Birth: 30 November 1874
Death: 24 January 1965
Companion of the Liberation – Decree of 18 June 1958
After becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 following a brilliant political career, Winston Churchill began the war in charge of the world’s largest military fleet. The disaster of the Dardanelles, for which he was held responsible, led him to resign in May 1915. This plunged him into a terrible period of depression, which he managed to overcome by using painting as an outlet and going to the Front, from November 1915 to May 1916. Commanding an infantry unit in Flanders, Churchill stood out by wearing the French Adrian helmet, a way for him to show his admiration for the French Army. He was made Minister of Munitions in July 1917 and would be one of the architects of victory.
A non-conformist politician, he alerted the world to the dangers of Hitlerism and denounced the Munich Agreement. He became Prime Minister on 10 May 1940 and would “go down in history as a particularly illustrious figure”, in the words used upon his nomination to the Order of the Liberation, on 18 June 1958.
Credits: Winston Churchill on the front in Flanders. Churchill Archives Centre, BRDW 1-2-56 © Curtis Brown
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