Sir Winston Churchill A Multi-Genre Project

By:

Evan Schriver
0989081 EDUC 5813 Secondary English Methods February, 2014 Dr. Heather Richmond

Table of Contents

Dear Reader Letter ----------------------------------------------------- 2 Churchill: An Introduction ---------------------------------------------- 4 War Correspondence Article for The Daily Telegraph -----------------------7 Churchills Escape from Pretoria 1900 ---------------------------------- 8

We Shall Fight on the Beaches Poem -------------------------------------- 9

Churchill Celebrates May 9th, 1945 (Comic) ---------------------------- 10 Churchills Death Certificate --------------------------------------------11 Notes Page ----------------------------------------------------------- 12 Bibliography --------------------------------------------------------- 14

Dear Reader Letter

I came into the 2013-2014 Bachelor of Education program assuming I was going to be teaching history for the rest of my life. I had taken history courses all through University. I had excelled at history in High School. I read World War Two Magazine and books like Maverick

Military Leaders (by Robert Harvey) for fun. All of this led me to Believe that I was a man of
history and therefore that subject was what I the most cut out to teach. They often say reality is a b-word, and they are often right. However, at some times, reality is the great equalizer, if a person is willing to look for the opportunities she presents. I will, I have recently found out never get a practice run at teaching history. Both my first and second practica are in the field of English Language Arts. However, that does not mean I cannot cross those fields, thanks to Dr. Richmonds Multi-genre Research Project. This research project is the perfect chance for me to combine my love of history with my skills and new-found love of English. I have always loved to write stories and poems, but I had never really enjoyed English Language Arts until I did my first practicum. I now have a strong love for both subjects and, as such, I wanted to find an author who represented both subjects in my own mind. For that subject, I needed to look no further than former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Sir Winston Churchill is extremely well known within all historical communities for the major role he played in fighting Nazism during the Second World War. What is less known about old Winnie is that he was a prolific writer and poet (see Churchill: An Introduction p.4). It is because of this writing that I first considered Churchill as a subject for study. It was because of his strong ties to history that I finally selected him as my author. There is no doubt that Churchills writing has flaws. He was, as the saying goes, the victor, writing about the vanquished when he wrote his WWII anthology (named after the war itself and written in six volumes between 1948 and 1953), covering the history of Britain in the Second World War. It is far from unbiased, but it shows a man of eloquent writing and, nearer and dearer to my heart, it shows a man who wanted the men who fought and died in the greatest human conflict in history to be remembered.

Through my research and writing I hope to portray to the reader the man Churchill really was: a hero, an artist, a writer and a man who hoped to pass the past to future generations, so that the sacrifices of others would never be forgotten, just as I am now doing with his memory. I hope you enjoy this work and that you learn something from it.

Evan Schriver

Churchill: An Introduction
Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born on November 30, 1874 to parents Randolph Churchill (a British lord) and Jeannie Jerome (an American heiress). He spent his pre-school years in Dublin where his Grandfather, Lord John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough employed his father doing different tasks. In 1888, after attending two different school in which his penchant for independence and stubborn rebellion had landed him in trouble many times, Winston was sent to Harrow School near London. Shortly thereafter he joined the Harrow Rifle Corp, a move which set him on the road to a career in the military. By 1894 he had graduated 20th in his class from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. From there, he received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Queens Own Hussars in 1895. Churchill had joined the British Army right when the British Empire was at its height as the largest land Empire in history (33.2 Million Square Kilometers or 22.3% of the Worlds land mass which contained 458 Million people). He was sent to India where he observed the Northwest Frontier Uprising, then on to Sudan where he participated in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. During these events, Churchill the writer appears, as he wrote military reports for two newspapers: the Daily Telegraph and The Pioneer. He also wrote his first two books: The Story of the Malakand Field Force, which was an account of the Northwest Uprising, and The River War, which was his account of his time in Sudan and the British wars fought there. As we can see, Churchill was a chronicler of war, a man who wrote almost exclusively about his own experiences in the British Army. This trend would continue after Churchill left the Army in 1899 as he was hired as a War Correspondent by the newspaper the Morning

Post. He was reporting on the Boer War in South Africa, he was captured by the Boers, but was
able to escape and shockingly travelled nearly 300 miles to the Portuguese Territory of Mozambique. Again, when he returned to Britain in 1900 Churchill chronicled his experiences in the book London to Ladysmith.

After his time in the army and as a war correspondent had ended, Churchill went into politics. He was elected to Parliament in 1908. Between 1900 and 1908 Churchill wrote and published a sequel to London to Ladysmith titled Ian Hamiltons March, followed by a biography of his father and a collection of his speeches on army reform (For Free Trade). He was, at this time, diversifying his writing into other genres, including biography and speech writing, all while still focused on his own experiences or those of his family. He was still memorializing those events and people in his life that he thought needed to be remembered. As he delved into politics, Churchill began to write about the political more and more. Following his first collection of speeches in For Free Trade, Churchill wrote two more collections of his speeches on numerous political issues. It was also during this period that he penned My African Journey, the recounting of his travels in East Africa, which many tout as proof that Churchill was not a racist. Again, we see diversification, if to a slightly lesser extent. Churchill is beginning to look at the world around him and is reflecting on it while he writes about himself and his life. He would write many more autobiographical pieces in his life (along with several more biographical texts), but all of them began to contain more and more reflection on the state of the world, the events taking place around him and the repercussions of these events moving into the future. As World War Two raged in Europe, Churchill wrote what most people consider his seminal work, World War Two, which was an anthology of six books: The Gathering Storm,

Their Finest Hour, The Grand Alliance, The Hinge of Fate, Closing the Ring, and Triumph and Tragedy. These books cover the war, but they are written from Churchills perspective and
were only written years after the conflict took place using notes and memories. This, coupled with the fact that many events and programs had to remain unrecorded because of state security, led many to declare his works to be incomplete. Despite that connotation, these books are considered by most to be a fair representation of the war effort. Churchill had learned, as most historical authors do, that what they write not only continues into eternity, but it also informs readers on events and it can often be used as propaganda. Churchill tried to be fair in his treatment of the Allied Powers (if not the Nazis and the Japanese) so that people in the future would understand that the War was fought and won by people from all over the world,

not just the British. He wanted people to be remembered for their sacrifices and, thanks to his works, they will be. Churchill went on to write many more books, as well as poetry (mostly as a pastime) before his death in 1965. These included more histories, speeches, essays and biographies, his favourite forms of writing. Throughout them all, we see a man who is concerned with the past, the present and the future: he writes extensively on the beginnings of the Cold War, the tenuous peace in Europe and the dangers further conflict will hold for the world despite the fact that he wanted to crush Communism at the end of WWII). Churchill, the defender of Britain, was also the defender of history and, thanks to his many texts we have records of conflicts such as the British wars in Sudan, the uprising in India, the Liberalist movement in Britain prior to WWI, the Second World War and the world following the defeat of Hitler. Churchill is a bridge between English and History who was at the centre of world events for decades: his writings are important to the world and, like the lives he sought to memorialize, they should never be forgotten.

*Note: for works used in researching for this essay, please refer to Section One of the Bibliography page.

War Correspondence for The Daily Telegraph

CANADIANS END PAARDEBERG SIEGE!

Capture Cronj and 4000 plus Boers!
(By Winston Churchill, War Correspondent for the Morning Post) Under the Date of February 28, 1900, Churchill gives an account of the capture of the Paardeberg.
Britannias daughters have ever supported their mother abroad as she works to secure the interests of her citizens. On the night of February 26-27, Britannias American daughter Canada sent her sons into combat against General Cronj and his Boer commandos in the climax of the Battle of Paardeberg Drift. I will now attempt to recount the exact details of what I have learned from the senior officers commanding the Canadians. As night fell on the 26th, the Canadians were ordered to the front. There, they asked for the assistance of the Royal Engineers and, with darkness on their side, crept to within 65 yards of the Boer Camp. They spent the night digging trenches in silence, preparing for the expected battle in the morning. As the sun rose yesterday, the Boers came out of their camp and found themselves staring straight into the barrels of the Canadian guns, awaiting their advance. In the face of this masterful manoeuvre, General Cronj surrendered his force to the Canadians. It was a stirring victory which resulted in the capture of (the Officer told me) more than 4000 men. The Canadians showed true ingenuity and courage, as well as discipline during their nights work. It is hoped that, with this victory and the capture of Cronj, the war will be brought to a quick and decisive conclusion.

Churchills Escape from Pretoria - 1900

A map of Churchills overland route from Pretoria along the Delagoa Bay Rail Way to Portuguese Mozambique. He travelled the approximately 500 Kilometers, dodging guards and civilians along the way until he finally reached the British Consulate in Maputo. From there, he took the steamer Induna to Durban, Cape Colony where he was able to report about his capture and escape. 8

We Shall Fight on the Beaches Poem

I have, again, been asked of invasion, About the history of Britain. The populous must agree,

So I spoke to the House on this occasion, When, in a robust voice I asked, With the ruling of the nation. When in history have we, To the House who are tasked,

That when our situation is most dire! We shall not flag or fail!

We must, oer our enemies, prevail! We shall fight in France and on the seas, We shall, at any cost, our island defend! We shall fight on Beaches of sand, We will fight them in field and pasture We shall battle on the heights, We shall never surrender! With that bit of prose In the streets well see fights, We shall fight where they land, With confidence, the skies well cease! We shall go on to the end!

From invasions threat been free? I asked the gentlemen there. From Napoleon till now,

The desires of Tyrants for guerre. Many are the tales that are told To invade our homeland here. Yet gentlemen, rest assured, Ever have we been secured, Of tyrants plans of old

The winds have oft befouled

By plans our ancestors made clear. I have full confidence in those,

Into a uproar of applause The battle would start I knew in my heart

The House did explode

Who, if their duty is done to the close, Will withstand the tyrants cyclone. We shall stand here for years; Until we are here all alone. But that is not enough, good sirs, Our soldiers, our aid will require. When and if invasion occurs. We may out last our peers,

The Nazis would feel our claws! Still, its a long war ahead If the enemy comes, will our people keep Though it fills me with fear If youre going through hell, keep on going! To my creed Ill adhere hoping? And Im filled with dread

His Majestys Government must decree,

Churchill Celebrates May 9th, 1945

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Churchills Death Certificate

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Notes Page
War Correspondence for The Daily Telegraph When Winston Churchill was finished his stint in the Army, he was desperate to be involved in more military actions. Therefore, he took a job as a war correspondent for the Morning Post Boer War. While there, he wrote many pieces for the Morning Post and Daily Telegraph, which were distributed to many other newspapers. I chose to write a piece in the style of definite Canadian connection. Churchills Escape from Pretoria 1900 While he was reporting about the Boer War in South Africa in 1899, Churchill was riding on an armoured train full of soldiers, reconnoitering through the British Natal Colony. While aboard, the train was attacked and, although the locomotive escaped with some soldiers, Churchill was left behind, defenceless. He surrendered and was imprisoned in the State Model School until he was able to formulate an escape plan. This map shows Churchills overland escape route, along the rail road and into the Portuguese Mozambique Colony. and was sent to the British Natal and Cape Colony (modern South Africa) to observe the Second

Churchill because he wrote many articles about the Boer War and, in this case, the piece has a

We Shall Fight on the Beaches Poem

Churchill was a prolific poet, writing poems often and for various occasions. This particular poem was created based on a poem by Churchill, but also on one of his most famous speeches,

We Shall Fight on the Beaches (1940). The poem I selected to copy was called The Influenza
and was written by Churchill when he was fifteen years old for a School competition. It is a ballad, written with the AABCCB rhyming pattern. I decided to take this style and adapt the words from the last two paragraphs of Churchills famous We Shall Fight on the Beaches

speech to fit the rhyming pattern. Churchill would continue to write poetry for the rest of his life, in many different styles and even languages. This example was my favourite, hence its selection.

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Churchill Celebrates May 9th, 1945 When Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8th, 1945, Winston Churchill wrote a message which he broadcast to the people of Britain the next day. Other than this message (entitled End of the War in Europe) and the Sinews of Peace speech (also called the Iron

Curtain speech), Churchills response to the end of the war has not been recorded with any
would have celebrated after five long years of war brandy, a cigar, and a bit of British understatement.

clarity. Therefore, I decided to take a bit of creative license and draw how I believe Winston

Churchills Death Certificate After a lifetime of writing and speaking, Churchill finally passed away at the age of 90 on January 24, 1965. He had lived and written about two World Wars, watched the British Empire decline and seen the birth of Fascism and Communism. I chose to do a death certificate the people who had been present at his death, including one person, whose last name was Montague Browne, similar to our dear friends Alex Brown and Paul Montague. As a visual the life he had lived. representation of Churchills life, I thought the death certificate was the most appropriate after

after I found a copy of his actual death certificate on the internet. It was quite interesting to see

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Bibliography
Section One Churchill: An Introduction
1. A + E Networks. (2014). Winston Churchill: Biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/winston-churchill-9248164?page=1 2. The Churchill Centre. (N.D.). The books of Sir Winston Churchill. Retrieved from https://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/writings/bibliography 3. The Churchill Centre. (N.D.). The soldier. Retrieved from https://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/biography/the-soldier 4. Rogers, Abby & Johnson, Robert. (2011). The ten greatest empires in the history of the

world. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-greatestempires-in-history-2011-9?op=1

Section Two The Genres

5. The Churchill Centre. (N.D.). End of the War in Europe. Retrieved from http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winstonchurchill/95-end-of-the-war-in-europe 6. The Churchill Centre. (N.D.). We Shall Fight on the Beaches Speech. Retrieved from http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winstonchurchill/128-we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches 7. Churchill, Winston. (24 March, 1900). How I escaped Pretoria. Marlborough Express. Retrieved from http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgibin/paperspast?a=d&d=MEX19000324.2.36

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8. Her Majestys Government (of the United Kingdom). (N.D.) HM Passport Office Logo [Departmental Logo]. Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/HM_Passport_Office.png 9. Kensington (London) Registrar of Births and Death. (26 January, 1965). Death

Certificate for Winston Churchill (No. IC648199). Certified copy in possession

of The Antique Store House. Image retrieved from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-Official-Copy-Of-Sir-Winston-ChurchillDeath-Certificate-Issued-26-1-1965-/300635753159

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