On June 18, 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a famous speech in Parliament, best known today for the phrase “This was their finest hour.” It is necessary to look at the context in which that speech originated. In May 1940, during the Second World War, the British war cabinet was split on the question of whether to make terms with Nazi Germany or to continue hostilities. August 20, 1940 . Namely, the German army entered Paris a few days earlier, and the new French government led by Marshal Petaine was preparing to sign the capitulation. Churchill had replaced Neville Chamberlain on 10 May, and in this speech he asked the House to declare its confidence in his Government. Speeches David Cameron on Winston Churchill. Churchill made a series of classic speeches during this time, n… read more Sir Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 - 1945 and again from 1951 - 1955. Win ston Churchill’s speech ‘we shall fight them on the beaches’ is one of the defining speeches during the second world war. "This was their finest hour" was a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 18 June 1940, just over a month after he took over as Prime Minister at the head of an all-party coalition government.. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. All of his military experience was shown when he was elected. As of Churchill’s speech, Mussolini had not emerged as an enemy to the Allied powers, but Churchill defaulted to a position of aggression towards Italy. Neville Chamberlain, 1940 . Winston Churchill became the United Kingdom of Great Britain Prime Minister on May 10, 1940, near the beginning of World War II. Following the Second World War, he was convinced that only a united Europe could guarantee peace. I spoke the other day of the colossal military disaster which occurred when the French High Command failed to withdraw the northern Armies from Belgium at the moment when they knew that the French front was decisively broken at Sedan and on the Meuse. Churchill, pictured in 1945, gave the speech 80 years ago (Photo: Getty) There is another more obvious difference from 1914. Contributions in Parliament in the year 1940. This was the context of his first speech to Parliament, the famous "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat" speech. Winston Churchill delivered the rousing line ' This was their finest hour' in a speech to the House of Commons on June 18,1940, just a month after he took over as Prime Minister. Churchill gave this speech on 18th June 1940 in the House of Commons. “I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. 13 May 1940. "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" was a wartime speech made by the British prime minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. It is truly tragic that, like so many before and after, people refused to believe his words until too late. House of Commons. After only a few days on the job, newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave this riveting, yet short, speech in the House of Commons on May 13, 1940. Read more about Bruce Rogers here. It uses the technique of repetition to very good effect. Extract from Winston Churchill’s famous Speech of June 4th, 1940 by the famous printer Bruce Rogers in his type, Centaur. He was … This first speech in office settles the country’s nerves. I spoke the other day of the colossal military disaster which occurred when the French High Command failed to withdraw the northern Armies from Belgium at the moment when they knew that the French front was decisively broken at Sedan and on the Meuse. Churchill insisted that he did not need bed rest and, two days later, journeyed on to Ottawa by train where he gave a speech to the Canadian Parliament that included the "some chicken, some neck" line in which he recalled French predictions in 1940 that "Britain alone would have her neck wrung like a chicken". Churchill's speech to The House of Commons. In this speech, Churchill offers up his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" so that there will be "victory at all costs." 1874 - January 24, 1965. Mr Winston Churchill. Once again, it is a call to arms. Three Speeches (1940) Winston Churchill was made prime minister in May, 1940, just as the Nazis launched their first serious attack against France, Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This is a jacketed copy of the British first edition, only printing, of the seventh and final volume of Churchill's war speeches. Chamberlain has resigned, and Churchill, now 65, has formed his government. Churchill had assumed the post of Prime Minister three months and ten days earlier (May 10, 1940), and gave the said speech before members of the House of Commons of the British Parliament. We also have a transcript of Winston Churchill’s Blood Sweat and Tears speech. It follows the full text transcript of Winston Churchill's Finest Hour speech, delivered to the House of Commons, London, UK - June 18, 1940. Churchill’s first speech as Prime Minister, House of Commons, 13 May 1940. Listen to how PM David Cameron describes his “favorite” Prime Minister in March 2012 from Number 10. Three days later, he made his first speech to the House of Commons. By June 4, it was clear that Germany was gaining control of France. The British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, speaks about the possibility of a Nazi German invasion during the early days of WWII. Sir Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940-1945 and again from 1951-1955. Almost a year has passed since the war began, and it is natural for us, I think, to pause on our journey at this milestone and survey the dark, wide field. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of Truth and Justice: ‘Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. Hardcover. He was a conservative who sought to balance England in its time of need and act as a war leader with experience. 3. Home > Winston Churchill > Speeches > 1940 Speeches > Fight on the Beaches 6/4/1940. This is one of three speeches Churchill gave at this time. Churchill Speech June 4th 1940 . These speeches show what a brilliant and prescient man the world had in Winston Churchill. The orator of this speech, Winston Churchill, gave this speech June 4 th 1940 to the house of commons approximately one month after he was made prime minister of England (May 1940) (The Wilderness n.d.). Winston Churchill's first wartime broadcast, 1 October 1939. Few people, when they hear the speech on radio or TV documentaries, are aware that they are listening to Churchill speaking not in 1940 but nine years later.Strangely, though, there is a popular myth that the speech was broadcast at the time, not by Churchill himself, but by an actor, Norman Shelley. His aim was to eliminate the European ills of nationalism and war-mongering once and for all. Since we last met, the House has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of one of its most distinguished Members, and of a statesman and public servant who, during the best part of three memorable years, was first Minister of the Crown. (1940-45 and 1951-55), was one of the first to call for the creation of a ‘United States of Europe’. London: Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1946. Churchill used the phrase in a speech after he became Prime Minister in 1940 Arsenal go into the second leg in Prague at 1-1 in their quarter-final encounter By Max Winters For Mailonline What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. June 18, 1940 House of Commons. Speech to the Nation Winston Churchill - September 11th 1940 ‘Whenever the weather is favourable waves of German bombers, protected by fighters, often three or four hundred at a time, surge over this Island, especially the promontory of Kent, in the hope of attacking military and other objectives by daylight. It is also useful to compare the first year of this second war against German aggression with its forerunner a quarter of a century ago. Fortunately, there was a happy ending to the story, but not before millions died. In it, Churchill reflects on defeat in the Battle of France. The main protagonists were the prime minister, Winston Churchill, and the foreign secretary, Viscount Halifax.The dispute escalated to crisis point and threatened the continuity of the Churchill government. In it, he made the oft-quoted statement, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." Home > Winston Churchill > Speeches > 1940 Speeches > Neville Chamberlain 11/12/1940. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We Shall Fight on the Beaches, 1940 . First edition, only printing. On the 27th and 28th of May, 1940, an enormous argument erupted over which diplomat stance to take towards Italy and Germany. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. However, his final paragraph is the most famous of this speech.