Meetings Are Held

in the

 United Reform Church

(Opposite The Police Station)

8

Churchill

5/2/2003

Trevor Williams

Trevor Williams gave us an interesting illustrated talk on Churchill. He spanned the years from his birth until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939,

We heard of the lack of involvement in his childhood by his parents and the fact that his nanny had a greater effect than his mother or father. His schooldays appear to have been far from happy nor successful academically. He showed an early interest in the military as well as politics, both of which he pursued with some irregularity.

His entry into Sandhurst took several attempts and was only finally achieved with a score which allowed him into the cavalry where the ability to provide and maintain his own mounts was more important than anything else. unfortunately the death of his father, whose debts were only just covered by his estate, left the young Winston with no income other than his small army pay. His mother gave him a small allowance which helped but he found life difficult and went to Cuba as a correspondent to cover a minor war, thus starting his writing career

Returning to England he went with his regiment to India where he saw service on the Northwest Frontier. He became a correspondent for the Daily Telegraph for a time and wrote a book which earned him some money. Joined the Kitchener campaign in the Sudan where took part in the action at Omduran, usually considered the last authentic cavalry charge of the British army.

He returned to Britain and decided to enter parliament without success and so he went to South Africa as a correspondent where he was involved in several adventures and made something of a name for himself.

Entry into Parliament as a Tory MP was finally achieved but as time went on he found himself at loggerheads with his leader and finally crossed the House to the Liberals when he stood as a Liberal in Manchester North but failed to get the seat. At the 1906 General Election he took the seat from the Tories.

He became a member of the government and was involved with Lloyd George, with whom he developed a friendship, in the establishment of Labour exchanges and became interested in regulation of the 'sweated' trades. During the labour unrest period in 1910 - 11 he was involved in the use of troops to suppress the rioting and to break strikes. This alienated the working class.

The period before the 1st world war saw him at the Admiralty and he set the navy onto a war footing, made changes to the armament of ships and falling out with Lord Fisher. Sacked from the post of First Lord of the Admiralty ten months after the start of the war he went to France as a major in the Oxfordshire Yeomanry, He returned to England and spent time on the backbenches until Lloyd George became Prime Minister in 1916 when Churchill returned to the government as Minister for Munitions.

In 1922 he was ill during the General Election and he was defeated at Dundee and the Liberals lost power. He spent the time out of parliament writing and trying to regain a seat. He rejoined the Conservatives and in 1924 was elected as member for Epping. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer until the General election of 1929 when the Conservatives lost to Labour. Once again he was out of office and spent his time writing, doing practical things at Chartwell and opposing disarmament. He argued against the appeasement of Hitler and German demands.

The outbreak of war in 1939 and the resignation of chamberlain changed his life again.