Winston Churchill is undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures from either side of the Second World War. A great orator with strong opinions and fierce patriotism, Churchill’s tenacity led Britain and her empire through Europe’s darkest days and into victory. I have always admired Churchill as a leader, and this has only been reinforced after our visit to his War Rooms located in the heart of London. Having been “rediscovered” in the 1970s, the War Room is a sprawling, maze-like structure from which Britain’s leaders conducted their fight against Nazism for six years. What really struck me about the museum exhibits and the largely intact operations areas was the clear zeal with which the British people rallied around Churchill, and how he presented himself as the people’s leader.
There are several comics, like the one pictured, that portray Churchill as the gritty, do-what-it-takes man who is the undisputed leader for the Commonwealth. Due in large part to his oration, described by one as sending the English language “into battle,” his words gave the British people hope that all was indeed not lost, and inspired within them a deep sense of duty to King and Country to continue to fight.
Churchill frequently sported his military dress uniform, which represented his deep commitment to freedom, his country, and the cause for which so many Britons gave their all.
Another theme I noticed frequently throughout both the War Room and the incredible Imperial War Museum was the notion of a ‘Free Europe’ which found its home in Britain for the duration of the war. With Prime Minister Churchill as the de facto figurehead, London and England as a whole saw themselves transform into the last bastion of European freedom and democracy. Men and women who had escaped the Nazis found refuge in Britain, as did foreign governments in exile. British colonial and Commonwealth troops were called to the island, and refugees offered their services to the British Expeditionary Forces. American goods and war materials were arriving as part of the Lend-Lease Act, aiding Britain in her fight against tyranny.
Through our visits to these amazing museums, I have begun to really understand the influence that Churchill had on his people. The emphasis the British still place on Churchill, nearly 80 years after the end of the war, goes to show how the Prime Minister unified Britain – and indeed the rest of the free world – in such a way that instilled the hope and confidence that helped sustain Britain through the tribulations of war.
