CHURCHILL, Winston S.

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Typed letter signed, to Emanuel Shinwell, on the reform of the convoy system. Writing during the Battle of the Atlantic, Churchill defends the achievements of the Royal Navy, while agreeing that convoy sizes should be reduced.Emanuel Shinwell (1884-1986) was a Labour MP, later chairman of the Labour Party (1947-48) and Secretary of State for War (1947-50). He declined a post in Churchill's coalition government. "During the war years Shinwell was a vigorous, though always patriotic, critic of Winston Churchill's coalition government" (ODNB).Shinwell had written to Churchill on 7 October about the convoy system. Churchill referred the matter to the Admiralty, arranged a meeting with the First Lord, and requested a memorandum on the subject. "Meanwhile, I can only say that I entirely agree with you that the size of the convoys should be reduced, that they should be graded according to speed, and that much stronger escorts should be provided".However, "The difficulty is that all our escorts are already strained to the utmost in bringing in the large volume of shipping on which our war effort depends. Therefore we have to do the best we can with the numbers we have got". Churchill insists that the system has been effective. "The results achieved during the last Quarter and in the first part of the present month are remarkable in view of the difficulties and the great and increasing number of U-boats operating. Indeed I feel what has been accomplished constitutes one of the greates

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