Winston Churchill in the trenches

tigercat

Just been reading a novel about Dr Watson as a WW1 medico by Robert Ryan. One of the characters is Winston Churchill serving in the Army post Gallipoli.

It made me think what would have happened if he was

A) captured. As a former Sea Lord he must have been a huge intelligence risk. What would have happened ? What could the Germans have gained? What would the grits reaction be?

Can just see the film now. Saving Major Churchill by Stephen Spielberg

B) killed.
 

Antipater

tigercat said:
Just been reading a novel about Dr Watson as a WW1 medico by Robert Ryan. One of the characters is Winston Churchill serving in the Army post Gallipoli.

It made me think what would have happened if he was

A) captured. As a former Sea Lord he must have been a huge intelligence risk. What would have happened ? What could the Germans have gained? What would the grits reaction be?

Can just see the film now. Saving Major Churchill by Stephen Spielberg

B) killed.
Click to expand...

If A, a bit of a propaganda coup for the Germans. But I would not expect much actionable intelligence. The Germans are not going to to torture him, most likely Sir Winston will spend the remainder of the war in relatively comfortable confinement. I don't know enough about his character to speculate about whether or not this would make him less hostile towards Germany.

If B, then Churchill would have probably been redeemed in the public's mind for his questionable decisions during the war. Expect a large funeral, and many speeches commemorating his service to the British Empire. In some ways this was what Churchill was seeking when he went to the front.
 

b0ned0me

MerryPrankster said:
Churchill was actually in command of a Scots regiment on the Western Front
Click to expand...
6th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. For some reason the brass were reluctant to hand an entire regiment to a politician who had been a major eleven years previously - can't think why.
 

Major Smith

It was always to my understanding that he helped plan/push for gallipoli whilst he was in the Admiralty then he went into the trenches when he got reshuffled in 1915.

If he died then he would of been given a generous funeral and called a 'hero' for his valiant service. His reputation would of been that of the other WW1 commanders and politicians due to a number of bad decision he made in the early war period

Funnily enough Harold Macmillan who was PM after the Suez Crisis was wounded in the Trenches and spend his time reading a Greek classics in a crater.
 

Reader347

b0ned0me said:
6th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. For some reason the brass were reluctant to hand an entire regiment to a politician who had been a major eleven years previously - can't think why.
Click to expand...
>
>
>
Maybe the way he behaved during Antwerp 1914.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top