. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – BBC/MBS – First Lord Of The Admiralty Winston Churchill – Address At Free Trade Hall, Manchester – January 27, 1940 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – United Nations – U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson – Eulogy – January 24, 1965 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
Fifty years ago today, the world lost one of the great leaders of World War 2. Prime Minister Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965. His passing brought a flood of tributes and remembrances from every corner of the globe.
He led Great Britain through the darkest days of World War 2, when constant air attacks and threatened invasion by Nazi Germany came very close to defeating the country. It was Churchill’s determination and steely resolve that rallied a nation to fight back and eventually succeed in destroying the Germany of Adolf Hitler in 1945.
So much has been written about Winston Churchill and of the early days of World War 2 that it would be redundant to add anything here. Better yet, a reminder of what a great orator and unflappable leader he was by way of this address from January 27, 1940. It was given at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester while he was still First Lord of The Admiralty, some 4 months before he became Prime Minister. Mid-way through his address, a heckler shouts out from the audience. Undaunted, Churchill continues and manages a zinger in return. It was a glimpse of things to come and of the larger-than-life character of the man.
I’ve included that complete address here (a little under an hour), as well as a Eulogy given on January 24, 1965 at the United Nations by UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson.
So, one piece is 75 years old, almost to the day – and the other is from 50 years ago.
Lest we all forget.
