Churchill and Spain — currently on display at Churchill College, is a second chance to see an exhibition originally put on in London in 2016 by the British Spanish Society to mark the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death.
The exhibition was officially opened with a lecture by Dr Peter Martland on 22 October, as part of the Churchill History Lecture Series. You can watch the lecture below.
Throughout a long and utterly unique life of public service Sir Winston Churchill had an equally long, but not well known direct and indirect relationship to Spain; for example, not only was he closely related to the Duke of Alba, he also took part in the Spanish colonial war in Cuba. However, this relationship came to a head in the Second World War when as Prime Minister he successfully maintained Spanish neutrality and the integrity of Britain’s position on the key strategic naval and military Rock of Gibraltar. Dr Martland’s talk explores these important direct and indirect links to Spain and how the greatest Briton of the 20th century managed them.
Churchill and Spain shows Churchill’s relationship with Spain from his days as a young soldier in Cuba through to his later years as a tourist during the 1950s. It underlines his sense of adventure and nobility, his controversial politics, and the admiration he provoked among his most loyal followers. It also provides a glimpse of key periods of the history of modern Spain and its impact on a man whose interest in people and life defied national boundaries.
The exhibition will be open daily 9.00-5.00, from 23 October to 2 November 2018, in the Jock Colville Hall, Churchill College. Free and open to all.
        
