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Winston Churchill
Person page: Winston Churchill →
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1939
September
03
Chamberlain’s War Cabinet
On 3 September 1939 Chamberlain formed a nine-man War Cabinet with Churchill at the Admiralty, conscription for men aged 18–41 began and Gort took over the BEF.
1940
April
03
Churchill heads the Military Coordination Committee
On 3 April 1940 Chamberlain accepted Lord Chatfield’s resignation and abolished his ministry. Churchill took the chair of the Military Co-ordination Committee.
12
The British occupy the Faroe Islands
On 12 April 1940 British destroyers entered Tórshavn, and the next day Royal Marines landed from the cruiser Suffolk. The occupation lasted until 1945.
15
The British land at Harstad
On 15 April 1940 a British Guards brigade landed at Harstad near Narvik. A dispute between Lord Cork and General Mackesy over an assault delayed its recapture.
May
08
Key event
The Norway Debate
On 7–8 May 1940 the Commons called the government to account for Norway. Chamberlain won the vote 281 to 200, but a Tory revolt sealed his fall.
10
Key event
Churchill becomes Prime Minister
On 10 May 1940, the day of the German offensive in the West, Chamberlain resigned and the King asked Churchill to form a coalition government.
13
“Blood, toil, tears and sweat”
On 13 May 1940, in his first speech as prime minister, Churchill offered the Commons “blood, toil, tears and sweat”. The House backed him by 381 votes.
14
The Local Defence Volunteers
On 14 May 1940 Anthony Eden called on men aged 17–65 by radio to join the Local Defence Volunteers. Five days earlier conscription was extended to men up to 36.
16
Churchill in Paris
On 16 May 1940 Churchill flew to Paris. Gamelin admitted he had no reserve, archives burned at the Foreign Ministry and London agreed to send more fighters.
23
The internment of Oswald Mosley
On 23 May 1940 police detained Oswald Mosley and leading members of the British Union of Fascists. Churchill's government widened internment without trial.
24
The Allies decide to leave Norway
On 24 May 1940 London decided, in secret from the Norwegians, to withdraw its troops from northern Norway. Defeat in France made the fight for Narvik pointless.
28
The War Cabinet crisis
On 25–28 May 1940 Halifax wanted to sound out peace terms via Mussolini. Churchill, backed by Chamberlain and Labour, won the government over to fighting on.
June
04
“We shall fight on the beaches”
On 4 June 1940 Churchill reported to the House of Commons on Dunkirk and declared that the British would fight on the beaches and never surrender.
10
The French government leaves Paris
On 10 June 1940 the French government left Paris for châteaux along the Loire. After talks with Churchill at Briare and Tours it reached Bordeaux on 14 June.
17
The sinking of the Lancastria
On 17 June 1940 the Luftwaffe sank the overcrowded liner Lancastria off Saint-Nazaire. Several thousand died, and Churchill banned any reporting of it.
18
Key event
General de Gaulle’s appeal
On 18 June 1940 General de Gaulle urged the French on BBC radio to fight on. On 28 June London recognised him as leader of the Free French.
July
04
The Duke of Windsor becomes Governor of the Bahamas
On 4 July 1940 the Duke of Windsor, stranded in Lisbon after the fall of France, learned he was to govern the Bahamas. Germany wanted to keep him in Europe.
21
The Czechoslovak government-in-exile
On 21 July 1940 London recognised the Provisional Czechoslovak Government. Beneš became president, Monsignor Jan Šrámek PM and Jan Masaryk foreign minister.
23
The Local Defence Volunteers become the Home Guard
On 23 July 1940 Eden told the Commons that the Local Defence Volunteers would be renamed the Home Guard, as England’s coast became a barrier of mines and wire.
August
02
De Gaulle sentenced to death
On 2 August 1940 a military court at Clermont-Ferrand sentenced General de Gaulle to death in absentia for treason, a month after Toulouse gave him four years.
19
The Italians take Berbera
On 19 August 1940 the Italians entered abandoned Berbera. British ships had already carried some 7,000 soldiers and civilians to Aden.
20
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few”
On 20 August 1940 Churchill reviewed a year of war in the House of Commons and paid tribute to the RAF airmen to whom so many owed so much.
22
German guns shell Dover
On 22 August 1940 guns near Cap Gris-Nez shelled a British convoy in the Strait of Dover, and Dover itself that evening. A four-year artillery war began.
October
09
Churchill becomes leader of the Conservative Party
On 9 October 1940 the Conservatives elected Churchill party leader after the gravely ill Chamberlain, who had left the government on 3 October, stood down.
November
09
The death of Neville Chamberlain
On 9 November 1940 Neville Chamberlain died of cancer at Heckfield. Churchill paid tribute to him in the Commons; the quarrel over appeasement outlived him.
14
Key event
The Coventry Blitz
On the night of 14–15 November 1940 hundreds of German bombers razed the centre of Coventry and St Michael's Cathedral. Some 568 people were killed.
16
British aid to Greece
On 16 November 1940 a convoy with some 4,000 airmen and soldiers reached Piraeus. Churchill sent RAF units from Egypt despite Wavell’s and Longmore’s fears.
29
Raids on Liverpool and Southampton
On the night of 28–29 November 1940 a parachute mine killed 166 people in a shelter on Durning Road in Liverpool. A day later Southampton was burning.
December
29
Key event
The Second Great Fire of London
On the night of 29/30 December 1940 Luftwaffe incendiaries started some 1,500 fires in the City of London. About 160 people died; St Paul's Cathedral was saved.
1941
January
11
The Bank station disaster
On 11 January 1941 a bomb exploded in the booking hall of Bank Underground station, by the Royal Exchange. 56 died; the crater was some 37 by 30 metres.
14
The V for Victory campaign
On 14 January 1941 Victor de Laveleye urged listeners of Radio Belgique to paint the letter V on walls. The sign soon spread across occupied Europe.
February
08
The House of Representatives passes Lend-Lease
On 8 February 1941 the House passed the Lend-Lease bill by 260 votes to 165. Next day Churchill appealed on the radio, “Give us the tools”.
April
19
The London raid of 19 April
On the night of 19–20 April 1941 over 700 Luftwaffe bombers attacked London. With the raid of 16 April, it was the heaviest attack on the capital so far.
May
01
The Liverpool May Blitz
From 1 to 7 May 1941 the Luftwaffe bombed Liverpool and Merseyside every night. Some 1,700–1,900 people died and an ammunition ship blew up in Huskisson Dock.
10
Key event
The last night of the Blitz
On the night of 10–11 May 1941 bombs killed 1,436 people in London and destroyed the House of Commons chamber. It was the Blitz's last great raid.
June
01
Clothes rationing in Britain
On 1 June 1941 the British learned that clothing and footwear were rationed. Everyone got 66 coupons a year, at first cut from their margarine coupons.
22
Auchinleck replaces Wavell
After the failure of Operation Battleaxe Churchill swapped commanders. Wavell was to take command in India, General Claude Auchinleck in the Middle East.
July
12
The Anglo-Soviet Agreement
On 12 July 1941 Cripps and Molotov signed an agreement on joint action in the Kremlin. Britain and the USSR pledged mutual help and ruled out a separate peace.
19
V for Victory
At midnight on 19/20 July 1941 the BBC broadcast Churchill's message on the V sign. The letter, Beethoven's Fifth and his gesture became Allied symbols.
August
09
Key event
The Atlantic Charter
On 9–12 August 1941 Roosevelt and Churchill met aboard warships in Placentia Bay. On 14 August they announced eight common principles, the Atlantic Charter.
October
03
Gandhi and individual satyagraha
In autumn 1941 Gandhi kept up his individual satyagraha against India’s part in the war. Begun on 17 October 1940, it put thousands of participants in jail.
November
22
The British ultimatum to Finland
On 22 November 1941 Stalin received Churchill’s pledge of war on Finland if it did not stop fighting. On 28 November London sent Helsinki an ultimatum.
December
03
The conscription of women in Britain
In early December 1941 Churchill announced the call-up of unmarried women aged 20–30 and of men up to 51. The Act was passed on 18 December.
10
The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse
On 10 December 1941 Japanese bombers from Indochina sank the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse off Malaya. 840 sailors were killed.
22
The Arcadia Conference
On 22 December 1941 Churchill arrived in Washington to confer with Roosevelt. They agreed on “Germany first” and set up a joint Allied command.
25
The surrender of Hong Kong
On 25 December 1941 Governor Mark Young surrendered Hong Kong. A week of fighting on the island brought massacres of prisoners, wounded and hospital staff.
1942
January
31
The retreat to Singapore
On 31 January 1942 the last Commonwealth units crossed from Johor to Singapore Island and sappers blew up the Causeway. The Battle of Malaya was over.
February
01
The front at Gazala
In early February 1942 Eighth Army stood on the Gazala–Bir Hakeim line, 60 km west of Tobruk. Rommel, out of fuel, halted near Timimi and Mechili.
March
05
Britain extends conscription
On 5 March 1942 the Commons debated the mobilisation of women. Registration reached women aged 41, and the first conscripts were to join the ATS within days.
17
Fuel rationing in Britain
On 17 March 1942 Hugh Dalton announced the rationing of coal, gas and electricity and cut the clothing coupon allowance. The fuel scheme was never introduced.
20
Operation Outward
On 20 March 1942 the first Operation Outward balloons were released from the Suffolk coast, to short out German power lines and set forests on fire.
April
14
Churchill presses Auchinleck
On 14 April 1942 Churchill cabled Cripps in Cairo that Eighth Army had stood too long at Gazala and that Rommel was growing stronger as Malta was neutralised.
May
10
Churchill's ultimatum to Auchinleck
On 10 May 1942 Churchill, for the War Cabinet, ordered Auchinleck to fight in Libya no later than the time of the June convoy to Malta.
30
Key event
The thousand-bomber raid on Cologne
On the night of 30/31 May 1942 the RAF sent 1,047 bombers to Cologne. In 90 minutes they started thousands of fires; about 470 died and 45,000 lost their homes.
June
03
State control of coal mining
On 3 June 1942 Churchill's government published a White Paper on coal. The state took over the running of the mines; private companies still owned them.
14
The retreat from the Gazala Line
On 14 June 1942 the Eighth Army began to abandon the Gazala Line. Churchill presumed Tobruk would not be given up; Auchinleck said he had no such intention.
18
Churchill in Washington
On 18 June 1942 Churchill flew to Washington for talks with Roosevelt. Before leaving he named Anthony Eden to the King as his successor.
July
02
The vote of no confidence in Churchill
On 2 July 1942 the House of Commons rejected, by 475 votes to 25, a motion of no confidence in the direction of the war tabled after the fall of Tobruk.
August
09
The arrest of Gandhi
On 9 August 1942, the day after the Quit India resolution, Gandhi and the Congress leaders were arrested. Riots, strikes and sabotage swept India.
12
Churchill in Moscow
On 12 August 1942 Churchill flew to Moscow and told Stalin in the Kremlin that there would be no second front in France in 1942.
13
Montgomery takes command of the Eighth Army
On 13 August 1942 Lt Gen. Bernard Montgomery took command of the Eighth Army at El Alamein after Auchinleck’s removal and the death of Gott, the first choice.
October
22
Britain lowers the call-up age
On 22 October 1942 Ernest Bevin told the Commons that 18-year-olds would be called up. Until then, in practice, men were called only from 18 and a half.
29
The Albert Hall protest
On 29 October 1942 at the Royal Albert Hall the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sikorski and Jan Masaryk condemned the murder of the Jews. Churchill sent a message.
November
10
“The end of the beginning”
On 10 November 1942 Churchill called El Alamein “the end of the beginning”. Montgomery was knighted and made a full general; on 15 November the bells rang.
December
01
The Beveridge Report
On 1 December 1942 the Beveridge Report on social insurance was published. Its plan to fight the “five giants” became the foundation of the welfare state.
1943
January
14
Key event
The Casablanca Conference
On 14 January 1943 at Anfa near Casablanca, Churchill, Roosevelt and their chiefs of staff began talks. They chose Sicily and a stepped-up bombing of Germany.
24
The demand for unconditional surrender
On 24 January 1943, closing the Casablanca Conference, Roosevelt announced that the Allies would demand the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy and Japan.
March
16
Stalin demands a second front
In March 1943 Congress extended Lend-Lease, and on 15–16 March Stalin warned Churchill and Roosevelt against further delay to an invasion of France.
May
12
The Trident Conference
On 12 May 1943 Churchill and Roosevelt opened the Trident Conference in Washington. It set 1 May 1944 as the date for the cross-Channel invasion.
September
16
The Dodecanese campaign begins
After Italy's surrender the British lost the race for Rhodes, but in mid-September 1943 they occupied Kos, Leros and Samos. The Dodecanese campaign had begun.
November
22
The Cairo Conference
On 22–26 November 1943 Roosevelt, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek met in Cairo to discuss the war with Japan and agreed to return Manchuria and Taiwan to China.
28
Key event
The Tehran Conference
On 28 November 1943 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Tehran. They decided to invade France in May 1944 and discussed Poland without its government.
1944
November
04
The death of John Dill
On 4 November 1944 Field Marshal John Dill, head of the British military mission in the USA, died in Washington; he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
10
V-2s over England
On 10 November 1944 Churchill admitted in the Commons that German rockets had been falling on England for weeks. The blasts had been blamed on faulty gas mains.
December
03
The stand-down of the Home Guard
On 3 December 1944 George VI took the Home Guard's farewell parade in Hyde Park. The volunteer home defence force stood down; it was disbanded in 1945.
1945
March
27
Eisenhower gives up Berlin
At the end of March 1945 Eisenhower decided that the Allies' main objective was not Berlin but Leipzig and Dresden. He left the Reich's capital to the Red Army.
June
19
Demobilisation in Britain
In June 1945 Britain began releasing servicemen by age and length of service (Bevin’s plan, launched on 18 June). The war with Japan was still going on.
July
26
Labour wins the election
On 26 July 1945 the results of the 5 July election were declared. Labour won 393 seats, Churchill resigned and Clement Attlee became Prime Minister.