Winston Churchill Reports on the Boer War!

My students have come up trumps again! My sixth formers have been studying the Boer war and were asked to write a report about the state of the British Army, reflecting on the Cardwell Reforms, as if they were Winston Churchill. They were told to think about the tone of the piece and what they think Churchill would have thought about the war. One example is so good that I have decided to showcase it on the blog-do allow for a little exaggeration here as they were told to make it a biased report.

'We haven't got quite the whole world yet-but we're getting it by degrees.'

We must continue to fight in South Africa. The future of our great nation and our Empire depends upon it! To quote Lord Salisbury, Undersecretary for the Colonies; "We must be prepared to make it clear to the Boers that we are the paramount power in South Africa. The real point to be made good to South Africa is that we, not the Dutch, are Boss."

In doing so we must prevent Kruger's Boer Government in the Transvaal from becoming both independent and too powerful. We can not allow a people who are already hostile towards us to become too powerful, as it would put the security of our entire Empire at risk; if the Transvaal was left to 'blossom' in Kruger's hands then we could face losing the Cape and South Africa, then our links up to India, the jewel in our Empire's crown.  If we present ourselves as pushovers then we shall be treated so and we would be left helpless as our great and noble Empire crumbles before our very eyes.

These cowardly Boers; they want their independence but as soon as they face an enemy that they can not defeat alone, from whom do they seek protection? As soon as the threat is removed and they have got what they need they see fit to call on us and expect us to cater to their every whim! We have wiped the Zulu from the face of South Africa, and stamped out their mark on our territory.  This should be proof enough for the Boers that we are a nation, nay an Empire that will not tolerate such treatment!

There have been many improvements since the Crimean War that will undoubtedly strengthen our army. The new organisation of our troops, thanks to the Cardwell Reforms, has improved their ability to cope with the tasks presented to them, which will prove effective in our fight for South Africa. One such reform is the division of regiments; half serve abroad whilst the other remains in Britain to train. This will ensure that our forces, while small in comparison to other continental powers, will be fit and ready to make their mark on South Africa. Also, the new, experienced generals (a result of the abolition of buying commissions) are proving their worth; Colonel Baden-Powell is said to be holding out against the Boer Commandos in Mafeking with a small, outnumbered force. Does this not illustrate my point? Ours is one of, if not the finest force in the civilised world.

What's more, British society has been bolstered as the urban unemployed have found jobs as soldiers and are able to support their families once more. Too often our beloved Tommie's fall foul of misplaced disapproval. They may be comprised of vagabonds and louts from the poorest elements of society, but, if we are truly intent on defending our claim to South Africa, then we must, all of us, rally together for the common good and preservation of our Empire. For this, they and all of our men in South Africa command the utmost respect.

For the sake of our national pride and our Empire, we must fight on! God save the Queen and long live our glorious Empire!

Winston Churchill.

Who would you Tweet about?

Twitter has become a place where you can read the thoughts and musings of famous people who have been 6ft under for many years, including Henry VIII and Winston Churchill! The tweets (as the posts are dubbed) imagine how important historical figures may have thought about major events that happened in their life time. Read more about these famous tweeters here.

Which historical figure would you tweet as??

A Pushy Mother? Part 4

As a child Winston Churchill longed for attention and affection from his mother; even when Winston was away at boarding school he would write to his mother pleading for her to visit him. But Jennie Jerome was far too busy trying to further her husband's political career to be particularly moved my Winston's pleas. It wasn't until Jennie's husband, Lord Randolph, died that Jennie began to show any real interest in her son and his career.
In 1895 Winston passed out as a Lieutenant from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and directly began his military career. Winston was a very ambitious young man who wanted desperately to impress his mother. Whilst on duty, Winston would often write to his mother about his achievements and his bravery on the front. Winston didn't shy away from his duties in the cavalry; he would purposefully get into dangerous situations whilst in battle so that he could write to his mother about his fearless attitude. Winston saw action in Cuba (where he first came under fire-much to his delight and started his 'love affair' with Cuban cigars), India, Malakand (now in Pakistan), Sudan, South Africa (where he escaped from a prison camp after being caught by the Boers), and on the front during the First World War (after having to leave the war cabinet after the disastrous Gallipoli campaign).

Throughout Winston's military and political career up until her death in 1921, Jennie took a primary role in her son's professional life. Winston was a keen writer and when he wanted to publish his accounts of life in battle, his mother used her contacts to make it happen. When Winston had a desire to join the British campaign in North Africa to further his career, Jennie travelled to Cairo to see a lover who was in a position to 'make things happen' for Winston. Thanks to Jennie's influential contacts and her determination to make her son a success, Winston's career went from strength to strength. But what Jennie really wanted for her son was to pick up where her late husband had left off; to be successful in politics. Winston had tried and failed to get into politics in 1899 when he stood for a seat in Oldham. With Jennie's help and persuasion, Winston stood again in 1900 with success and was elected the MP for Oldham.
Like his father, Winston quickly rose up the ranks in politics, getting his first minister position when he was 34 and becoming the Home Secretary at 36. Jennie always maintained and told her son regularly that he was destined for great things. Winston realised that being successful meant that he would have all the attention and praise that he had craved from his mother as a child. However, Winston's rise didn't come without a minor set back: the Battle of Gallipoli.
In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgium's neutrality. In 1911 Winston had been promoted to First Lord of the Admiralty, which put him in charge of the Royal Navy. In 1915 Winston was one of the organisers of the disastrous Dardanelles campaign and, when the campaign was deemed a complete failure, took the blame for the fiasco. As a result, Winston was forced to take a demotion and in November 1915 resigned from government altogether, although he still remained an MP. To Jennie it seemed like history was repeating itself and she was angry with Winston for resigning. However, Jennie still carried on telling Winston that he was destined for great things. Jennie's support and encouragement never ceased and was rewarded when Winston decided to make a return to government in 1917.
Jennie was able to see Winston become active and successful in politics once more but she was never to see her son become Prime Minister, something that deeply saddened Winston. Jennie always knew that Winston was destined for great things but, unfortunately, never saw Winston become PM in 1940. Jennie died in 1921 from a hemorrhage after having to have a leg amputated because of a fall.
There is no doubt that Jennie was desperate for success and influence, but I am not sure that she was a 'pushy' mother. Jennie certainly wanted Winston to do well in life but often Jennie only acted to help her son when he requested her to do so. I believe Winston was just as ambitious as his mother and didn't need much 'pushing' to follow the path that he did. It seems that Winston's ambition stemmed from the fact that he had a rather loveless childhood and a mother whom he adored and desperately wanted to please.

What do you think?

A Pushy Mother? Part 2

Jennie Jerome's rise to the landed aristocracy in England started at a time when the English aristocracy was in desperate need of some new money and new blood to revitalise it. The young and ambitious Jennie moved to London with the hope of mixing with the right people. Jennie caused a stir almost immediately-even getting the attention of HRH the Prince of Wales (who would later become King Edward VII). Jennie was everything a young woman was supposed to be-she was charismatic, vivacious, charming, well-read, and an accomplished pianist. It goes without saying that Jennie Jerome impressed the high society in England.


It wasn't long before Jennie was being invited to all the best parties, including a party thrown by the 'Playboy Prince' himself, where Jennie would meet her future husband, Lord Randolph Churchill, for the first time. Churchill was completely captivated by Jennie's charm and beauty-he even said to his friend that he would marry her. True to his word, three days later Lord Randolph proposed to Jennie Jerome.


It was a match that was advantageous for both sides; Jennie had succeeded in securing the life that she desperately wanted, and Randolph was given an astonishing £3 million-a very tidy sum for 1874! However, despite the great start Jennie and Randolph got in the married life it would not be an easy marriage for the couple.

A Pushy Mother? Part 1

Winston Churchill once said of his mother that he "loved her deeply, but from a distance". Obviously, Jennie Jerome, Churchill's mother's name before she married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874, was not what you would call a 'hands on' kind of parent. In fact, 'Lady Randy' (dubbed this because of her somewhat questionable lifestyle), was not at all maternal towards her son-as soon as young Winston was old enough he was packed away to Boarding school; a situation that Lady Churchill was quite happy about, maybe because she could carry on her lavish lifestyle without having to bother with giving her son any attention. Despite this quite lonely and seemingly loveless childhood, Winston Churchill went on to achieve many great things, including leading Britain through the Second World War. Many historians argue that this was down to the influence of his power hungry Mother.

Jennie Jerome was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1854 to an affluent family; Jennie's Father had made money from investing in the Railway. Jennie grew up watching her father work very hard for what he got. Even though some of his ventures failed, her father would always get straight back to work. This strong work ethic stayed with Jennie; she realised that if she too worked hard like her father, she would achieve all that she desired. And what Jennie Jerome desired was power, influence and wealth.