Scientology church's cheek angers Churchill's children

Fight them on the beaches if you will. But the descendants of Sir Winston Churchill have decided a more effective way to prevent the Church of Scientology from hijacking the memory of Britain's wartime leader involves stern cease-and-desist letters and the threat of a costly PR battle.

In an unlikely dispute that pits Churchill's grandchildren against followers of the late L. Ron Hubbard - the science-fiction writer who believed, among other things, that mankind descended from aliens who arrived on Earth via spaceships - the controversial church has been asked to remove Churchill's image and quotations from its fundraising literature.

The literary agency Curtis Brown, which represents several members of the Churchill family, has written to the church's London branch protesting at a range of advertising leaflets and posters that liken the Allied struggle against Nazi Germany to Scientology's efforts to recruit new members.

One image, seeking new staff to volunteer to work at the organisation's headquarters, carries a black-and-white picture of a Spitfire soaring triumphantly over the Home Counties, together with the quotation: "It's not enough that we do our best. Sometimes, we have to do what's required."

Another, to advertise a fundraiser to help the church create a celebrity centre in London similar to the one it already has in Hollywood, name-checks Churchill among such "Great Britons" as David Beckham, James Bond, Harry Potter, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The leaflet claims the event will be "their finest hour".

Although the adverts may seem like a harmless (if somewhat crude) attempt to use these images for the purposes of publicity, Churchill's descendants are highly upset. The former prime minister's grandson and former Tory MP, also named Winston Churchill, said he finds them obnoxious and offensive.

"We have strong objections to the implication that our grandfather, if he were alive, would have something to do with Scientology. In fact, he wouldn't have touched an outfit like that with a bargepole. I can't represent too strongly how much we resent the suggestion that he would."

- INDEPENDENT