A fascinating letter showing Winston Churchill's good nature towards the man who his 'first great love' chose to marry instead of him has emerged 124 years later.
The future British wartime prime minister would have been within his rights to feel aggrieved at Victor Bulwer-Lytton who had won the affection of Pamela Plowden.
But he instead showed admirable strength of character by going out of his way to give Lytton a helping hand in entering politics.
In the 1901 letter, he tells 'My dear Lytton' that he would use his connections to give him an opening and invited him to the House of Commons to further discuss his aspirations.
Lytton, who later served as Under-Secretary of India, Governor of Bengal and Acting Viceroy of India, married Plowden in April 1902, two years after she turned down Churchill's marriage proposal.
