| Original caption: “Mr. Winston Churchill visit the North East with a “Tommy” gun. The Prime Minister with a “Tommy gun which was used in an exercise which he watched when he toured the North Eastern coast fortifications and defenses.” United Kingdom Winston S. Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) toting an American-made Thompson submachine gun. The Thompson, while heavy, was popular, although the M1928A1 version seen here used the 50-round drum magazine that added weight. This image was used by Nazi Minister of Propaganda Josef Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) to portray Churchill as a murderous Chicago-style gangster, while Churchill himself used it to portray himself as standing tough as Britain stood alone. To meet the Germans on an equal footing, the United Kingdom Royal Army desperately needed small arms after abandoning much equipment on the beaches of Dunkirk. The American gun manufacturer Auto-Ordnance was ready to oblige. At the end of July 1940, the Prime Minister attended a photo opportunity at Heugh Battery, the coastal artillery post in Hartlepool, Durham, where he had a chance to see the Thompson submachine gun up close. In the company of military brass, Churchill not only inspected, but handled, many of the weapons he was shown. A soldier was standing by with a new production M1928A1, equipped with a drum magazine. The prime minister asked to see it, and the soldier raised the weapon obligingly. Churchill cautiously touched the weapon, caressing the Cutts compensator between his thumb and forefinger. He didn’t actually mean that he wanted to see it. He wanted to touch it. The next thing we know is that Churchill had the “Tommy” gun in his hands, posing for photographs, his signature cigar clamped in his teeth, a grin on his face, and a gangster gun cradled in his arms. The photograph was seen by many as a defiant image of Britain standing firm, ready to defend itself. Others saw it as grandstanding by ChurchillThe London editorial writers had a lark, dubbing him “Cigarface,” a pun on “Scar-face.” What many articles and news reports about Churchill’s famous photo failed to mention was that 1 of the prime minister’s American cousins, Frederic A. Willis (October 23, 1895 – January 2, 1967), was now an Auto-Ordnance vice president. A former United States Army officer, Willis had come to Auto-Ordnance in mid-June 1940 from his post as assistant to the president of the Columbia Broadcasting System. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1995.jpg |
| Image Size | 353.63 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2000 x 2038 |
| Photographer | William G. Horton |
| Photographer Title | War Office |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 31, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | Hartlepool |
| State or Province | Durham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | H 2646 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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