Churchill microphone on sale in Cheltenham
The microphone is expected to sell for thousands of pounds at auction today
A Grampian DPL PA Radio Microphone is going under the hammer in Cheltenham today - and it was used by Winston Churchill.
The collectors piece is expected to sell for between ten and twelve thousand pounds during a sale by The Cotswold Auction Company.
On the 8th May 1945, Winston Churchill used the microphone to deliver a VE Day speech to cabinet to mark the end of the second world war in Europe.
Liz Poole is the auctioneer who will oversee the sale. She says, there has been a lot of interest in the historic item including collectors of Churchill memorabilia and museums.
Liz said, ''it is actually being sold by an avid Churchill collector, Mr. Gerry O'Brien, and he had it in the celebrated Churchill Arms in Kensington, and that had a lot of Churchill memorabilia in it, and he's now retired and has asked us to sell it for him.''
Gerry O’Brien is the former landlord of the London Pub.
This isn't the first time the microphone has visited Gloucestershire.
Liz said, ''Gerry actually purchased it from us originally 2 and half years ago for the pub and before that, it was owned by a collector here in Gloucester. So it's sort of come back full circle.''
A copy of 'Raising a Glass to the Churchill Arms - The story of Gerry O'Brien, An Irish pub landlord in London' written by Tim O'Brie with forward by Randolph Churchill, and signed by Gerry O'Brien, is being sold with the microphone.