Churchill's Cat: A Feline Remembance

Long before Bob the street cat, there was Winston Churchill’s marmalade cat, Jock. He was a constant companion of the famous statesman from his eighty-eighth birthday on 30 November 1962 until his death on 24 January 1965. The cat’s devotion inspired Clementine Churchill to assure her husband that there would always be a Jock at Chartwell, his country home. Churchill’s Cat: A Feline Remembrance illuminates the special relationship between Churchill and this cat.

        Jock was rescued from the Royal SPCA by John (Jock) Colville, Churchill’s private secretary during his two premierships and later a close family friend. He gave the marmalade kitten with white bib and four white socks to Sir Winston for his birthday at his Hyde Park Gate townhome. Churchill named the cat after Colville in honor of his friend’s generosity.

        Jock’s playfulness and energy revived Churchill’s waning spirit and sense of humor. The cat’s antics amused him when little else could occupy his mind. From attacking his toes under the bed covers to playing with his monogrammed slippers to knocking keepsakes off the desk, Jock was a bundle of liveliness that gave Churchill many badly needed lifts.

        Jock enjoyed meals with his human, who always spoiled him with tidbits from his own plate. When Churchill’s wife, Clementine, wasn’t present, he would pour cream directly on the table for Jock to lap up. The beloved cat slept first in the hall outside Churchill’s bedroom and afterward on his bed. Jock entertained Sir Winston as he sat outside in his garden both at his London home and at Chartwell. Whenever Churchill traveled between his two homes, Jock sat on the seat next to him in the car.

        Churchill remained mentally alert during his last years, but his declining hearing and mobility hindered him. Jock had a cat-on-the-carpet view of Churchill and his distinguished visitors that included, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury (Violet Bonham Carter), and former Prime Minister Harold McMillan.

        In 1964 Sir Winston insisted that Jock sit on his lap during a group photo at his grandson’s wedding reception. Weeks later the press captured a photo of Jock at Churchill’s feet as he waved to the cheering crowd before leaving his London home for his last visit to the House of Commons. Since Churchill could no longer participate in his former pleasures, including oil painting, writing articles and books, making dinner table speeches, and jostling in the free-for-all of British politics, Jock became even more important to him.

        During Sir Winston’s final days, Jock was ever faithful to his human, remaining on his bed during the two weeks between his stroke and his death. According to Sir Anthony Montague Browne, Churchill’s last private secretary, Jock inspected his human’s still body in his open coffin, then fled the darkened bedroom never to return.

        Jock moved back to Chartwell after Sir Winston’s national funeral and lived his remaining days there, relishing the gardens, fields, woods, and ponds. He grieved for the loss of his friend during that first year without him, but eventually the country estate worked its magic on him and ministered to his sorrow. He and Grace Hamblin, the first administrator of the Chartwell National Trust, enjoyed many fine moments together in the ensuing nine years.

        Jock passed away at the age of twelve and was buried at the Chartwell pet cemetery next to Churchill’s poodles, Rufus and Rufus II. A stone marks his grave with his name, Jock, and the dates 1962-74 etched in it.

        Clementine’s promise about having a Jock at Chartwell has been honored. Jock VI is the current resident cat and has become a Chartwell celebrity. Visitors often see the marmalade feline with the white bib and socks patrolling his domain in much the same way as the original Jock.