The British Gazette

CHURCHILL (Winston S), edited. The British Gazette. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1926. Issues numbered 1-8 (all published), each a folded bifolium.Folio, some light browning from age with slight fraying at edges but overall condition complete and very good.
First editions of the complete run of the British Gazette, edited by Winston Churchill to present the government's case during the 1926 General Strike, issued from 5 to 13 May 1926. Although no features or articles are signed by Churchill, at least one article in each issue can confidently be ascribed to him. "During the evening of 2nd May, the day before the strike was due to start, (truncated) several newspapers including the Daily Mail and Daily Express were either suppressed or censored by the machine-minders. Aware of the dangers of a muzzled Press, Stanley Baldwin, then prime minister, summoned Churchill to organize an emergency newspaper. As would be expected, he rose to the challenge with drive and imagination, laying down his guidelines in advance. 'The essential thing is that we should produce a really powerful readable broadsheet not merely to contain news but in order to relieve the minds of the people... I do not contemplate violent partisanship, but fair, strong encouragement to the great mass of loyal people... it should have a leading article, not violent partisan, but agreeable to the great majority of the people of our side: constitutional, the hope for peace, Parliament maintains authority in the country, injury to trade and reputation of the country'". Churchill took over the Morning Post building. The unions pulled out their men, but Churchill called Lord Beaverbrook, who sent the night superintendent of the Daily Express to single-handedly set the type and produce the first issue. Though consisting of only one leaf printed on both sides, it sold 232,000 copies, and daily sales figures reached over 2 million by the final issue. "In spite of pious preliminary statements, Churchill ran the British Gazette not merely as a medium for Government announcements and propaganda, but also as an avowedly strike-breaking weapon, to such an extent that in the subsequent Parliamentary debate, he was bitterly attacked by Labour MPs. His retort is one of his best-known; 'I utterly decline to be impartial as between the Fire Brigade and the fire'". (Inventory #: BritGaz)