Winston Churchill poem written around 1900 put on auction block

(Winston Churchill)

Winston Churchill`s one and only effort at poetry as an adult has come to light more than 110 years after he put pen to paper.

The wartime leader was a brilliant speechwriter, prolific author and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.

Yet despite being a lover of poetry, he was only known to have written verse once - and that was for a competition when he was at Harrow School, Daily Mail reports.

However, Our Modern Watchwords, a 40-line poem - describing the eve of a naval battle - penned over two pages in blue crayon by Churchill while he was in the Army, has emerged for sale at auction in London.

Unsurprisingly, the poem is a rousing celebration of the British Empire and of going to war to defend her. It is said to have been influenced by Kipling and Tennyson.

It is signed by Churchill and was written over two sides on the headed notepaper of his regiment, the 4th Hussars, in about 1898.

The poem has been given a conservative estimate of £15,000. It will be sold at auction on April 10.