With his uncompromising resistance against Hitler’s Germany in summer 1940, Winston Churchill prevented the decline of Europe. The British victory of the Battle of Britain was crucial for the Allies’ later reconquest of Western Europe. Hence, Churchill was a statesman who left his marks on history. Great Britain, Europe and notably Switzerland owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Therefore, Churchill received a hero’s welcome from the Swiss and namely from the population of the city and canton of Zurich in September 1946.
Still today, 50 years after his death, Churchill is present in the media, in research and in the minds of numerous interested contemporaries. Interviewees often say they would like to have dinner with the British Prime Minister if that was still possible. The man with the ubiquitous Havana cigar and his V sign trademark seems to have become timeless.
Winston Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) is “larger than life”. For 60 years, he was a member of the House of Commons of the British parliament. For 25 years, he served as Minister of eight different ministries, and was Prime Minister twice (1940-45 and 1951-55). On the side, he wrote more books than William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens together. For his historic life’s work, Churchill received the Nobel prize in Literature. Furthermore, and as a hobby, he painted more than 600 oil paintings.
To deal with the incredibly quick-witted and slightly quirky British man is, by the way, not only exciting but also entertaining. His friends and foes were all subjected to his razor-sharp sense of humor, which stays alive in hundreds of anecdotes.
