London To Ladysmith Via Pretoria

Winston Churchill regularly tops the list of Great Britons of the 20th Century. And with good reason: he led Britain, at times when she stood alone, against the global evils of fascism. Born on November 30th, 1874, his upbringing, as one of the Marlborough family, a branch of the Spencer family, lacked a loving and affection relationship with his parents. His school record was undistinguished and at times poor. However he was a good polo player and an enthusiast for military adventure especially as he could write them up for newspapers and books. His military career was a quite remarkable; a mosaic of wars and locations as the British Empire rapidly expanded and engaged itself in skirmishes, wars and ‘great games’ with other powers. Usually these postings were artfully arranged with the help of family influence. From these adventures the beginnings of a great writer emerged. It would end with the triumph of a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 with the endorsement "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values." Winston S. Churchill died aged 90 on January 24th 1965.