Sir Winston Leonard
Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, RA was a British statesman who
was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from
1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a non-academic
historian, a writer (as Winston S. Churchill), and an artist. He won the Nobel
Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of
the United States.
Churchill was born
into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough, a branch of the Spencer family.
His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as
Chancellor of the Exchequer; his mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American socialite.
As a young army officer, he saw action in British India, the Anglo–Sudan War,
and the Second Boer War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books
about his campaigns.
From 1896 to 1897
Churchill served as a soldier and journalist in India, and wrote the basis for
The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898).
"Writing is an adventure," Churchill once said. "To begin with, it is a toy and
amusement. Then it becomes a mistress,
then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase it that just as you are about
to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the
public."
In 1898 Churchill
fought at the battle of Omdurman in Sudan, depicting his experiences in The
River War, an Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan (1899). Churchill's several books dealing with his
early career include My African Journey (1908) and My Early Life (1930). Churchill resigned his commission in 1899,
and was assigned to cover the Boer War for the London Morning Post. His adventures, capture by the Boers, and a
daring escape, made Churchill a celebrity and hero on his return to England in
1900.
In 1900 Churchill
was first elected to Parliament. He
switched from the Conservatives to the Liberal Party in 1904. In 1908 he married Clementine Ogilvy Hozier,
with whom he had one son and three daughters.
This relationship brought much happiness and security throughout
Churchill's lifetime. Between 1906 and
1911 Churchill served in various governmental posts, and was appointed Lord of
the Admiralty in 1911. As Home Secretary
(1910-11) he used troops against strikers in South Wales.
After his
resignation from the government in 1915, Churchill rejoined the British Army,
attempting to obtain an appointment as brigade commander, but settling for
command of a battalion. After spending some time as a Major with the 2nd
Battalion, Grenadier Guards, he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding
the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (part of the 9th (Scottish) Division),
on 1 January 1916. Correspondence with his wife shows that his intent in taking
up active service was to rehabilitate his reputation, but this was balanced by
the serious risk of being killed. During his period of command, his battalion
was stationed at Ploegsteert but did not take part in any set battle. Although
he disapproved strongly of the mass slaughter involved in many Western Front
actions, he exposed himself to danger by making excursions to the front line or
into No Man's Land.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, Strength
d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Knowledge (Battle) d10,
Knowledge (Writing) d10,
Knowledge (Politics) d10, Notice d10, Riding d6,
Persuasion d10, Shooting d6
Cha: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness:
5; Sanity: 7
Hindrances: Fanatic
Edges: Brave, Command, Command presence, Connections, Inspire,
Fervour, Leader of Men, Linguist, Rank (Officer), National Identity (British
Pluck), Natural leader, Upper class
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