in 1945
So, we are delighted that we have been able to conserve and finally display such an important symbol of his legacy at his former home.
‘It must have been poignant for him to be given this beautifully painted reminder of such a significant event of the Second World War, just at the time he was writing about Dunkirk for his history of the war a few years later.
‘In partnership with the curatorial team at the Derby Museums Trust we were able to unearth the correspondences between Churchill and Ernest Townsend’s son and understand a little more behind the gift.
‘The painting is now being displayed as part of a renewed focus on the story we tell at Chartwell of Churchill and his role as a wartime leader.’
The painting conservation was carried out at the National Trust’s Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio at Knole in Kent.
Ms Reddington added said it is always ‘hugely satisfying’ removing old varnish from paintings.
‘Often paintings have lost their original colours and dimensional appearance. Removing aged varnish layers is like bringing a painting back to life and this painting looks transformed with its colours fresh and vibrant again,’ she said.