Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill had a love for soldiers even when he was little. He had an army of toy soldiers that he spent all his spare time commanding. He dreaded lessons and often hid from his governess at school time. Eventually, he was sent to a boarding school. He wrote to his nanny and mother, telling them how much he missed them.

 

His nanny visited regularly, and this comforted him. When she came though, she was shocked; there were bullies, and frequent beatings and such. She begged his parents to send him to a different school, and they finally consented. When he was 12, he was moved to Harrow, a highly rated school. By then, Winston had grown taller and stronger, and he no longer dreaded school lessons as much. At the end of each semester, he went back to his house to rest.

 

One day he was playing with his younger brother, Jack, when his father burst into the nursery. Winston jumped. He feared that his father was going to scold him about his poor school reports. Instead, his father paced back and forth, inspecting the toy soldiers. Then he peered at Winston. “Would you like to join the army?” He said. Winston was so surprised, he just spluttered, “Yes please!”. He was, in fact, thrilled at the idea of commanding actual troops. And so, his career decided, he joined an army class in school at the age of only 14.

 

Although joining an army class at school was simple, it was not simple at all for Winston to join the army. He took an entrance exam for the military training school, and failed…twice. His father would not have him failing a third time, so he had him take intensive lessons from an acquaintance of his father. However, before Winston could meet the teacher, Captain James, he seriously injured himself. He had been playing a game of chase, and he got cornered on a bridge, with his cousin on one end, and his brother on the other. He underestimated the height from the bridge to the ground, and was unable to leave his bed for 3 months.

 

He spent some time with his father, a politician, and decided that, “When I’m not leading an army, I want to be here, fighting for my people. Finally, he finished his lessons with Captain James, and with his help, passed the exam into Sandhurst (the English Westpoint). Winston loved every minute of it. He was taught strategy and tactics instead of the subjects he had found dreadfully boring at school.

 

At Sandhurst, he was taught to ride a horse. He very much enjoyed riding and spent all of his spare time and most of his money on horses. The Calvary very much drew him in, and when he graduated, he joined a Calvary regiment against his mother’s wishes.

 

Shortly after his 21^st birthday, he sailed to India with the Fourth Hussars. Winston was very well educated and had traveled to numerous countries by the time he was 23, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He still had not fought in an actual battle. Much to his relief, he heard of a revolt on the Indian border. He was eager to join in the fight. He sent a message to the captain of the team, asking if they could use him, and eventually, he got a reply saying that they would try to fit him in. He took a train, and arrived immediately. He finally experienced what he had been waiting to experience, and was delighted to be a part of it.

 

Winston eventually joined another team, led by Captain Kitchener. They had a difficult and strenuous journey, but finally they arrived. Suddenly, they spied a long brown smear on the horizon. Winston felt excited as he galloped towards the enemy, because this was the first time he would experience a real battle from the front lines. They won the battle, and Winston went into politics. The first time, he campaigned for the conservatives, and the liberals won. But the people were impressed by his speeches, and he began to see a career into politics opening up. But before he could pursue it, he joined another battle, where he was captured. He made plans with his fellow prisoners to escape, and he did, but his friends never came. Winston grew up, became a politician, got married, and in 3 years, had 2 children, Diana first, and Randolph, second. He became the First Lord of the Admiralty, and with the position, got a large house and a yacht.

 

He worked often, but when he wasn’t working, he spent a day off with his family in the countryside, or having a picnic. The British government began to get worried about Hitler. He was advancing his battleship fleet. “He is building 3 battleships a year, so that means that we must build 4.” Winston’s wife, Clementine gave birth to a third child, Sarah, while Winston was fighting for Belgium, which Hitler had just invaded. They still hadn’t been defeated, when Winston was demoted from being the First Lord of the admiralty, and became a minor part in the war council. He was insulted and injured, and he resigned from government and was very depressed.

 

In later days, however, he took heart and involved himself in politics once more. He ran for, and was elected as prime minister at the age of 65. He proved to be an excellent prime minister, and was elected for a second term at the old age 0f 77. He lived a good and wise life, and at the “ripe old age” of 90, he suffered a massive stroke and died. He was well remembered, and a massive funeral was given to remember that courageous leader.

Tags: Katie, Pre World War II, World War II, Biographies

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