Biography

The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965), the son of Lord Randolph Ch r!hill and an "#eri!an #other, $as ed !ated at %arro$ and &andh rst' "fter a (rief ( t e)entf l !areer in the ar#y, he (e!a#e a Conser)ati)e *e#(er of +arlia#ent in 19,,' %e held #any high posts in Li(eral and Conser)ati)e go)ern#ents d ring the first three de!ades of the !ent ry' "t the o t(rea- of the &e!ond .orld .ar, he $as appointed /irst Lord of the "d#iralty - a post $hi!h he had earlier held fro# 1911 to 1915' 0n *ay, 194,, he (e!a#e +ri#e *inister and *inister of 1efen!e and re#ained in offi!e ntil 1945' %e too- o)er the pre#iership again in the Conser)ati)e )i!tory of 1951 and resigned in 1955' %o$e)er, he re#ained a *e#(er of +arlia#ent ntil the general ele!tion of 1964, $hen he did not see- re-ele!tion' 2 een 3li4a(eth 00 !onferred on Ch r!hill the dignity of 5nighthood and in)ested hi# $ith the insignia of the 6rder of the 7arter in 1958' "#ong the other !o ntless hono rs and de!orations he re!ei)ed, spe!ial #ention sho ld (e #ade of the honorary !iti4enship of the 9nited &tates $hi!h +resident 5ennedy !onferred on hi# in 1968' Ch r!hill:s literary !areer (egan $ith !a#paign reports; The Story of the Malakand Field Force(1898) and The River War (1899), an a!!o nt of the !a#paign in the & dan and the Battle of 6#d r#an' 0n 19,,, he p (lished his only no)el, Savrola, and, si< years later, his first #a=or $or-, the (iography of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill' %is other fa#o s (iography, the life of his great an!estor, the 1 -e of *arl(oro gh, $as p (lished in fo r )ol #es (et$een 1988 and 1988' Ch r!hill:s history of the /irst .orld .ar appeared in fo r )ol #es nder the title of The World Crisis (19>8>9)? his #e#oirs of the &e!ond .orld .ar ran to si< )ol #es (1948-1958@54)' "fter his retire#ent fro# offi!e, Ch r!hill $rote a History of the English-speaking eoples (4 )ols', 1956-58)' %is #agnifi!ent oratory s r)i)es in a do4en )ol #es of spee!hes, a#ong the# The !nrelenting Struggle (194>), The "a#n of Li$eration (1945), and Ai!tory (1946)' Ch r!hill, a gifted a#ate r painter, $rote ainting as a asti%e (1948)' "n a to(iographi!al a!!o nt of his yo th, My Early Life, appeared in 198,'

.inston Ch r!hill, the son of Randolph Ch r!hill, a Conser)ati)e politi!ian, $as (orn in Blenhei# +ala!e, .oodsto!-, on 8,th Bo)e#(er, 1874' %is #other, Cennie Cero#e, $as the da ghter of Leonard Cero#e, a Be$ Dor- ( siness#an' "fter (eing ed !ated at %arro$ he $ent to the Royal *ilitary College at &andh rst' Ch r!hill =oined the /o rth % ssars in 1895 and sa$ a!tion on the 0ndian north-$est frontier and in the & dan $here he too- part in the Battle of 6#d r#an (1898)' .hile in the ar#y Ch r!hill s pplied #ilitary reports for the "aily Telegraph and $rote (oo-s s !h as The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898) and The River War (1899)' "fter lea)ing the British "r#y in 1899, Ch r!hill $or-ed as a $ar !orrespondent for the Morning ost' .hile reporting the Boer .ar in &o th "fri!a he $as ta-en prisoner (y the Boers ( t #ade headline ne$s $hen he es!aped' 6n ret rning to 3ngland he $rote a(o t his e<perien!es in the (oo-, London to Ladys%ith (19,,)' 0n the 19,, 7eneral 3le!tion Ch r!hill $as ele!ted as the Conser)ati)e *+ for 6ldha#' "s a res lt of reading, overty& ' Study of To#n Life (y &ee(oh# Ro$ntree he (e!a#e a s pporter of so!ial refor#' 0n 19,4, n!on)in!ed (y his party leaders desire for !hange, Ch r!hill de!ided to =oin the Li(eral +arty' 0n the 19,6 7eneral 3le!tion Ch r!hill $on Borth .est *an!hester and i##ediately (e!a#e a #e#(er of the ne$ Li(eral go)ern#ent as 9nder-&e!retary of &tate for the Colonies' .hen %er(ert "sE ith repla!ed %enry Ca#p(ell-Banner#an as +ri#e *inister in 19,8 he pro#oted Ch r!hill to his !a(inet as +resident of the Board of Frade' .hile in this post he !arried thro gh i#portant so!ial legislation in!l ding the esta(lish#ent of e#ploy#ent e<!hanges' 6n 1>th &epte#(er 19,8 Ch r!hill #arried Cle#entine 6gil)y &pen!er and the follo$ing year p (lished a (oo- on his politi!al philosophy, Li$eralis% and the Social ro$le% (19,9)' /ollo$ing the 191, 7eneral 3le!tion Ch r!hill (e!a#e %o#e &e!retary' Ch r!hill introd !ed se)eral refor#s to the prison syste#, in!l ding the pro)ision of le!t rers and !on!erts for prisoners and the setting p of spe!ial after-!are asso!iations to help !on)i!ts after they had ser)ed their senten!e' %o$e)er, Ch r!hill $as se)erely !riti!i4ed for sing troops to #aintain order d ring a .elsh #iners:s stri-e' 6n 16 1e!e#(er 191,, a gang atte#pted to (rea- into the rear of a =e$eller:s shop in %o ndsdit!h' "n ad=a!ent shop-eeper heard their ha##ering, and infor#ed the poli!e' .hen the poli!e arri)ed, the ro((ers ( rst o t, shooting three offi!ers dead' Fhe gang leader, a Lat)ian, +olos-i *oro nt4eff, $as a!!idently shot in the (a!- (y another gang #e#(er, and died later' .inston Ch r!hill i##ediately anno n!ed that the poli!e $as loo-ing for a gang of Ce$ish anar!hists' 0t $as also i#portant to the go)ern#ent that the in!ident did not !a se antiCe$ish feeling and the !oroner #ade a point of stressing Gin = sti!e and fairness to the Ce$ish !o## nityG that he $as n!ir! #!ised' "!ting on a tip-off, poli!e s rro nded 1,, &idney &treet in &tepney on >nd Can ary 1911' Ch r!hill h rried to the s!ene in order to dire!t operations' %e $as greeted (y !ries of G$ho let the# i##igrants inHG Ch r!hill a thorised the deploy#ent of 1>4 soldiers'

Winston Churchill at the Siege of Sidney Street

The Manchester (uardian reported; GFhe firing !a#e in sp rts' Fhe # rderers $o ld shoot first fro# the gro nd floor, then the $indo$ a(o)e I then there $o ld (e a (ar-ing of rifles in reply' Close on one o:!lo!- an espe!ially sharp f sillade rattled li-e a gro$l of e<asperation I' a little feather of s#o-e ! rling o t of the $indo$ (elo$ the point of atta!-' .e tho ght at first it $as g n s#o-e and then $ith a thrill $e sa$ that the ho se $as on fire'G Ch r!hill ref sed to allo$ the fire (rigade to do se the fla#es ntil the firing fro# inside stopped' .hen it did and the poli!e $ere allo$ed in, only t$o (odies $ere fo nd' 6ne $riter, &tephen Bates, has arg ed; GFhe lesson the poli!e too- fro# the siege $as not that they had o)errea!ted ( t that they needed (etter $eapons' Fhe lesson the press too- $as that the Li(eral go)ern#ent $as soft on i##igrants'G Fhe t$o dead #en, /rit4 &)aars and .illia# &o-olo$, $ere petty !ri#inals, and not anar!hists' %o$e)er, the go)ern#ent lea-ed the story that the gang had (een led (y +eter +iat-o$ (+eter the +ainter) $ho had #anaged to es!ape fro# the ( rning ( ilding' %o$e)er, there are do (ts that +iat-o$ e)er e<isted' Ch r!hill (e!a#e /irst Lord of the "d#iralty in 6!to(er 1911 $here he helped #oderni4e the na)y' Ch r!hill $as one of the first people to grasp the #ilitary potential of air!raft and in 191> he set p theRoyal Ba)al "ir &er)i!e' %e also esta(lished an "ir 1epart#ent at the "d#iralty so as to #a-e f ll se of this ne$ te!hnology' Ch r!hill $as so enth siasti! a(o t these ne$ de)elop#ents that he too- flying lessons'