Winston Churchill famously asserted that he had nothing to offer but “blood, toil, tears and sweat”. Now, a few drops of the first of these is coming up for sale at auction next month.
A phial containing traces of Churchill’s blood, drawn from the former prime minister as he recovered in hospital from a fractured hip, is being offered for sale to the highest bidder.
Churchill was treated in the Middlesex hospital in London in 1962 at the age of 87 after breaking his hip while in Monte Carlo. It was feared that he would not survive but he soldiered on until the age of 90.
The blood taken at the Middlesex was about to be disposed of when a student nurse called Patricia Fitzgibbon asked if she could keep the tube, which was clearly labelled with Churchill’s name. She was given permission and hung on to it all her life. Now it is being put up for auction following her death.
Timothy Medhurst, of Duke’s auction house in Dorset, said experts had estimated the lot at £300-£600. He said: “It is impossible to put an accurate estimate on this unique piece of history.
“It is probably the first time that such a personal piece of Churchill’s history has been offered on the open market. This year marks the 50-year anniversary of Churchill’s death. The blood is a poignant reminder of an injury which marked the beginning of the end for Churchill and, as such, we expect there to be great interest in it. It could sell for thousands.”
The blood will be sold together with a signed declaration by Fitzgibbon detailing the circumstances in which she acquired the phial.
In 2010 she recalled that, despite the severity of his injury, Churchill remained steadfast throughout his stay. She said: “I remember that he would never settle at night until after he had read the first edition of all the daily newspapers, which he had specially delivered. He habitually smoked cigars in bed [and] regularly mixed the first and second courses of his meal into one bowl before eating it.” – (Guardian service)