The Churchill Series – Sept 20, 2006

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

Today we continue a “Walk in Churchill’s Steps” series we started on Monday.

We’re now leaving St. James Park and heading toward where Downing Street enters Whitehall. There are a number of ways to get there. It’s less than a five minute walk.

When you stand at Whitehall looking down the single block that’s Downing Street, you’re looking through a gate. In Churchill’s lifetime the street wasn’t gated. He knew it first as a small boy. His father, Lord Randolph, became Chancellor of the Exchequer when Churchill was about 10. The Chancellor's office and home are at 11 Downing Street. Churchill was away at school most of the time his father was Chancellor, he did stay at 11 Downing Street for short periods during holidays.

From the gates at Downing Street you see the Parliament building some few hundred yards up Whitehall.

Walk up Whitehall toward Parliament. It’s a walk Churchill made on countless days.

May 13, 1940, was one of those days. The 10 year old school boy who used to run up Whitehall to play in Parliament Square was on that day the 65 year old Commons Member for Epping about to address the House for the first time as Prime Minister. He would tell the House that he had “nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

But Churchill really offered much more. He gave courage, defiance, hope and purpose, ending his first speech as PM with:

"But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. 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.'"

Tomorrow we’ll end our walk in front of Churchill's statue in Parliament Square
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The text of Churchill's May 13, 1940 speech to the Commons can be found here courtesy of The Churchill Centre.