"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon
them." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, read by Malvolio whilst reading a letter written by
Maria.)
All three statements can be applied to WSC. WSC was born at Blenheim Palace, the
grandson of the 7th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. He was born into what society
believed at the time to be a great family; a family of wealth and social status. WSC achieved
greatness as the Prime Minister when he led Britain to victory during the Second World
War. He also achieved greatness as a writer and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1953. The British public thrust greatness upon him when in November 2002
they voted him the ‘Greatest Briton’ of all time.
Churchill died in January 1965 and was buried in St. Martin’s Churchyard in Bladon,
Oxfordshire. It is now 50 years since his death. This year events will take place up and down
the country to remember this great man. As Boris Johnson recently said ‘Churchill [still]
matters today because he saved our civlisation. And the important point is that only he could
have done it.’ Leading his country to victory in the Second World War was the outstanding
achievement of his age and our age and it was Churchill’s achievement.
WSC himself may have been surprised at the result of the 2002 vote which gave him the title
‘Greatest Briton’ especially given the fact that he was voted out of office in 1945 after the
war had been won. During the election at the end of World War II the Labour Party motto
was "Cheer for Churchill - Vote Labour"! During his life time he was not always successful in
all he did, neither was he always popular but he was always noticed. He had several careers;
he was a soldier, a journalist, a writer and a politician and in each he made a difference, a
significant difference. In each, despite setbacks, his achievements were spectacular.
As a soldier WSC took three attempts to get into Sandhurst. Sandhurst, then and now, is the
training ground for army officers. Despite this unpromising beginning Churchill became a
very good soldier who proved to be cool under fire. He came under fire on many occasions.
He fought for example in Pakistan on the Afghan border, in the Sudan, in South Africa and in
the trenches during the First World War. He was always outstandingly brave and very caring
of his men. In January 1916 WSC wrote to his wife Clementine from the Front telling her
about some amusements he had arranged for his men behind the lines:‘My Darling
The sports were highly successful and the men were really delighted. They were most
amusing sports – mule races, pillow fights, obstacle races etc. All well organised and
supported by great keenness and interest. After dark we had our first concert in a big barn.
Such singing you never heard. People sang with the greatest courage who had not idea
either of words or tune. …..Poor fellows- nothing like this had ever been done for them
before. They do not get much to brighten their lives – short though these may be.’
As a politician Churchill was in many ways great long before he became Prime Minister in
1940. Before that fateful day when the King summoned Churchill to the Palace to ask him to
form a Government on 10th May 1940, Churchill had held many important Government
posts. Already he had experienced a political career to rival that of most politicians and at all
times he had worked phenomenally hard. During his career he was:1
1905 Under Secretary at the Colonial Office
1908 President of the Board of Trade
1910 Home Secretary
1911 First Lord of the Admiralty
1917 Minister for Munitions
1919 Secretary of State for War and Air
1921 Colonial Secretary for the Colonies
1939 First Lord of the Admiralty again
In each role his first priority was to gather knowledge. As First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911
he immediately visited all the naval bases to learn all he could about this force that was vital
to Britain’s security and was in his care. He then set about modernising the navy. It was
therefore ready for war in 1914.
In each of his Government posts Churchill paid close attention to detail and with his
remarkable memory there were few who could challenge his knowledge in a debate or
discussion. During the Second World War his powerful work ethic left others exhausted in
his wake. This, coupled with a marvelous ability to think of the right words at the right time,
meant his speeches were worth listening to and more importantly it meant his speeches
inspired others to greatness. In 2009 Caspar Weinberger (American Foreign Secretary in
2000) said that Churchill was not just an orator but also a poet. He added that Churchill’s
words inspired people to become heroes.
Churchill was not a great speaker by accident. He was, it’s true, talented, but he also took
the time, lots of time, to craft his speeches. Each speech was a work of art.
Churchill was also far sighted. Most people who know just a little about him usually know
that he spent many years warning the world about Hitler – about the likelihood of war. This
was not the only time when Churchill looked ahead. He was very quick for example to see
the potential of aeroplanes both for travel and for defence.
Winston realised that flight not only meant swifter more exciting travel but it also meant
that Britain was no longer an island. No longer could Britain rely solely on the Navy to keep
back an invading force. He wanted the Navy to be strengthened by the development of a
navy air service. Baron Tweedmouth, Winston’s uncle and in 1907 First Lord of the
Admiralty, was not of the same opinion. On 6th March 1907 Baron Tweedmouth wrote to
Winston explaining that he and the Board of the Admiralty were of the opinion that
aeroplanes would be of no use to the Navy. Winston was proved right. During the First
World War, Winston’s cousin and great friend Freddie Guest wrote to WSC from Army Head
Quarters in France on 30th April 1915. This letter highlighted the paramount importance of
aeroplanes during the war.
Dear Winston
It was good to hear your voice this morning …..I want you to pause a minute and
consider……. The aeroplane is the key to the whole problem of this war as far as the land
operations are concerned.
The side that watches the enemy and keeps his own movements secret will with absolute
certainty win and win easily. There is an absolutely absurd idea that we have obtained the
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mastery of the air. We have not even got it over our own little section of 31 miles. It is true
that our airmen do wonderfully brilliant things and have shown courage beyond praise but
we have not stopped the enemy from overlooking us practically whenever he really wants to
do so. …… Do try and get the War Office to concentrate on this problem. No one can get
people thinking better than you can – so have a try
Yours Freddie
Freddie was right; Churchill was very good at making people listen. Those listening did not
always like what he was saying but they did listen. Much has been justifiably written about
Churchill’s most famous speeches during the Second World War and how he used words to
inspire and to motivate those at home and those fighting. However he also used his words
as weapons. He was well aware that Hitler was listening. So when on 4th June 1940 Churchill
said:‘We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we
shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our
Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall
never surrender’ he was speaking as much to Hitler as he was to Britain and the
Commonwealth.
Winston Churchill was 90 years old when he died in January 1965. He had discussed his
funeral with his son Randolph. He said to his son ‘Randolph, my boy, when it comes to my
funeral your mother may have modest ideas but I want troops.’ The Queen decided that
Churchill was to have a State Funeral which was a great honour for a great man. So he did
indeed have lots and lots of troops.
Churchill was not perfect, far from it, but perhaps that was another reason why he captured
the nation’s heart. In turn he cared deeply for both crown and country. Churchill was
emotional, passionate, clever, hardworking and always brave. He was given to great
enthusiasms and at times needed reigning in. Lloyd George said of Churchill in 1916 that
with such an enthusiastic temperament and such a powerful brain he would need
exceptionally strong brakes. Of course throughout his life there were those around him who
could and did apply the brakes but how fortunate for this country that in 1940 Churchill was
made Prime Minister with the power to direct affairs.
Churchill was the greatest political leader this country has ever had.
With grateful thanks to:The Churchill family, The Guest family, Boris Johnson, Gordon Wise of Curtis Brown,
Allen Packwood of the Churchill Archives and Churchill Centre, Rupert Lancaster of Hodder
and Stoughton
All quotations used are copyright to the people or trusts or archives noted throughout the
writing.
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