A Timeline of Winston Churchill

For speed of reference I have produced a timeline of the life of Sir Winston Churchill. A timeline of Winston Churchill's life spans two World Wars, the decline of the British Empire and the beginnings of the Cold War - all great World events in which Churchill played a part. The timeline by definition condenses these 90 years into a rather brief chronology but hopefully it gives you a feel for The great man's life.

1874 30th November - Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill is born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

1888 Churchill enters Harrow School

1893 Winston is enrolled into the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst

1895 Churchill is commisioned into the 4th Hussars. While on leave he visits Cuba and comes under fire for the first time

1896 The young cavalry officer Churchill is posted to India

1897 Winston becomes involved with the Malakand Field force fighting local tribesmen on the North west frontier

1898 Churchill participates in a regimental cavalry charge with the 21st Lancers in the Sudan

1899 In a break from the army, Winston fails to be elected to parliament. Travels as a journalist to the Boer War. Is captured and escapes. Commisioned into the South African Light Horse.

1900 After his return to England, Winston is elected to parliament as a Conservative MP

1904 Leaves the Conservatives to join the Liberals

1905 Winston is made Under Secretary of State for the Colonies

1908 Churchill is made President of the Board of Trade. He marries the love of his life Clementine Hozier

1910 Winston becomes Home Secretary

1911 Churchill is made the First Lord of the Admiralty for the first time

1914 First World War begins

1915 After the disaster of the Dardenelles, Winston resigns from the Cabinet and rejoins the army

1916 Churchill leads the men of the 6th Battalion Royal Scots fusiliers in the trenches of France. Later resumes his political career

1917 Churchill works as Minister for Munitions

1918 The end of the First World War

1919 Winston is Secretary of State for War and Air

1921 Churchill is Colonial Secretary

1922 Winston loses his seat as MP for Dundee in the general election

1924 Leaves the Liberals to rejoin the Conservative party. Is re-elected to parliament and is made the Chancellor of the Exchequer

1930s Out of office and largely out of favour, these are described as Churchill's "Wilderness years". He warns persistantly of the threat of war with Germany

1939 Britain declares war on Germany - Winston is back as First Lord of the Admiralty

1940 Winston is made Prime Minister. He leads the country during the dark days of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz

1941 Russia enters the war after Hitler invades. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbour. Britain declares war on Japan. Germany and Italy declare war of the USA

1942 The Japanese win victory after victory in the Far East. Early in the year Rommel is dominant in North Africa. Churchill meets with Stalin and Roosevelt. Winston approves the policy of saturation bombing of German cities. Eventually in October, Montgomery is victorious for the allies in the Battle of El Alamein

1943 The Russians regain Stalingrad after a long siege. The allies drive the Germans out of North Africa and invade Sicily and Italy

1944 D-Day

1945 Victory in Europe. Churchill's government is defeated in the general election. After 2 nuclear bombs are dropped on her people, Japan surrenders

1946 Churchill gives his "Iron Curtain" speech in Missouri

1951 Winston Churchill is Prime minister again

1953 Churchill wins the Nobel Prize for Literature

1955 Winston resigns as Prime Minister

1964 Churchill leaves the House of Commons

1965 24th January - Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill dies in London

To go back to the Churchill biography page, where you can read in more detail about the life of Winston Churchill by clicking on the links Winston Churchill Biography.

To return to Winston Churchill Leadership Home page.