I’ve seen people claim that “Western Glory”, made by Gawith Hoggarth, was Winston Churchill’s favourite snuff. Are there any historical sources to support that claim, or is it just an urban legend?

Two days and still no replies

Dunno, but apparently he did use snuff, thats all I manage to figure out

Possibly nobody knows! I don’t recall ever reading that Churchill took snuff - although he was an enthusiastic user of tobacco in other forms - so it’s possible that the claim falls at the first hurdle. Another question would be how old a blend ‘Western Glory’ is. Bearing in mind that Churchill was born in the 1870s and died in 1965, it would really need to be attested at least pre-WW2 and more likely pre-WW1 for it genuinely to have been his ‘favourite’.

Churchill did like snuff. At least there are a few stories that he did take snuff from the snuff box in the House of Commons. Maybe ‘Western Glory’ was the snuff. “Snuff Grinders of Lakeland”, David W. Jones in Country Life (May 10, 1973) Western Glory, a brand of snuff produced by the firm of Gawith Hoggarth at Helsington Mill, was a great favourite of Sir Winston Churchill.

Fwiish, crackle, crackle… And now on the overseas service, we join Mr. Churchill for the last part of his radio broadcast to the nation: “…Even though large tracts of Europe and the United States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Tobacco Gestapo, PACT and all the odious apparatus of ‘we know what’s best for you’ rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall snuff on to the end, we shall snuff in France, we shall snuff on the seas and oceans, we shall snuff with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our harmless habit, whatever the cost may be with regard to artisan snuffs; we shall snuff on the beaches, we shall snuff on the landing grounds, we shall snuff in the fields and in the streets, we shall snuff in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this pasttime or a large part of it were subjugated and highly taxed, then our Empire of snuffers beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet of Snuff Manufacturers, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might of brands such as Dholakia and all the many and various ‘Photos’ steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old, social and well-loved habit of offering a pinch. Now - where’s my Western Glory…?”

we need a lol button, that’s just great, @HR_pufnsnuff !

@HR_pufnsnuff‌ , you have inspired me sir. We will carry on!

Thanks! Just in case there’s anyone who doesn’t know the original speech, it’s here - the bit I adapted is the 3rd paragraph in the peroration; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We\\_shall\\_fight\\_on\\_the\\_beaches