Children's Web Magazine
Winston Churchill
In January 2005 it was the fortieth anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill. According to recent reports most children think Churchill is a nodding dog in an advert. So perhaps it is time to straighten this out.
Winston Churchill was born on November 30th 1874 at Blenheim Palace near Woodstock in Oxfordshire. It was the home of his grandfather the 7th Duke of Marlborough. He was a premature baby born, a good two months early, in those days you would have been unlikely to live. So against the odds he did survive, God obviously had him down to do great things.
Churchill was an author, solider, journalist and politician He also enjoyed painting and won the Nobel Prize for literature. Although he became a great leader, it was very different when he first started out.
He didn't excel at the private school Harrow at all. His school work was so poor he would often be punished for it, that and not trying hard enough. He had an independent nature and was also rebellious. He was a risk taker this and his extraordinary confidence are probably what in fact marked him out as a leader.
Academically he failed to achieve anything much. It took him three attempts to get into Sandhurst (Royal Military College) and due to this it meant he went in at the bottom. Things didn't get any better for him he didn't do well.
All this is incredible when you consider what he went on to achieve. After the death of an MP he failed to take his place in Oldham in 1899. So in the meantime he became a war correspondent. When there was a general election in 1900 he managed to win the Oldham seat for the conservatives. But in 1904 he went over to the liberals and won his first election as a liberal in Manchester in 1906. He would later go back to the conservatives.
Churchill became Prime Minster after Chamberlain's resignation in May 1940. It was Churchill who foresaw the dangers of Hitler but here he stood a lone, eventually everyone else caught on. Victory was always the aim whatever the cost. For he knew without it the consequences would be horrific. He didn't allow Britain to think of defeat he kept their spirits up with rallying speeches and got everyone to pull together. Which they all did, growing their own vegetables, supporting and helping each other, bringing about a unique community spirit throughout the land. Someone once said "Britain knows it is defeated it just wont lie down." If Churchill hadn't been Prime Minster it might be a very different place. He was not surprisingly known as the British bulldog.
Winston Churchill was inspirational, the greatest leader of the twentieth century. He died on the 24th January 1965 and was given a full state funeral in St Paul's Cathedral. The Queen who never goes to funerals attended this one. He lay in state for three days so people could pay their respects. Thousands paid homage to him. His coffin travelled along the Thames on a boat as it did so the huge cranes by the Thames bowed in respect as he went pasted.
If you are interested in finding out more about Winston Churchill there is the cabinet war rooms in London. This also now contains the Churchill Museum which was formally opened on 10th February 2005 by the Queen. Both are apart of the imperial war museum. For details visit www.iwm.org.uk
