The Churchill Series – Jun. 28, 2007

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

Historian and former President of the Churchill Center John Plumpton recalled the following anecdote when speaking at a Churchill Society dinner. Plumpton didn’t cite a source. So you may want to keep a few grains of a salt at the ready.

In any case the story is fun and sounds like the impish Churchill talking to trusted aides. According to Plumton:

Churchill was normally quite magnanimous towards political opponents but he had trouble forgiving former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin for leaving Britain unprepared and vulnerable to German aggression.

It may be apocryphal, but it is said that when Churchill heard of Baldwin’s death, during the war, he commented:

"Embalm

Cremate

Bury at Sea

Take no chances.”

I hope you’re all here tomorrow.

In the meantime, be careful. Take no chances.