Image of the Month

On 10 May 1941 London suffered one of the worst nights of bombing of the war. In just one night over 1,400 civilians were killed, 5,000 houses destroyed and 12,000 people made homeless. Among the many buildings damaged were Westminster Abbey, Westminster School and also the Debating Chamber of the House of Commons. This is where we see Churchill, standing amid the ruins of the scene of his greatest triumphs, where, as he explains in the letter (shown below) to his son, Randolph, he had lived so much of his last forty years. Churchill recalls how he had been cheered by the assembled MPs in a debate just two days before the bombing raid, but also calmly looks forward to speaking in "the other place" (ie the House of Lords) instead.

Churchill standing amid the ruins of the House of Commons, 1941.

Reference: Broadwater Collection, BRDW 1/1/143
Reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Limited