Lot 121: CHURCHILL, Winston S. Typed letter signed to Sir John Anderson (lord president of the council), 10 Downing Street, 6 October 1943, marked 'Personal and Private', one page, 4to , annotated by recipient (punch hole). Provenance : Sotheby's, 18

CHURCHILL, Winston S. Typed letter signed to Sir John Anderson (lord president of the council), 10 Downing Street, 6 October 1943, marked 'Personal and Private', one page, 4to, annotated by recipient (punch hole). Provenance: Sotheby's, 18 December 1986, lot 250.

A COOL ASSESSMENT OF THE RISKS OF MOVING BACK INTO DOWNING STREET. 'By all means explore the possibilities of occupying your house [11 Downing Street]. We have several times ourselves thought of going back to No. 10, and I still hope we may do it next year. The argument which proved decisive against it so far has been the C.A.S.'s opinion that the building is so old and frail that a near miss by a heavy bomb might bring it all down with a run ... It may well be that the rocket or long-range cannon bombarding will begin at the turn of the year'; the letter concludes with a brief reference to 'some trouble in Dudley's domestic affairs'.

1st Lord of the Admiralty Sir Dudley Pound had resigned the previous day owing to ill health. He died two weeks later.

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.