Interlude
October 1916
The fire crackled in front of the two men as they sat talking and having their after-dinner drinks. Arthur Balfour was smoking a cigar and Henry Strachen swirled his glass as he looked through it into the fire.
“It was a fine roast tonight, Arthur. I have been rather relaxed these last few days. Thank you again for asking me up here. I needed to get out of London, and the lack of interest from Buckingham Palace has been most tiresome.”
“I dare say there is no love loss between myself and the King either.”
“Still, at least you have a voice of importance now. Britain is ruled by the waves and you’ve got your finger on the ships at the Admiralty.”
“Yes, well. I was surprised when Asquith asked me to be First Lord. I’d have thought he had more interest in keeping with young Churchill, but they don’t seem to see eye to eye.”
“Smart lad,” Henry replied. He slowly stood up and shuffled over to the sideboard where a variety of liquor bottles were arrayed. Choosing his drink of choice, he poured a bit more in his snifter and shuffled back to his chair. He turned his backside to the fire for a moment before sitting down.
“Ah, I do love a good fire. Warms the old bones, don’t you know.”
“Yes, it’s quite good. I say, old boy, I could use some more expertise over at the office. I don’t suppose you might offer your services…just when you can…”
“Arthur, I am eighty-six years old. I don’t think they want some dotty old man sticking his old snout in their business. Besides, I’m not a navy man. What you need is someone with a louder voice than mine to convince Lloyd George that the time is up for these aggressors. Do you realize that we haven’t intervened in one major conflict outside of our own in a half a century?”
“Yes, it shames me to think what a waste our might has truly been. Still, Lloyd George has shown much more backbone that Herbert ever did. It was he that forced Asquith out, don’t you know?”
“True, true. But will he act now? I know we’ve never been one to protect outside of our own corner, but Ethiopia could simply be a stepping-stone to South Africa. How much longer must we appease these fools?”
“He hasn’t suggested anything to me that might allow me to think he has plans for action. I will speak with him about it again. We have developed a strange but effective working relationship, I should say. Who would have thought?”
Before Henry could answer, a knock on the door roused the two men from their conversation. Balfour went to the door and in front of him stood the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George. Next to him was a round-faced, dour looking young man.
“You’ve met Winston haven’t you Balfour?” Lloyd George asked as an introduction. Winston Churchill extended his hand and Balfour accepted it.
“Pleased, once again Mr. Churchill. Sirs, to what do we owe this pleasure?”
“Arthur, may we come in? There is something we need to discuss,” Lloyd George suggested.
The two men were allowed to enter the study and upon seeing Henry exchanged further pleasantries. Henry gestured for the men to sit and Balfour poured them both drinks.
“Cigars, gentlemen?” Balfour asked them.
“No thank you, sir?” replied Lloyd George.
“Yes, I’ll take one, if you please,” replied Churchill.
As Balfour sat once again, Lloyd George got down to business. “Arthur, we need to make some changes. I believe you know what I mean.”
Balfour looked up at Lloyd George with an interested expression, “Changes? I wish I knew of what you speak.”
“You have done splendid work at the admiralty, Arthur, but I’m afraid this business in Africa has been the final straw. King George is adamant that we reverse our stated position and get into this thing.”
Henry and Balfour both lit up with vigor.
“Outstanding, sir. What does His Majesty have in mind?” Henry asked quickly.
“He has left it up to me to determine this important step. And I have decided to bring Winston back to the Admiralty. His work speaks for itself, and we will need someone who is comfortable with war,” Lloyd George said gesturing to Churchill next to him. Churchill said nothing but nodded his approval. Balfour looked down at the floor, slightly dejected, but he too knew that it was a wise choice.
“Arthur, we haven’t thrown you out. I’ll need your mind and your friends in the House of Lords to be with us on this. I have proposed you as Foreign Secretary and King George extended his approval on the choice.”
“I am to be a statesman now?” Balfour asked.
“Splendid choice, Lloyd George. I can think of no better man for the job,” Henry suggested. Lloyd George sensed Balfour’s disapproval of the idea and was pleased to have support from Henry. Balfour spoke again,
“Well, you are the Prime Minister, sir. If you have asked me to, I shall join with you in putting down these rascals. But what of the Continent? Do we have plans there?”
“Not at the moment, I am afraid. If we were to involve ourselves every time the Germans and French fought, we would have been in never ending battle. Hundred Years War, indeed,” Lloyd George said with a chuckle.
Churchill added, “Sirs, we have been looking at this. I can assure you we will have the ships to blockade Germany, but we cannot spare the troops. It will be hard enough to get reinforcements into India. And we must haggle with the Portuguese in order to protect the colonies in the Congo. They stand wide open at present.”
“It seems we are to act, and not a moment too soon. I dare say Abbas Ali is more of an immediate threat than Wilhelm,” Henry affirmed. He looked at Balfour to signal his approval.
Balfour saw the old man’s face and realized that this was more than the right thing to do for the United Kingdom. This would be personal vindication for his old friend. “Whatever I can do to help, gentlemen, I will be of service.”
Lloyd George smiled at his coup. He would have one of the finest leaders of the opposition with him when it came to convincing the Lords. And he had the most tenacious First Lord of the Admiralty in order to carry it out. He, too, could sense the satisfaction that came over Henry Strachen and rose to shake his hand once more.
“Sir, I cannot apologize enough for our lack of haste in this matter. But had you not kept the pressure on, I dare say we may not have joined in yet,” Lloyd George said to Henry.
“Prime Minister, it was not I that kept the pressure on. It was the Persian Army. But I dare say, God willing, we will keep the pressure on them now,” Henry replied with a smile.
“Why Henry…have you decided God exists once again?” Balfour asked him, surprised to hear Henry use the Lord’s name.
“Whether I believed He exists or not is unimportant. He must exist now; for He has made sure that we do our duty. It matters not how long it took, it only matters that we are certain of victory now.”
“Here, here,” Churchill chimed in, “And I dare say that we are quite certain, sir!”
