Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

SIR Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, K.G., O.M., C.H., T.D., F.R.S., P.C., P.C. (Can) (30 November, 1874 – 24 January, 1965) was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 to 1915. He was forced from office following the formation of the First Coalition government.

Note: there are numerous books and internet articles on the life of Churchill. This fact, coupled with the strong dislike held by one of the editors for him, means that this article on Churchill will focus only on his first term as First Lord of the Admiralty.

First Lord of the Admiralty

Royal Naval Air Service

Roskill seems to have convinced himself that Churchill was opposed to the separation of the Naval Wing from the Royal Flying Corps, claiming, "Churchill set his face firmly against such a step," putting a lot of faith in Churchill's statement before the C.I.D. that "he had always looked on the Naval and Military Wings as branches of one great service." A week after making this little speech, Churchill sanctioned the renaming of the Naval Wing to the Royal Naval Air Service. Quite how Roskill managed to reconcile these two events in his head is hard to fathom, as it certainly doesn't show in his published work.

Assessment

Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 with a clear remit - to institute a General Staff in the Royal Navy. Nearly three years later upon the outbreak of war this had still not been done.

Wealth at death; £304,044: probate, 9 Feb, 1965.

Bibliography

• Churchill, Randolph S. (1966). Winston S. Churchill: Youth, 1874-1900. Volume I. London: William Heinemann Ltd.
• Churchill, Randolph S. (1967). Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman, 1910–1914. Volume II. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395075262.
• Churchill, Randolph S. (1969). Winston S. Churchill: Companion, Part 3, 1911–1914. Volume II. London: William Heinemann Ltd. ISBN 0-434-13008.
• Gilbert, Martin (1971). Winston S. Churchill: The Challenge of War, 1914–1916. Volume III. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395131537.
• Gilbert, Martin. (1972). Winston S. Churchill: Companion, Part 1, Documents, July 1914–April 1915. Volume III. London: William Heinemann Ltd. ISBN 0-434-13012-5.
• Hough, Richard (1987). Former Naval Person: Churchill and the Wars at Sea. London: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited. ISBN 0-297-79018-8.
• Roskill, Stephen (2004). Churchill and the Admirals. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1-84415-104-2.

Papers

• Papers in the possession of Churchill Archives Centre.

Political Appointments
Preceded by Reginald McKenna	First Lord of the Admiralty 1911 – 1915	Succeeded by Arthur J. Balfour