It would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage or to suppose that well-trained, well-equipped armies numbering three or four millions of men can be overcome in the space of a few weeks, or even months. 'I speak to you for the first time as Prime Minister in a solemn hour for the life of our country, of our Empire, of our allies, and, above all, of the cause of freedom. At this time, I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, 'Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.' 'Įxtract from his first broadcast as PM to the country on May 19, 1940. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. 'But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. 'Let that be realised no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. 'You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be for without victory, there is no survival. 'You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. 'We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. He said: 'I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." Winston Churchill's rousing speeches inspired a nation and played a key role in maintaining Britain's morale during the dark early days of the Second World War The blow came less than two weeks after Britons cheered and partied in the streets on VE Day – when the Allies accepted Germany's unconditional surrender.īecause of the way he had served as PM throughout the fight against the Nazis and had made historic speeches which lifted Britons' spirits, Churchill was a revered figure. He was an MP from 1900-1964 and represented five constituencies mostly for the Conservative Party apart from 1904 to 1924 when he was a member of the Liberal Party.Ĭhurchill was forced to call a general election after Labour opted to pull out of the War Cabinet on May 21, 1945. Other newly colourised images show processions of the state funeral.Ĭhurchill was also a soldier educated at Sandhurst, a Boer war hero and the winner of Nobel prizes for writing and history. It was initiated after Churchill's stroke in 1953 while in his second term as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Planning for the funeral, known as Operation Hope Not, began 12 years before Churchill's death. The official funeral lasted for four days.
His was the first state funeral for a non-royal family member since Lord Carson in 1935, and as of 2021 it remains the most recent state funeral in the United Kingdom. One image shows mourning crowds gathered at Hyde Park Gate on the morning of Churchill's death on January 24, 1965.Īnother image shows Sir Winston Churchill's coffin and gun carriage pulled by a brigade of Guards, on his funeral held on January 30, 1965. He died after suffering a stroke on January 24, 1965, aged 90, and his official funeral was held on January 30. Sir Winston Churchill was the country's Prime Minister during World War II from 1940-1945 and then again from 1951-1955. Newly colourised images released for the 57th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill's death show the nation in mourning during the four-day funeral.
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