Winston Churchill KS2

Who was Winston Churchill?

Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of Britain for most of the Second World War, leading the country to victory in 1945. He is most famous for his rousing speeches and his refusal to give up.

Young Winston Churchill

• 1874 - He was born into a wealthy family who were well-known in society. He was cared for by his nanny, and rarely saw his parents.
• 1881 - Aged seven, he was sent to a boarding school in Berkshire. He hated it there, often misbehaving.
• 1893 - He joined the Royal Military College in Sandhurst. He did well there, proving himself particularly good with horses.
• 1896 - He was sent to Bombay (now known as Mumbai) in India with his regiment of the British Army. His rank was second lieutenant.
• 1899 - He became a war reporter. He travelled to South Africa to report on the Boer War. He was captured and made a prisoner-of-war, but managed to escape! His adventure made him famous back in Britain, and he returned home a hero.  

Churchill's Political Career

After returning to Britain, he decided that he wanted to pursue a political career. In 1900, he campaigned for, and was elected as, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham in Manchester.

Ten years later, he became Home Secretary (the government minister in charge of law and order, and the police). The following year, he was put in charge of Britain's fleet of warships, the Royal Navy. When the First World War began in 1914, Churchill wanted to use the Royal Navy to help Britain and its allies win the war. However, a planned attack on Turkey went badly wrong. Churchill resigned and went to join the fight in Belgium as a soldier.

After the First World War, Churchill was given the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer (the government minister in charge of the country’s money and taxes). However, he was not very successful in this role, and in 1929, resigned from this job too.

During the 1930s, Churchill advised that Britain should prepare for war, as Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, was a danger to peace. However, little notice was taken as he was not in government at that time. In 1939, Germany attacked Poland. Britain and France declared war with Germany. The Second World War had begun. Churchill was put in charge of the Royal Navy once more.

When was Winston Churchill Prime Minister?

By 1940, France had been beaten, and Britain faced invasion. The current Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, resigned. Britain needed a new leader. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister, aged 65. He became a very popular Prime Minister. At the start of the war, he gave powerful, defiant speeches which helped to keep up the people of Britain’s hope and spirits.

He travelled all over the world building and keeping allies. During his time as Prime Minister, Churchill suffered a mild heart attack and became ill with pneumonia, but he never gave up. In 1941, America and Russia became allies with Britain. Churchill became friends with America’s leader, President Roosevelt, and met Russia’s leader, Joseph Stalin. The three leaders became known as ‘The Big Three’. They worked together to win the war.

On 6th June 1944, the allies landed over 156,000 men in France. This was known as D-Day. By August of that year, France was freed from German control. By May 1945, the war in Europe was over. The 8th May was known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day). At 3pm that day, Churchill used radio to broadcast to the whole country that Germany had surrendered, and the war in Europe was over.

Churchill about to broadcast to the nation on VE Day

After World War Two

In the same year that the war was won, a new government party was elected, which meant that Churchill was no longer the Prime Minister. However he was still a Member of Parliament, and in 1951, when he was 76 years old, he was re-elected as Prime Minister once more. In 1955, due to increasing health problems, he resigned, aged 81.

When Winston Churchill Die?

Winston Churchill died in 1965, aged 90. He was given the largest state funeral (public ceremony) in world history at that time, with 350 million people watching the funeral on television.

Winston Churchill Quotes

• We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
• Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
• If you're going through hell, keep going.
• Never, never, never give up.