Churchills First War: Young Winston and the Fight Against the Taliban

Perhaps some publisher should consider a re-issuing the Churchill material and having have Coughlin write interpretive introductions to selected sections. Jan 08, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: I received this book through a Goodreads "First-Reads" Giveaway. This is lively, well-written account of Churchill's early years and his military service on the Northwest Frontier of India now Pakistan in Churchill's "war' with the Afghans is very brief - literally weeks.

The book is much more about Churchill's early life and young adulthood than his time on the actual campaign, and it is a fascinating story. For example, Churchill's regiment is stationed 2, miles away in the south of I received this book through a Goodreads "First-Reads" Giveaway. For example, Churchill's regiment is stationed 2, miles away in the south of India and suffice to say does not go anywhere near the Northwest Frontier or Afghanistan. How does a twenty-two year old low-ranking officer manage to get himself assigned there? And forget about India for a moment, what is Winston Churchill doing in Cuba of all places with the Spanish?

Coughlin has covered the current war in Afghanistan as a correspondent and is able to draw a number of comparisons between that conflict and the British experience in the s, demonstrating that more things change in many ways the more they stay the same. But for me, the best part of the book remains author's ability to bring young Winston Churchill and his world of the late 19th century to life.

A compelling and entertaining read. Oct 19, Corey Benn rated it liked it. A decent and informative read on a young Churchills life in the military. Exposed me to areas of his life I was not familiar with. I must say that the book does tend to stray to modern times and back in an effort to compare modern and historical conflicts in Afghanistan. Jan 10, Tom rated it liked it Shelves: To a great degree, merely a biography of Churchill's early years.

Perhaps too many allusions back to the present day, and a bit more judgment leveled at modern policies than one might expect from a book focused on events from nearly twelve decades ago. Feb 14, Eric rated it it was amazing Shelves: Young Winston at War with the Afghans is a thoroughly researched, yet highly engaging work that details how Winston Churchill, determined to advance his personal reputation, joins the Afghan campaign as a journalist.

The story encompasses much more than just this war with the Afghans, though, and includes information on Churchill's early life, his personal life, and how the experience would leave a lasting impression on his future endeavors. Throughout the book there Churchill's First War: Throughout the book there is is a fully fleshed-out Churchill, at first full of youthful exuberance and bravado. Coughlin quotes Churchill's eagerness to report on the front lines of the battle by saying "I have faith in my star - that I am intended to do something in this world.

If I am mistaken - what does it matter? Churchill emerges from the experience a wiser man, wary of battle. Coughlin quotes him near the end of the book saying, "Ah, horrible war, amazing medley of the glorious and the squalid, the pitiful and the sublime, if modern men of light and learning saw your face closer, simple folk would see it hardly ever.

• India Through the Ages: A Popular and Picturesque History of Hindustan?
• ;
• ;
• .
• Dwarf and the King of Frogs.
• .
• Caretaker.

There are interesting connections between then and now, such as that Talib-ul-ilms, "the great-grandfathers of those who created the modern Taliban movement," or how the British greatly misjudge the desire of the Afghan people for Western ideals of freedom. The story helps us understand Afghanistan and its people better, while also learning much about the early development of this iconic world leader.

Mar 23, Peter Wibaux rated it it was amazing. If you add to that my fascination for Winston Churchill, then this was a must-read. Churchill was the master of the tweet, and I might well 'follow' him on Twitter if he were alive, rather than staying well clear. The army was very much a means to an end, and Churchill, a Although I don't much care for the Daily Telegraph, the British newspaper that Con Coughlin works for, I do very much enjoy his books. The army was very much a means to an end, and Churchill, a man with great political ambition and in permanent debt, spent his time on the northern frontier of the British Raj simultaneously fighting and writing war dispatches for The Telegraph.

Coughlin does live up to his name, and slightly cons the reader by regularly bringing in the parallels of the late XIXth century with the current Afghan War. In that sense, substantial parts of the book have nothing to do with Churchill, or his war which if truth be told, he didn't see that much of.

See a Problem?

Even more incomprehensible was the British position, given their extended scale of disasters in the Northern Frontier during the XIXth century. Coughlin has the reporting skills to draw those parallels, and that makes this book compulsory reading for any military personnel deploying in that part of the world. For many young lives, it is unfortunately too late.

If you like history, and the lessons of history, this book's for you.

Read more, including a couple of snippets from Kipling, on my blog Aug 19, Chris rated it liked it Shelves: The Taliban is nothing new. Winston fought the Talibs in and they had suicide bombers back then too. I came away from this book not too enchanted with Young Winston.

He was a shameless self-promoter, sycophant, and spoiled rich kid who seemed too ambitious for his own good. However, he was courageous, competent, and could write. His intent to use the army as a stepping stone to a political career did not endear him to either his peers or his seniors. He and his mother would never take no fo The Taliban is nothing new. He and his mother would never take no for an answer, constantly bombarding the King, prime minister, etc.. The racist imperial comments about the character of the peoples are illuminated with the perception that nothing has changed since Winston's time there except maybe the technology of the weapons.

Coughlin actually visited the sites in Pakistan where Churchill fought and provides maps and pictures from the past as well as the present. A good read that leaves you wondering why we are wasting national treasure American lives in a land that violently reacts to any foreign interference in their affairs.

May 29, Christopher Shay rated it liked it. Chruchill's First War was worth a read, mainly because it draws an interesting comparison between historical and modern military interventions in Afghanistan. Turns out, they never work very well. It also explores Churchill, himself, who seems like an interesting dude.

Con Coughlin's account of young Winston’s battles in Afghanistan entertain Keith Lowe.

I feel like Coughlin made his point about Afghanistan fairly effectively, if a little snobbishly, and without a truly sophisticated insight into the region. His grasp of or at least his writings on South Asian history is not im Chruchill's First War was worth a read, mainly because it draws an interesting comparison between historical and modern military interventions in Afghanistan.

His grasp of or at least his writings on South Asian history is not impressive compared to Peter Tomsen's epic "The Wars of Afghanistan". But, then again, Tomsen's books was something like a thousand pages long. For the amount of time I invested in reading "Churchill's First Especially concerning the perspectives of the British elites who formed South Asian policy. Coughlin is a more effective biographer of Churchill than he is a South Asia historian.

But this is my first Churchill biography, so I have no idea how the work compares with other biographers or Churchill as an autobiographer. From the quotes included in "Churchill's First", I tend to think the autobiography would have been a better read. Still, "Churchill's First" was a pretty OK. Jan 07, M rated it really liked it Shelves: This well written, very readable account is a good background read when considering what is going on in Afghanistan today.

The early chapters explain the Churchill family circumstances that led Winston Churchill to volunteer for service in Afghanistan. Then the history of the British involvement in the region is discussed. Churchill was twenty-one years old at the time and this operation, and his subsequent writing about it, was the basis of the reputation that led to his later political successes. May 29, Alex rated it it was amazing Shelves: While fellow subalterns lazed around the polo field, Winston pursued a gruelling course of self-improvement, quickly catching up on squandered school years. As a staff officer to General Sir Bindon Blood he worked twice as hard as any other subaltern.

On the battlefield he went out of his way to commit acts of bravery: How Churchill got a taste for war. Playing hookey in Marrakesh. The way he wrote about his deeds may have been self-congratulatory — but it was damn good copy: Some of the juicier details and quotes are repeated, partly because there are not quite enough of them; and some of the descriptions feel like padding. Coughlin is a talented writer, and as defence editor of this newspaper has become something of an expert on the modern conflict on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. The parts of the book where his expertise shines through are nothing to do with Churchill, but rather in the references to the way history has repeated itself.

It is no coincidence, he writes, that the same tribes Churchill fought against also led the insurgency against Nato and the Pakistani government over a century later. Every now and then we get a glimpse of the layers of history and politics around his story, and the page springs to life. Had Coughlin perhaps given himself more time, and expanded this approach, it would have made for a more rewarding read. Follow Telegraph Books on Twitter. Get the best at Telegraph Puzzles. A collection of the best contributions and reports from the Telegraph focussing on the key events, decisions and moments in Churchill's life.

This book tells the story of the men and women of Fighter Command who worked tirelessly in air bases scattered throughout Britain to thwart the Nazis.