The microphone which was used by Winston Churchill to announce the end of the Second World War is going up for auction in Cheltenham this February 2024.
Churchill used the microphone in his historic national radio broadcast on VE Day, Tuesday 8 May 1945.
The incredible item is being sold by The Cotswold Auction Company, along with a more unusual lot — Churchill's false teeth!
Wartime collectors can also bid on a rare RAF Battle of Britain 'Book of Heroes' collected in 1941, which contains the signatures of 107 RAF officers, many of whom served in the Battle of Britain. The cover of the book is made from leather taken from a chair belonging to legendary World War Two pilot, Douglas Bader, whose photo and signature both feature in the book.
Churchill himself described it as ‘not a book of names, but a book of heroes. God forbid it should ever be lost’.
The items come from the estate of an avid Gloucestershire collector, with other notable pieces including a ukulele signed by Paul McCartney; a boxing glove which belonged to Mohammed Ali; and a framed football boot signed by Geoff Hurst.
Director of The Cotswold Auction Company, Liz Poole, said: 'This really is a charming and eccentric collection of memorabilia, taking in Churchill, a member of The Beatles, and several sporting and comic legends, including a boxing glove which reputedly belonged to Mohammed Ali, and Morecombe and Wise.
'Buyers have a chance to get their hands on a genuine piece of history with the sale of the microphone Churchill used to announce the end of the Second World War in Europe and the legendary Battle of Britain ‘Book of Heroes’.
'Churchill’s false teeth must be among the most unusual items we have ever sold.'
The collection goes under the hammer on Tuesday 6 February 2024 at The Cotswold Auction Company's saleroom on Chapel Walk in Cheltenham.
