Who is Winston Churchill?
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War and is best known for his wartime leadership as the Prime Minister of Britain. In the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in calling for British rearmament to counter the growing threat of militarism in Nazi Germany. After replacing Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister in 1940, Churchill formed a national government and oversaw British involvement in the Allied war effort against the Axis powers, resulting in victory in 1945. Widely considered one of the 20th century's most significant figures, Churchill remains popular as the victorious wartime leader who defended Europe's liberal democracy against the spread of fascism.
Churchill wanted to fight Nazi Germany, as Prime Minister
In May 1940, with the British Expeditionary Forces retreating to Dunkirk and the Fall of France becoming inevitable, Halifax proposed that the government should explore the possibility of a negotiated peace with the help of Italian Prime Minister Mussolini as intermediary. Knowing that he could not survive as Prime Minister if both Chamberlain and Halifax were against him, Churchill gained the support of his outer cabinet with his resolve to fight on, even if France capitulated. Winston used rhetoric hardened public opinion against a peaceful resolution and prepared the British people for a long war, inspiring the nation with his speeches. Churchill's first speech as Prime Minister delivered to the Commons on 13th May, which was the blood, toil, tears and sweat speech, although short, became the speech that reverberated down the decades as Churchill made it plain to the nation that a long hard road laid ahead and victory was the final goal.
Churchill called on anyone with a small boat, to bring back British troops from Dunkirk
As the BEF and its allies were forced back on the French port of Dunkirk, Churchill became convinced that evacuation was the only option left. On the evening of May 26, Winston Churchill ordered the execution of Operation Dynamo, which was the mass evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk with the use of private boats, dubbed as "Little Ships". 7,500 men were evacuated from Dunkirk on the first day, and around 10,000 got out the following day with the help of some 800 to 1,200 boats, many of them leisure and fishing crafts. Churchill expected that the evacuation could only rescue 45,000 men but the success of Operation Dynamo exceeded all expectations as 338,000 men have been rescued in total.
Churchill's midday nap was non-negotiable
Since World War I, when he was First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill developed a habit of taking midday naps and believed it was essential for maintaining his mental balance, renewing his energy and reviving his spirits. During the Blitz, Churchill would retire to his private room in the War Rooms after lunch, undress, and sleep for an hour or two. Unless London was being actively bombed, he would go to 10 Downing Street for a bath and a change of fresh clothes, before returning to work. Churchill's valet, Frank Sawyers, later commented that Churchill's midday rest was one of his inflexible rules that should not be missed.
Churchill's most intense work was from bed, while having breakfast
Churchill wakes up at 7:30 in the morning, and eats a full British fry-up breakfast, remaining in bed until 11:00 am, a full three and a half hours dedicated to reading reports, newspapers, and dictating notes to his secretary. It might sound like a lazy routine, but Churchill's high focus mental work actually starts at 7:30 am after waking up, fitting breakfast in the picture. Churchill believed having a data-centric morning enabled him to focus on deep work, understand events, plan strategies effectively, and get the most important things done before lunch time. After 11:00 am, Churchill enjoys a glass of whiskey and soda walking around the garden, contemplating and creating ideas out of the huge amount of data that he had consumed all morning.
Churchill became a famous orator, despite having a speech impediment
According to the International Churchill Society, Winston had a speech impediment, a lisp, which he was determined to overcome by seeing a speech specialist who recommended practice and persistence to form the correct pronunciation of words. Over the years, Churchill practiced speaking to overcome his handicap, and constantly announced that his impediment was no hindrance. Churchill turned out to be a great orator, with researchers concluding that his slight lisp, erratic pauses and constant low tone, gave his voice a uniquely recognisable quality which struck a chord with listeners. According to BBC director Simon Elmes, Churchillian delivery, which has been much imitated, has become one of the most distinctive combinations of language and delivery that the last 100 years have known.
Churchill was a writer, and won a Nobel Prize for Literature
In the 1950s, Churchill spent a huge amount of time reading the classics of literature and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. After being commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1895, Churchill was given permission to monitor the Cuban War of Independence, and sent war reports to The Daily Graphic. Churchill was a prolific writer, who wrote a novel, two biographies, three volumes of memoirs, several histories, and numerous press articles. The Nobel Prize in Literature 1953 was awarded to Churchill for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.
Churchill was in the Army
In 1915, Churchill resigned from the government and decided to join the Army, being attached to the 2nd Grenadier Guards on the Western Front. A year later, he was temporarily promoted to lieutenant-colonel and was given command of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers, facing three months of continual shelling from the Germans. Churchill narrowly escaped death when a large piece of shrapnel fell between him and his staff officer cousin, during a routine visit. When Churchill returned to the rank of major after his temporary promotion ended, he went back to the House of Commons and spoke on war issues, calling for conscription to be extended to the Irish, and for steel helmets to be introduced to British troops.
Churchill had great success despite being bad in academics as a kid
Winston Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, to father Lord Randolph Churchill, an MP representing the Conservative Party, and mother Jennie, the daughter of wealthy American businessman Leonard Jerome. At age seven, Churchill entered the boarding school at St George's School in Ascot, Berkshire, but was not academically good, and with very poor behaviour. In 1888, at age 13, Churchill narrowly passed the entrance exam for Harrow School, and spent the last three years in army form, as his father wanted him to prepare for a military career. Churchill, after failing two entrance examinations, took three attempts to gain admittance to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurts, and was finally accepted as a cadet in the cavalry, in September 1893.
Churchill advocated the idea of a United States of Europe
In 1946, Churchill delivered another famous speech at the University of Zurich, calling for all Europeans to turn their backs on the horrors of the past, and look to the future of building a United States of Europe. With this plea, Churchill was one of the first to advocate a European union to prevent the atrocities of two world wars from happening ever again, calling for the creation of a Council of Europe as a first step. In 1948, in The Hague, 800 delegates from all European countries met which led to the creation of the Council of Europe on May 5, 1949, of which the first meeting was attended by Churchill himself. He also introduced the idea of having a European army, designed to protect the continent and provide European diplomacy with some muscle.
Churchill was an artist, and finished 500 paintings in his entire lifetime
Apart from being a politician and writer, Churchill also spent much of his time free painting. His interest in art began in 1915, when he was not yet as active in politics, only representing the constituency of Dundee then, but held no ministerial office. Churchill went on to complete over 500 paintings in his entire lifetime, with his final known piece called The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, completed in 1962. At present, Churchill's paintings are being sold for millions.
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