Finest Hour - Fall 2018

In this issue

The Centenary of the Armistice

Perfect Preparation: What Churchill Learned from the First World War

Winston Churchill famously wrote about his feelings on becoming prime minister in May 1940, “I felt as if I were walking with Destiny and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”1 It was true, and no part of his life had been a better preparation than 1914–18.

10+ mins

The Mistaken View of Churchill's First World War “Mistakes”

A common verdict on Churchill’s First World War is that he was the perpetrator of costly disasters, but that he learned from his mistakes. Consider this, from the Imperial War Museum’s website:

10+ mins

War Lord in Training: Churchill And The Royal Navy During The First World War

Churchill’s contribution to naval affairs in the First World War is a polarizing topic. It divided people at the time and it remains a matter of sharply delineated opinions even now. The reasons for this are not difficult to spot. Although no decisive sea engagement was fought while Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty, the opening ten months of the war were nevertheless eventful, and the operations that took place at that time appeared to highlight the worst aspects of Churchill’s character as a civilian naval leader. The reality is—inevitably—more complex, but a quick check of what went visibly wrong and what appeared to go right will illustrate the point.

10+ mins

Churchill's World Crisis

Today, whenever major political leaders come to the end of their careers, we have learned to expect an announcement at no distant point that a contract has been signed for the publication of their memoirs, with large advances mentioned.

9 mins

November 11, 1918: The Hour of Deliverance

In his memoirs of the First World War published as The World Crisis, Winston Churchill vividly recalls the scene he witnessed at the moment the Armistice took effect.

4 mins

THE FULTON REPORT From the National Churchill Museum

High Hopes and Unbounded Confidence? The Aftermath of the Great Wars

3 mins

The World Crisis Breeds New Publishing Relationships For Churchill

This is a behind-the-scenes article. It focuses not on the content of The World Crisis (which former Prime Minister A. J. Balfour described as “Winston’s brilliant Autobiography, disguised as a history of the universe”) but rather on how that multi-volume history of the Great War—Churchill’s twelfth work—came to be published in both the UK and the USA.

9 mins

Action This Day

125 Years ago Autumn 1893 • Age 19 “Sandhurst Has Done Wonders for Him”

6 mins

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Finest Hour Magazine Description:

Winston Churchill was one of the greatest statesmen in world history – widely revered, sometime reviled and universally recognized for his tenacious leadership.

Finest Hour, the Journal of Winston Churchill, is the flagship publication of The Churchill Centre. Each quarterly issue is packed with expert analysis and insightful discussion from prominent authors, historians, and journalists on all aspects of Churchill’s life and times. Finest Hour dispels the myths, explores the rousing speeches, and reviews the most interesting books, all thoughtfully written, thoroughly researched, and presented by a team of experts.

Your digital Finest Hour subscription also includes membership in The Churchill Centre. As part of your digital membership you receive full access to all of our premium website content, a free subscription to the monthly email newsletter of Winston Churchill, Chartwell Bulletin, discounts to Churchill sites in Britain, and invitations to special events.