Winston Churchill's Speech on RAF.

[Tombstone]

I've been asked to assist in the organising of a bash in aid of the Battle of Britain Veterans, which will be held next year. Part of my responsibilities is to get hold of an audio copy of Winston Churchills speech to the nation about 'The Few'.

Does anybody have any ideas where I can get hold of one? Any help would be much appreciated.

I'm also looking for any audio copies of any speeches reference Bomber Command during WWII by prominent speakers.

My googling skills are crap!:ugh:

[zedder]

Try Here:

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Multimedia/Sound_clips_FAALivingHistoryMultimedia.htm

[StopStart]

Or go straight to the History Channel website - hod loads on there.

http://www.history.com

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Tombstone,

WSC's speech to the House regarding 'the Few' continues to mention that (to (paraphrase) 'night after night the men of Bomber Command set out for Germany...'

Duncs:ok:

[Lou Scannon]

It seems that the Old Boy was just leaving the County of London Squadron on a visit during the Bof B, when his PA looked across the car and saw that tears were running down his face.

WSC then said in almost a whisper: "Never, in the field of human conflict...etc"

The PA was moved and later, heard the off the cuff comments repeated during a speech in Parliament.

[CaptainFillosan]

And yet.....................Churchill made NO mention of Bomber Command in his VE Day speech. No medals were struck for them, which is a travesty, and over 55,000 died over Germany - "night after night."

It is still not too late to do something about it, but it is ironic that the government are issuing Veterans badges to ALL who served - up to 1950 at the moment. All you have to do is ask!:mad:

[Lou Scannon]

The refusal to offer any recognition to the crews of Bomber Command continues to sully Churchill's reputation.

As the consumate politician he tried to sidestep any future criticism that might be thrown his way concerning the saturation bombing and attempted to give the impression that it was never his idea.

"Butch" Harris and his "old lags" as he called them, were operating under the direct orders of the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet in dumping thousands of tons of bombs on the German population nightly.

Let us not forget Harris's simple statement of his men when he mentioned: "The courage of the small hours".

...and before anyone accuses me of being heartless towards German civilians, I bear no ill feelings to the German crews who dumped on me as a baby living near Coventry.

[CashMachine]

Anyone ever question the Regiment as they point to the extract of Churchills speech, that hangs in every CCS section, about Airmen defending their own airfields when they try to validate us doing CCS?

If you read the whole speech, it was actually the setting up of the RAF Regiment to take over from the Army defending airfields!!

[The Helpful Stacker]

The quote I remember most by Churchill, excepting 'The Few' of course is,

"In any future conflict it must be recognised that the RAF is the senior service. Today, the effectiveness of air power shows this to be true."

Winston Churchill

:ok:

CashMachine - The rocks hate it when you point out the 'CCS speech' in its true form. It also makes them a bit uncomfortable when you remind them of the real reason they are called 'Rock Apes'.

[jimgriff]

Bear in mind that many of the recorded speeches are not the great man himself. They were done by a jobbing actor who sounded just like him and recorded for posterity.

[Rheinstorff]

CashMachine - The rocks hate it when you point out the 'CCS speech' in its true form. It also makes them a bit uncomfortable when you remind them of the real reason they are called 'Rock Apes'.

The 'CCS' speech in its true form points out that everyone in the RAF must take responsibility for its defence, so is probably quite apt for CCS. In his History of the Second World War, Churchill is clear (in several places), that he was personally opposed to the creation of the RAF Regt and that the responsibility for defence of airfields should rest with the ordinary airman.

What is the real reason for 'rockape' then?

[Kitbag]

'Rock ape' is linked to the Barbary Apes found on the Rock of Gibraltar. I think the Rocks (rightly) view it with pride, even if some of the users here may see it as a term of derision

[Ian Corrigible]

On a vaguely related note, Winnie was also apparently a closet science fiction fan who drew on H G Wells' War of the Worlds for his Gathering Storm (http://subs.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10412686) speech.

I/C

[Tombstone]

Gents,

thank you very much for your replies. I've located a few speeches from the links mentioned.

Very interesting to know that some of the speeches were infact recorded by an actor in later years.

[Farmer 1]

I believe Richard Burton recorded some of his speeches.

[228 OCU]

WSC was not voted the greatest Englishman of all time for nothing.
Here are two of my favorites from the great man.

One of the photographers present at Winston Churchill's eightieth birthday expressed the hope that he might also photograph the great man on his hundredth birthday twenty years later. "I don't see why not, young man," Churchill replied. "You look reasonably fit to me."

In the summer of 1941, Sergeant James Allen Ward was awarded a Victoria Cross for climbing onto the wing of his Wellington bomber and - while flying 13,000 feet above the Zuider Zee - extinguished a fire in the starboard engine, secured only by a rope tied around his waist. Some time later, Winston Churchill summoned the shy New Zealander to 10 Downing Street to congratulate him on his swashbuckling exploits. When Ward, dumbfounded in the prime minister's presence, found himself unable to answer his questions, Churchill surveyed the man with apparent empathy. "You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence," he began. "Yes, sir," Ward replied. "Then you can imagine," Churchill declared, "how humble and awkward I feel in yours."

[PPRuNe Pop]

When Ward, dumbfounded in the prime minister's presence, found himself unable to answer his questions, Churchill surveyed the man with apparent empathy. "You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence," he began. "Yes, sir," Ward replied. "Then you can imagine," Churchill declared, "how humble and awkward I feel in yours."

It is the first time I have heard that and I love it!

[TrenchardsLoveSock]

From this site (http://www.bizbag.com/Churchill/winston_churchill_anecdotes.htm):
After the British deliverance at Dunkirk, Churchill, in the House of Commons, rallied Britain with his most memorable speech.

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender," he declared.

Then, as the House of Commons thundered in an uproar at his stirring rhetoric, Churchill muttered in a whispered aside to a colleague, "And we’ll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that’s bloody well all we’ve got!"
Some things haven't changed then.:ugh:

[threeputt]

It is still not too late to do something about it, but it is ironic that the government are issuing Veterans badges to ALL who served - up to 1950 at the moment. All you have to do is ask!:mad:[/quote]

Latest update on qualifying dates for the Veterans badge-Dec 1969.:ok:

3 putts again