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Churchill's First War: Young Winston at War with the Afghans
A fascinating account of Winston Churchill's early military career fighting in the 1890 Afghan campaign, offering fresh and revealing parallels into today's war in Afghanistan
Just over a century ago British troops were fighting a vicious frontier war against Pashtun tribeman on the North West Frontier—the great-great-grandfathers of the Taliban and tribal insurgents in modern-day Afghanistan. Winston Churchill, then a young cavalry lieutenant, wrote a vivid account of what he saw during his first major campaign. The Story of the Malakand Field Force, published in 1898, was Churchill’s first book and, a hundred years later, is required reading for military commanders on the ground, both British and American.
In Churchill's First War, acclaimed author and foreign correspondent, Con Coughlin tells the story of that campaign, a story of high adventure and imperial success, which contains many lessons and warnings for today. Combining historical narrative, interviews with contemporary key players, and the journalist’s eye for great color and analysis, Churchill's First War affords us a rare insight into both the nineteenth-century "Great Game" and the twenty-first-century conflict that has raged longer than World War II.
Just over a century ago British troops were fighting a vicious frontier war against Pashtun tribeman on the North West Frontier—the great-great-grandfathers of the Taliban and tribal insurgents in modern-day Afghanistan. Winston Churchill, then a young cavalry lieutenant, wrote a vivid account of what he saw during his first major campaign. The Story of the Malakand Field Force, published in 1898, was Churchill’s first book and, a hundred years later, is required reading for military commanders on the ground, both British and American.
In Churchill's First War, acclaimed author and foreign correspondent, Con Coughlin tells the story of that campaign, a story of high adventure and imperial success, which contains many lessons and warnings for today. Combining historical narrative, interviews with contemporary key players, and the journalist’s eye for great color and analysis, Churchill's First War affords us a rare insight into both the nineteenth-century "Great Game" and the twenty-first-century conflict that has raged longer than World War II.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 26, 2013
Only half the narrative is devoted to Churchill in Afghanistan. The rest covers more than sufficient introductory material on the Churchill family (father, mother, financial problems), Churchill's early life (school, Cuba, his plans) and the wars in Afghanistan (past and present). Churchill, himself, said of his time in this war, that the subject matter was small (p. 224).
This book helps the reader see the hard to imagine: Churchill (primarily known to Americans as he appears in WWII newsreels) as a young man on a horse in battle. It's a bit easier to think of him playing polo. The book also shows, what is not too difficult to imagine: Churchill going to war in order to write about it and promote his political career, as he said and wrote many times.
Churchill joined the cavalry to see action, and arranged to write dispatches so his participation would be known. His first choice was not Afghanistan. Troops were needed there to maintain the Afghan border of what was then India and to deter any Russian presence. Coughlin shows how, 100 years later, Afghan character and military tactics remain the same.
The quotes and excerpts from Churchill's dispatches and his book The Story of the Malakand Field Force suggest that this material might be better presented in its original form. Many of the points Con Coughlin makes (beyond the filler) are good and/or interesting. Perhaps some publisher should consider a re-issuing the Churchill material and having have Coughlin write interpretive introductions to selected sections.
This book helps the reader see the hard to imagine: Churchill (primarily known to Americans as he appears in WWII newsreels) as a young man on a horse in battle. It's a bit easier to think of him playing polo. The book also shows, what is not too difficult to imagine: Churchill going to war in order to write about it and promote his political career, as he said and wrote many times.
Churchill joined the cavalry to see action, and arranged to write dispatches so his participation would be known. His first choice was not Afghanistan. Troops were needed there to maintain the Afghan border of what was then India and to deter any Russian presence. Coughlin shows how, 100 years later, Afghan character and military tactics remain the same.
The quotes and excerpts from Churchill's dispatches and his book The Story of the Malakand Field Force suggest that this material might be better presented in its original form. Many of the points Con Coughlin makes (beyond the filler) are good and/or interesting. Perhaps some publisher should consider a re-issuing the Churchill material and having have Coughlin write interpretive introductions to selected sections.
January 21, 2014
I received this book through a Goodreads "First-Reads" Giveaway. This is lively, well-written account of Churchill's early years and his military service on the Northwest Frontier of India (now Pakistan) in 1897. Churchill's "war' with the Afghans is very brief - literally weeks. The book is much more about Churchill's early life and young adulthood than his time on the actual campaign, and it is a fascinating story. For example, Churchill's regiment is stationed 2,000 miles away in the south of India and suffice to say does not go anywhere near the Northwest Frontier or Afghanistan. How does a twenty-two year old low-ranking officer manage to get himself assigned there? And forget about India for a moment, what is Winston Churchill doing in Cuba of all places with the Spanish?
Mr. Coughlin has covered the current war in Afghanistan as a correspondent and is able to draw a number of comparisons between that conflict and the British experience in the 1890s, demonstrating that more things change in many ways the more they stay the same. But for me, the best part of the book remains author's ability to bring young Winston Churchill and his world of the late 19th century to life. A compelling and entertaining read.
Mr. Coughlin has covered the current war in Afghanistan as a correspondent and is able to draw a number of comparisons between that conflict and the British experience in the 1890s, demonstrating that more things change in many ways the more they stay the same. But for me, the best part of the book remains author's ability to bring young Winston Churchill and his world of the late 19th century to life. A compelling and entertaining read.
October 20, 2017
A decent and informative read on a young Churchills life in the military. Exposed me to areas of his life I was not familiar with. I must say that the book does tend to stray to modern times and back in an effort to compare modern and historical conflicts in Afghanistan.
May 1, 2024
Amazing read for understanding the history of conflicts between West and Taliban. The way the author draws parallels between various fights and weaves modern incidents in this context made this whole read super interesting and way more engrossing than I expected it to be. A good example of why not to judge a book by its boring cover
June 27, 2015
Pretty good overall. To a great degree, merely a biography of Churchill's early years. Perhaps too many allusions back to the present day, and a bit more judgment leveled at modern policies than one might expect from a book focused on events from nearly twelve decades ago.
July 10, 2025
I had previously read Churchill's book The Story of the Malakand Field Force, so I decided to try this one. It did shed some light on phases of his life that I either didn't know or had forgotten. But the main reason was to see what was said about the comparison between what happened in 1897 and 2001, and whether or not any lessons were learned or applied. Unfortunately, not enough study was given to history; therefore, it could not have been applied.
April 26, 2023
Excellent parallel between Churchill 's war and the recent conflict. US Generals used Malakand Field Force, Winston Churchill 's book as a guide. Same problems, 100 years apart, persisted. A definite re-read for me, in the future.
January 12, 2021
Interesting but the title is misleading as there's not alot of the book about the Afghan War and the parallels with the war of the 2000's is abit pointless as regards Churchill.
August 13, 2014
Churchill's First War: Young Winston at War with the Afghans is a thoroughly researched, yet highly engaging work that details how Winston Churchill, determined to advance his personal reputation, joins the 1890 Afghan campaign as a journalist. The story encompasses much more than just this war with the Afghans, though, and includes information on Churchill's early life, his personal life, and how the experience would leave a lasting impression on his future endeavors.
Throughout the book there is is a fully fleshed-out Churchill, at first full of youthful exuberance and bravado. Coughlin quotes Churchill's eagerness to report on the front lines of the battle by saying "I have faith in my star - that I am intended to do something in this world. If I am mistaken - what does it matter?" Yet this exuberance is countered by the horrific realities of warfare, especially the bloody fighting in the North-West Frontier. Churchill emerges from the experience a wiser man, wary of battle. Coughlin quotes him near the end of the book saying, "Ah, horrible war, amazing medley of the glorious and the squalid, the pitiful and the sublime, if modern men of light and learning saw your face closer, simple folk would see it hardly ever."
Con Coughlin also does a wonderful job of tying the actions and difficulties of the Afghan campaign to our modern war in Afghanistan. There are interesting connections between then and now, such as that Talib-ul-ilms, "the great-grandfathers of those who created the modern Taliban movement," or how the British greatly misjudge the desire of the Afghan people for Western ideals of freedom.
This was a great read - informative & interesting - especially since the author could tie events from 100+ years ago to what we are experiencing today. The story helps us understand Afghanistan and its people better, while also learning much about the early development of this iconic world leader.
Throughout the book there is is a fully fleshed-out Churchill, at first full of youthful exuberance and bravado. Coughlin quotes Churchill's eagerness to report on the front lines of the battle by saying "I have faith in my star - that I am intended to do something in this world. If I am mistaken - what does it matter?" Yet this exuberance is countered by the horrific realities of warfare, especially the bloody fighting in the North-West Frontier. Churchill emerges from the experience a wiser man, wary of battle. Coughlin quotes him near the end of the book saying, "Ah, horrible war, amazing medley of the glorious and the squalid, the pitiful and the sublime, if modern men of light and learning saw your face closer, simple folk would see it hardly ever."
Con Coughlin also does a wonderful job of tying the actions and difficulties of the Afghan campaign to our modern war in Afghanistan. There are interesting connections between then and now, such as that Talib-ul-ilms, "the great-grandfathers of those who created the modern Taliban movement," or how the British greatly misjudge the desire of the Afghan people for Western ideals of freedom.
This was a great read - informative & interesting - especially since the author could tie events from 100+ years ago to what we are experiencing today. The story helps us understand Afghanistan and its people better, while also learning much about the early development of this iconic world leader.
March 23, 2014
Although I don't much care for the Daily Telegraph, the British newspaper that Con Coughlin works for, I do very much enjoy his books.
If you add to that my fascination for Winston Churchill, then this was a must-read. Churchill was the master of the tweet, and I might well 'follow' him on Twitter if he were alive, rather than staying well clear.
"History will be kind to me, because I intend to write it," the great statesman once remarked.
The army was very much a means to an end, and Churchill, a man with great political ambition and in permanent debt, spent his time on the northern frontier of the British Raj simultaneously fighting and writing war dispatches for The Telegraph.
Coughlin does live up to his name, and slightly cons the reader by regularly bringing in the parallels of the late XIXth century with the current Afghan War.
In that sense, substantial parts of the book have nothing to do with Churchill, or his war (which if truth be told, he didn't see that much of).
But Con Coughlin is easily forgiven, at least by me, because I've thought for over a decade that there was an incredible naiveté about the American effort to change Afghanistan. Even more incomprehensible was the British position, given their extended scale of disasters in the Northern Frontier during the XIXth century.
In the book 'The Great Game', one British officer states that "An Afghan's loyalty cannot be bought, only rented." It was true over one hundred-fifty years ago, and it's true today.
Coughlin has the reporting skills to draw those parallels, and that makes this book compulsory reading for any military personnel deploying in that part of the world.
For many young lives, it is unfortunately too late.
If you like history, and the lessons of history, this book's for you.
Read more, including a couple of snippets from Kipling, onmy blog
If you add to that my fascination for Winston Churchill, then this was a must-read. Churchill was the master of the tweet, and I might well 'follow' him on Twitter if he were alive, rather than staying well clear.
"History will be kind to me, because I intend to write it," the great statesman once remarked.
The army was very much a means to an end, and Churchill, a man with great political ambition and in permanent debt, spent his time on the northern frontier of the British Raj simultaneously fighting and writing war dispatches for The Telegraph.
Coughlin does live up to his name, and slightly cons the reader by regularly bringing in the parallels of the late XIXth century with the current Afghan War.
In that sense, substantial parts of the book have nothing to do with Churchill, or his war (which if truth be told, he didn't see that much of).
But Con Coughlin is easily forgiven, at least by me, because I've thought for over a decade that there was an incredible naiveté about the American effort to change Afghanistan. Even more incomprehensible was the British position, given their extended scale of disasters in the Northern Frontier during the XIXth century.
In the book 'The Great Game', one British officer states that "An Afghan's loyalty cannot be bought, only rented." It was true over one hundred-fifty years ago, and it's true today.
Coughlin has the reporting skills to draw those parallels, and that makes this book compulsory reading for any military personnel deploying in that part of the world.
For many young lives, it is unfortunately too late.
If you like history, and the lessons of history, this book's for you.
Read more, including a couple of snippets from Kipling, onmy blog
May 29, 2014
Chruchill's First War was worth a read, mainly because it draws an interesting comparison between historical and modern military interventions in Afghanistan. Turns out, they never work very well. It also explores Churchill, himself, who seems like an interesting dude.
I feel like Coughlin made his point (about Afghanistan) fairly effectively, if a little snobbishly, and without a truly sophisticated insight into the region. His grasp of (or at least his writings on) South Asian history is not impressive compared to Peter Tomsen's epic "The Wars of Afghanistan". But, then again, Tomsen's books was something like a thousand pages long. For the amount of time I invested in reading "Churchill's First...", I was reasonably entertained and educated. Especially concerning the perspectives of the British elites who formed South Asian policy.
Coughlin is a more effective biographer of Churchill than he is a South Asia historian. But this is my first Churchill biography, so I have no idea how the work compares with other biographers or Churchill as an autobiographer. From the quotes included in "Churchill's First", I tend to think the autobiography would have been a better read. Still, "Churchill's First" was a pretty OK.
I feel like Coughlin made his point (about Afghanistan) fairly effectively, if a little snobbishly, and without a truly sophisticated insight into the region. His grasp of (or at least his writings on) South Asian history is not impressive compared to Peter Tomsen's epic "The Wars of Afghanistan". But, then again, Tomsen's books was something like a thousand pages long. For the amount of time I invested in reading "Churchill's First...", I was reasonably entertained and educated. Especially concerning the perspectives of the British elites who formed South Asian policy.
Coughlin is a more effective biographer of Churchill than he is a South Asia historian. But this is my first Churchill biography, so I have no idea how the work compares with other biographers or Churchill as an autobiographer. From the quotes included in "Churchill's First", I tend to think the autobiography would have been a better read. Still, "Churchill's First" was a pretty OK.
August 29, 2014
The Taliban is nothing new. Winston fought the Talibs in 1897 and they had suicide bombers back then too. I came away from this book not too enchanted with Young Winston. He was a shameless self-promoter, sycophant, and spoiled rich kid who seemed too ambitious for his own good. However, he was courageous, competent, and could write. His intent to use the army as a stepping stone to a political career did not endear him to either his peers or his seniors. He and his mother would never take no for an answer, constantly bombarding the King, prime minister, etc.. with letters requesting his assignment to whatever place or unit Winston desired. Coughlin lays it all out along with the contemporary events on the Afghan/Pakistan border. The racist imperial comments about the character of the peoples are illuminated with the perception that nothing has changed since Winston's time there except maybe the technology of the weapons. Coughlin actually visited the sites in Pakistan where Churchill fought and provides maps and pictures from the past as well as the present. A good read that leaves you wondering why we are wasting national treasure(American lives) in a land that violently reacts to any foreign interference in their affairs.
February 23, 2014
I received this book through a Goodreads "First-Reads" Giveaway.
This well written, very readable account is a good background read when considering what is going on in Afghanistan today.
The early chapters explain the Churchill family circumstances that led Winston Churchill to volunteer for service in Afghanistan. Then the history of the British involvement in the region is discussed. Then Churchill’s actual participation with the Malakand Field Force is covered. Churchill was twenty-one years old at the time (1897) and this operation, and his subsequent writing about it, was the basis of the reputation that led to his later political successes.
An excellent read for anyone interested in Churchill’s career and/or the troubled Afghan region.
This well written, very readable account is a good background read when considering what is going on in Afghanistan today.
The early chapters explain the Churchill family circumstances that led Winston Churchill to volunteer for service in Afghanistan. Then the history of the British involvement in the region is discussed. Then Churchill’s actual participation with the Malakand Field Force is covered. Churchill was twenty-one years old at the time (1897) and this operation, and his subsequent writing about it, was the basis of the reputation that led to his later political successes.
An excellent read for anyone interested in Churchill’s career and/or the troubled Afghan region.
June 5, 2014
A great read which cleverly weaves contemporary information about the fight against the Taliban with the main subject of the book - Churchill as a young officer. I found how the book relates Churchill's transformation from under-performing school boy to articulate and calculating Officer of great interest, it shows that few things come naturally, even to great men, but most things can be learned if you apply yourself.
I found the authors style easy to read and understand, it offered lots of challenging thoughts about the conflict in Afghanistan and the young Churchill. Well worth the time.
I found the authors style easy to read and understand, it offered lots of challenging thoughts about the conflict in Afghanistan and the young Churchill. Well worth the time.
November 22, 2014
This book has the feel of a college thesis...the author has done much research on Churchill's early days, his time in school and his early career. He has used the information to contrast and compare the British efforts in Afghanistan to the American war being waged there throughout the W. Bush & Obama administrations. His conclusion is that the situation there is as futile now as it was then.
June 12, 2015
“If the Central Intelligence Agency, which directs many of the drone operations, were to draw up a map of the hundreds of drones strikes that have been launched against insurgent groups in the tribal areas, it would find that they were targeting virtually the same villages and valleys in the FATA area where Churchill and his colleagues fought more than one hundred years earlier”. (Coughlin, Con. “Churchill’s First War)
June 15, 2016
This is a GREAT history of Churchill's first foray into combat, seeking glory and fame to secure his future. It is a very good story of the imperial successes and failures of the British fighting against Pashtun tribesmen on the North West Frontier . Over a century later, these are the ancestors of the same Talibs and tribal insurgents in modern-day Afghanistan. This book is an excellent education for ANY soldiers en route to Afghanistan.,
June 14, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free via Goodreads Firstreads.
I rather enjoyed this book. It was informative without being too dense. The author made good use of Churchill's own accounts of the war in the Pashtun region of Afghanistan-Pakistan, giving the work a lot more validity and life.
I rather enjoyed this book. It was informative without being too dense. The author made good use of Churchill's own accounts of the war in the Pashtun region of Afghanistan-Pakistan, giving the work a lot more validity and life.
June 23, 2014
Drawing on Churchill's own account of an expedition to quell unruly Pathans (now Taliban) in 1890's Afganistan, this is a good overview of Young Churchill. The pAralells between the Brits fighting there then and us today are striking
July 29, 2013
A well written and informative account of Churchill at NFW
August 27, 2016
Well written. For those who love reading history I would highly recommend this book. Not only do you get to know the young Winston but learn about the early history of Afghanistan and it's people.
June 6, 2014
Excellent book, which I will expand on later.
March 28, 2014
Review coming up on the historical novel society website in May 2014.
January 27, 2016
outstanding intro to a young Churchill.
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October 9, 20172014-11 – Churchill's First War: Young Winston at War with the Afghans. Con Coughlin (Author) 320 Pages. 2014.
Nicholle thought this looked interesting and was tied to some reading I had been doing about Gordon, the Mahdi, and Sudan. On the whole it was good. Churchill’s first war experience though was not in Afghanistan but in Cuba. This is covered in the book. This book attempts parallel lessons in a compare and contrast of the narrative of Churchill and his experience in the British Army in India and Afghanistan and the experience of modern British and American forces in Afghanistan. Sometimes this ends up as moralizing and a definite political bent. We tend not to think of Churchill except as the older statesman flashing the Vee sign while chomping on a cigar … this is a driven, studious youth with goals.
Nicholle thought this looked interesting and was tied to some reading I had been doing about Gordon, the Mahdi, and Sudan. On the whole it was good. Churchill’s first war experience though was not in Afghanistan but in Cuba. This is covered in the book. This book attempts parallel lessons in a compare and contrast of the narrative of Churchill and his experience in the British Army in India and Afghanistan and the experience of modern British and American forces in Afghanistan. Sometimes this ends up as moralizing and a definite political bent. We tend not to think of Churchill except as the older statesman flashing the Vee sign while chomping on a cigar … this is a driven, studious youth with goals.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews