Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a wartime leader, an officer in the British Army, a writer, a historian, and above all an artist – Sir Winston Churchill was indeed a man of much versatility. His life is marked by a series of eventful events and he rose to prominence due to his sheer act of heroism. He is tagged as one of the biggest statesmen belonging to the 20th century and has many qualities which make him a true hero in the eyes of the people in Great Britain and others. He is widely remembered today for his tenacity and forthrightness that drove him to lead his country against the unconquerable Nazis in World War II. As one of the greatest politicians of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill held many important positions during his career. He is often considered as the “savior of his country.” His life was dedicated to public service. He is still described as the most influential person in British history and always holds a good rank in the opinion polls of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom.
Early Life and Career
It was in the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough, (an extension of the noble Spencer family) that Churchill originally named Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born. 30th November 1874 saw the birth of Churchill in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England. His father Lord Randolph Churchill, the third son of John Spencer-Churchill (7th Duke of Marlborough) was a politician by profession. His Mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, was the daughter of Leonard Jerome, an American millionaire. Churchill lived in Dublin from the age of two to six. His grandfather was then the Viceroy and his father was appointed as his grandfather’s private secretary. It was during this time that Churchill’s younger brother John Strange Spencer-Churchill was born. His interest towards the military took seed by watching the numerous parades go by the Vice Regal Lodge. A governess by the name of Elizabeth Ann Everest taught Churchill and that was his first door to the world of education. The governess taught him the art of writing, reading and arithmetic. His closeness to the governess grew as he had little or no contact with his parents. She became a mother figure for him and he used to call her ‘Old Woom.’ Churchill’s academic record was poor. He studied in three independent schools; St. George’s School, Ascot, Berkshire; Brunswick School, Hove, Brighton and Harrow School, a boarding school near London. Few weeks into Harrow, Churchill joined the Harrow Rifle Corps. Throughout his school life he was an average student but he showed great interest in English and History. As a child it was said that Churchill never received the warmth and affection of his parents. He was not close to either of them. His mother rarely came to meet him while he could never develop any close relationship with his father too. However, he idolized his mother and that was evident from the letters he wrote to her, while he was at Harrow, requesting to meet him or be allowed to go home. He rarely spoke to his father who died when Churchill was just 21 years of age.
Life Post Harrow
After his graduation from Harrow, Churchill decided to apply at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. It took him several attempts before he could finally take admission into the college. He sought to be trained for the cavalry instead of the infantry as the required score was lower and he did not want to study mathematics. He graduated in December 1894, and was commissioned as the Second Lieutenant in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars on February 20, 1895. He was awarded the honor of the Regimental Colonel of the 4th Hussars. During the Cuban War of Independence, Churchill was sent to Cuba along with a fellow officer to observe the fight between the Spanish and the Cuban Guerrillas. This event sparked his writing career as he had obtained a commission from the Daily Graphic to pen down the conflict. He left for England after receiving news of his nanny’s illness. In the early days of October 1896, he was transferred to Bombay, British India. It was here that he developed a passion for Polo. Under the leadership of General Jeffery, Churchill fought against the Pashtun tribe in Malakand (now in Pakistan). He penned down his account of the Siege of Malakand in The Story of the Malakand Field Force. During this phase he also wrote several articles for newspapers like The Daily Telegraph and The Pioneer. He was next transferred to Egypt in the year 1898. He eventually joined the Lord Kitchener’s expedition in Sudan while at the same time wrote for The Morning Post. He partook in the battle of Omdurman in the year 1898. By October of 1898, he returned to Britain and narrated his account of the re-conquest of the Sudan in his two-volume book The River War. He decided to resign from the army to start Parliamentary career. But he was unsuccessful in his endeavor. Their ensued a war between Britain and the Boer Republics wherein Churchill was appointed as the war correspondent for Morning Post. Whilst on a scouting expedition, he was kidnapped and imprisoned in a POW camp in Pretoria. He miraculously managed to escape from the prison camp and travelled 300 miles to Portuguese territory in Mozambique. He turned his experience into a book, titled London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900). He returned to England in 1900 by which time he had already published five books.
His Political Career:
The year 1900 marked the entry of Churchill into politics. He became a Member of the Parliament in the Conservative Party for Oldham, Manchester. His enthusiasm and outspoken nature soon won the hearts of many. His lucrative speaking tour throughout Britain and the United States fetched him £10,000. He spoke a great deal in support of the social changes for the poor. Between the years 1903 to 1905, he wrote ‘Lord Randolph Churchill’, a biography of his father which was divided into two-volumes. During this phase he also realized that he actually did not hold the beliefs of the Conservative Party and eventually “crossed the chamber” and joined the Liberal Party in 1904. Churchill climbed high on the political ladder. He became the Under-Secretary of State at the Colonial Office after the Liberal Party won the national election in 1905. His competency increased his reputation and he was quickly promoted. He was made the President of the Board of Trade (which was a Cabinet position) in 1908. In 1910, he was made the Home Secretary, a post that ranked higher than the Cabinet position. He played a key role in executing the initial unemployed pension legislation, later referred to as the National Insurance Act of 1911. In October of 1911, Churchill became the First Lord of the Admiralty and therefore came in charge of the British Navy. Comprehending the mounting strength of the German military, Churchill’s focus for the next three years remained on strengthening the British Navy and to prepare the British’s fleet for war. Under him, the Royal Naval Air Service was established, the British fleet was restructured and tanks were invented.
World War I:
At the commencement of the war in 1914, Churchill was heaped with praises for the pre-preparations he had done for it. However, things did not last well for long. His proposed military campaign, the 1915 Dardanelles Campaign turned into a disaster. It was a daring venture on his part to drive Turkey out of the war. However, the strategy did not work in their favor and turned out to be a sheer military failure. Post the incident, Churchill resigned and aimed to get a place in the army of the Western Front. For a span of two years Churchill was kept out of politics during which time he immersed himself in painting, a passion which he continued to explore till the end of his life. In July 1917 he was called back and appointed the Minister of Munitions. In the very next year he was made the Secretary of State for War and Air which included the responsibility of bringing the British soldiers back home. Between the years 1920 to 1930, he jumped from one government job to another. The year 1924 saw him rejoin the Conservatives. He once again won a seat as an MP and was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in the newly formed Conservative government. He spent a great deal of time writing the monumental work on World War I, which he titled The World Crisis (1923-1931). After the defeat of the Conservative government in 1929, Churchill was once again out of the government. His writing continued and he finished a number of books including an autobiography of his life My Early Life. He also wrote and published A History of English Speaking Peoples.
World War II
With the start of the German control over its neighbors in 1938, Churchill started speaking strongly and openly against British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s strategy of appeasement with the Nazis. Soon Nazi Germany attacked Poland leading to Churchill’s prediction coming true. After a decade out of the government, Churchill bounced back to become the First Lord of the Admiralty and a member of the War Cabinet on 3rd September 1939. By April 1940, Churchill was appointed the chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee.
First Time as Prime Minister:
Post the attack of the Nazi Germany on France on May 10, 1940, Chamberlain stepped down as Prime Minister. On the day of his resignation King George VI ordered Churchill to become the Prime Minister. Three days later he gave his first speech as Prime Minister and told the House of Commons “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” This stirring speech and the many that later followed motivated the British to keep their spirits high and keep fighting. The road to victory was long yet Churchill did everything in his power to prepare Britain for war. He joined forces with United States and Soviet Union to save Britain and defeat Nazi Germany. After the win, Churchill was given much credit for leading his nation to victory. But the war-weary voters who wanted change and equality voted in favor of the Labor Party in the next election. Churchill resigned the following day as Prime Minister. Post this event Churchill continued his involvement in various activities. He went on a lecture tour in the United States and continued to give speeches in the House of Commons. At other times he would paint and write. He started the next volume of work The Second World War (1948-1953).
Second Time as Prime Minister
After a gap of six years, and at age 77 Churchill was asked to lead Britain again. In the year 1951, he returned as Prime Minister for the second time. His goal as Prime Minister during the second time was to check on foreign affairs. Churchill suffered a severe stroke on June 23, 1953, and when everyone thought he would resign, Churchill recovered and returned to work. However, his health did not permit him to continue for long and he put down his resignation letter on April 5, 1955, at the age of 80 years.
Personal Life
Churchill met Clementine Hozier his future wife at a ball in the Crewe House, home of the Earl of Crewe in 1904. They met again in 1908 at a dinner party. This meeting paved the way for a lifelong romance and during a house party at the Blenheim Palace, Churchill proposed Clementine on August 10, 1908. The couple was eventually married on September 12, 1908, in St. Margaret’s Westminster where the Bishop of St Asaph performed the service. They went to Highgrove House in Eastcote to spend their honeymoon and in March 1909, the couple shifted to a house at 33 Eccleston Square. Their first child Diana was born in London on July 11, 1909. Their second child, Randolph was born on May 28, 1911, at 33 Eccleston Square. On October 7, 1914, Sarah, their third child, was born at Admiralty House. Marigold Frances Churchill, their fourth child, was born on November 15, 1918, who died on August 23, 1921, due to a fatal illness. The last child Mary was born on September 15, 1922. In the same month the Churchills bought Chartwell, their home till the time of Winston’s death in 1965. Churchill suffered from a speech impediment and his dentures were specially prepared in a manner to aid his speech. That he had a lateral lisp was time and again reported by journalist of the period. Throughout his career he worked to overcome this problem.
Recognition
Churchill was crowned the Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II on April 24, 1953. The same year he was given the prestigious award –the Nobel Prize in Literature. On April 9, 1963, the then U.S. President John F. Kennedy honored him with U.S. Citizenship.
Death
In June 1962, Churchill fell down and broke his hip. He suffered another major stroke on January 10, 1965, and fell into a coma. He died on January 24, 1965, at the age of 90.
| Full Name | Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill |
|---|---|
| Born | November 30, 1874 |
| Place of Birth | Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England |
| Died | January 24, 1965 (aged 90)London, England |
| Resting Place | St. Martin’s Church, Bladon |
| Political Party | Conservative (1900-04, 1924-64) Liberal (1904-24) |
| Spouse | Clementine Churchill (1908-1965) |
| Father | Lord Randolph Churchill |
| Mother | Lady Randolph Churchill |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Nationality | Briton |
| Children |
|
| Education | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1894), Harrow School |
| Profession |
|
| President of the Board of Trade | In office April 12, 1908 – February 14, 1910 |
| Home Secretary | In office February 19, 1910 – October 24, 1911 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | In office May 25, 1915 – November 25, 1915 |
| Minister of Munitions | In office July 17, 1917 – January 10, 1919 |
| Secretary of State for War | In office January 10, 1919 – February 13, 1921 |
| Secretary of State for Air | In office January 10, 1919 – February 13, 1921 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | In office February 13, 1921 – October 19, 1922 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | In office November 6, 1924 – June 4, 1929 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | In office September 3, 1939 – May 11, 1940In office October 24, 1911 – May 25, 1915 |
| Minister of Defence | In office October 28, 1951 – March 1, 1952In office May 10, 1940 – July 26, 1945 |
| Leader of the Conservative Party | In office November 9, 1940 – April 6, 1955 |
| Leader of the Opposition | In office July 26, 1945 – October 26, 1951 |
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | In office October 26, 1951 – April 6, 1955In office May 10, 1940 – July 26, 1945 |