The Churchill Series – July 28, 2006

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

I’ll continue Monday the series of posts dealing with a three month journey Churchill and his brother Jack, and their sons, Randolph and Johnny, took across Canada, then down the American West coast, and then by rail across America to New York and their boat trip home.

Today, I’ll share a portion of Churchill’s My Early Life which I have with me now on my own trip.

What follows is a part of Churchill’s account in of the Battle of Omdurman fought in the Sudan in September, 1998, when Churchill was a twenty-three year old cavalry Lieutenant. The battles was massive by the standards of the day, It would between native Dervish and a mixed Army of British and Egyptian forces. The battle is best remembered now for its cavalry charge in which Churchill rode. Looking back thirty years later Churchill tells us something of the battle and lessons he drew from it:

In one respect a cavalry charge is very like ordinary like. So long as you are all right, firmly in your saddle, you horse in hand, and well armed, lots of enemies will give you a wide berth.

But as soon as you have lost a stirrup, have a rein cut, have dripped your weapon, are wounded, or your horse is wounded, then is the moment when from all quarters enemies rush upon you.

Such was the fate of not a few of my comrades in the troops immediately on my left. Brought to an actual standstill in the enemy’s mass, clutched at from every side, stabber at and hacked at by spear and sword, they were dragged from their horses and cut to pieces by the infuriated foe.

How could the young officer who fought at Omdurman and wrote about it as Churchill did in the late 1920s have any part in an appeasement government in the 1930s?

As you know debate in Commons follows upon a government action which a member than questions after which, if the question is in order, the Commons debates the question.

When the first of the appeasement budgets was presented, I believe in 1932, Churchill began his “wilderness years” of unremitting questioning and challenging of the Government‘s appeasement policy.

Churchill’s first question in Commons challenging the first appeasement budget was: “Does the Government wish for war?”

Churchill was the last surviving officer of the charge at Omburman.