It began, suitably enough, as Churchill was born there, at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. The second annual Churchill Public Speaking Competition took place on a chilly Tuesday morning in March. Coaches arrived from around the region, and one from the Lancashire border town of Barnoldswick, disgorging hordes of nervous primary and secondary children and their equally anxious teachers. Once safely inside the Orangery, and with the First Duke of Marlborough looking down on proceedings from his canvas on the wall, each team proceeded to debate a motion inspired by a Churchill quotation. The standard was very high, and you could not help but be impressed by the bravery of the primary school groups. I had my fingers crossed for the secondary team from Westcraven School in Barnoldswick, as I had spent an afternoon coaching them in January. They were brilliant, and reminded everyone that it was Oldham and Manchester that launched Sir Winston’s career, but they did not win this time.
From Oxford to Cambridge, and I drove back to Churchill College in time to attend the Commonwealth Dinner, a wonderful occasion attended by a number of High Commissioners (I am guessing that the collective noun should be “a diplomacy”). The aim was to raise awareness of Churchill College’s foundation as the Commonwealth Memorial to Sir Winston, which Lord Watson certainly did, even if he was forced to concede that Churchill would have preferred the term Empire.
Thursday took me to London to address the Franco-British Society on the subject of Churchill and France. There was much discussion of Churchill’s complex relationship with De Gaulle and his admiration for Napoleon. From there it was a short hop to the residence of the Israeli Ambassador and a reception to honour Sir Winston Churchill’s connections with the State of Israel.
It is over 48 years since Churchill’s death, but he clearly remains as active as ever.
