So Jack . . . no proof of Churchill either producing or marketing his XXV before the war ended? Thought not.
Think again. The first 25" Churchill was made in 1913, I have already cited production of an XXV in 1914, and Masters' book says many 25" guns were produced by Churchill by the middle of the war (1916). So by the 1920s they were certainly not a "new gimmick."
Churchill's first public pronouncement on the merits of the 25" gun was not until 1920, seven years after his first 25" gun. His trademark 'XXV' was not advertised until 1925 - 11 years after he first applied the mark to a set of barrels. That's an incredibly slow roll-out, if the gun was a marketing ploy "pure and simple."
Like playing 'Whac-A-Mole,' knocking down specious claims with solid fact is fun at first, but eventally it becomes repetitive and tedious. Now it is no longer worth the bother. As Housman's
Shropshire Lad said (LXII),
`Terence, this is stupid stuff.'Our friend 'salopian,' good Shropshire lad that he is, had the grace to admit that his charming tale failed to fit with known facts. Mr. Brown goes on, and on, and on.
