Here are some facts about the British Prime Minister who is best known for his leadership during World War 2.
Facts About Winston Churchill’s Childhood and Early Life
- Winston Churchill was born on 30th November 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
- His parents were Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill.
- Winston Churchill was not a very good pupil at school.
- Winston did not have a very close relationship with either of his parents. He was, however, close to his nanny, Elizabeth Anne Everest.
- Winston’s father died at the age of 45 in 1895.
- Churchill had quite a severe lisp which he worked hard to deal with when giving speeches.
- Winston got married to Clementine Hozier on 12th September 1908.
- Winston had five children, Diana, Randolph, Sara, Marigold and Mary. Marigold died when she was very young – she got septicaemia.
Winston Churchill’s Military Record
- In 1893 Churchill applied to join the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He chose to join the calvary and became a Second-Lieutenant in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars.
- Alongside his military career, Churchill also wrote about the conflicts he witnessed. This made him extra money and it also allowed him to experience a range of different battles, strategies and military situations.
- Winston Churchill was sent to Cuba (where he discovered Cuban cigars), India and Sudan.
- Churchill left the British Army on 5th May 1899.
- As a war reporter he went to South Africa to cover the Second Boer War. He was captured and made a Prisoner of War in Pretoria. Winston managed to escape from the POW camp.
- Churchill joined the South African Light Horse (although he was still a war reporter).
- Winston Churchill was made First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911. In this role, Churchill set about modernising Britain’s battleships.
- He was forced to resign from his post in 1915 because he had been heavily involved in planning the Battle of Gallipoli (World War 1) – which was a massive disaster.
- Churchill rejoined the British Army and served as a Lieutenant-Colonel.
Winston Churchill and Politics
- Churchill won the seat for Oldham in 1900. He started off as a member of the Conservative Party but he defected to the Liberal Party in 1904.
- In 1908 Churchill introduced a bill to set up Britain’s first minimum wages.
- Churchill rejoined the Conservative Party in 1925.
- Churchill was made Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he didn’t really do very well in this job.
- During the build-up to World War 2, Winston Churchill gave numerous speeches about the need to rearm against Germany.
Winston Churchill and World War 2
- On the day that Britain declared war on Germany, Winston Churchill was made First Lord of the Admiralty (the post he held during World War 1) and a member of the War Cabinet.
- Neville Chamberlain resigned on 10th May 1940. Churchill became Prime Minister.
- Churchill gave many memorable speeches that inspired the British public, such as the ‘finest hour’ speech and the speech given before the Battle of Britain.
- At the end of World War 2, Churchill was a hero to the British people and many thought his leadership was the biggest reason for the defeat of Hitler.
- Churchill was defeated in the 1945 election. Churchill was seen as a fantastic war leader, but the public didn’t think he could lead the country in times of peace.
- Churchill served as Leader of the Opposition for 6 years.
- Churchill became Prime Minister for the second time in October 1951. He resigned in April 1955.
Winston Churchill – Retirement
- Winston Churchill suffered a series of strokes during the 1950s.
- He left Parliament by standing down at the 1964 General Election.
- Churchill died on Sunday 24th January 1965 at the age of 90. This was exactly 70 years after his father had died.
- Churchill’s state funeral was massive. 350 million people watched on television and 112 nations sent representatives to St Paul’s Cathedral.
- Churchill is buried at St Martin’s Church, Bladon.