Winston Churchill

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30892, 27 October 1965, Page 16

Winston Churchill

Sir,—lf it had not been for men like Sir Winston Churchill. Messrs Rees and Newell would probably be in no position to indulge in free speech and criticism. Mistakes he made, but victory was ours in the end. A great warrior and statesman has earned his rest. Let him sleep undisturbed without any more petty sniping from such obvious lesser mortals.—Yours, etc.. GEORGE S STEWART. October 25, 1965.

Sir. —Seth Newell, quoting a recent publication, says that Winston Churchill was resnonsible for “the loss of the Royal Naval Division in Belgium” in 1914: also that his plan to force the Dardanelles, using only the Navy, was unjustifiable. Your correspondent may be perhaps better informed about World' War I than I am, though I served from September, 1914. onwards. Still, according to the history of my regiment, which was in action in Belgium at the time, the total losses of all the British troops involved in the fall of Antwerp amounted to 2600 all ranks. To quote the -history: “One of the naval brigades suffered most, due to an order that miscarried.” Not quite the same thing as the loss of a whole division. Regarding the Dardanelles, one believes that Churchill’s plan was a gamble worth taking: and it only just failed to come off. After all, what is greatness if it lacks the courage to take a risk.— Yours, etc., ILAM. October 26, 1965.