November 2, 2024

150th Birthday of Sir Winston Churchill Celebrated in London

The 41st International Churchill Conference took place in London October 24–26. Nearly 300 people gathered from around the world to mark the sesquicentennial of Sir Winston Churchill’s birth in 1874. This was the most “international” gathering ever of the International Churchill Society (ICS). Some of the countries represented included: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The conference opened on the evening of the 24th with a reception at Dartmouth House, the home of the English Speaking Union. Several members of the Churchill family were on hand to greet attendees including grandson Lord (Nicholas) Soames and great-grandchildren Randolph Churchill (the President of ICS), his brother Jack and sisters Jennie and Marina.

Conference sessions took place on the 25th at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Lord (Michael) Dobbs discussed with authors Katherine Carter and Tim Bouverie the “Gathering Storm” phase of Churchill’s life in the years just before the Second World War. A trio of professors (John Bew, Sir David Cannadine, and David Reynolds) then took the stage to describe “Churchill’s Rivals.”

Lord Dannatt, formerly the British Army’s Chief of the General Staff, and Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, discussed their new book Churchill’s D-Day. This was followed by the Keynote Speech, which was delivered by former British Foreign Secretary the Rt. Hon. James Cleverly MP. Present day international security challenges were addressed by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Boateng, Chairman of the Churchill Archives Trust, Suzanne Raine of the Royal United Services Institute, and former MI6 Director Sir John Scarlett.

2025 International Churchill Conference

Join us for the 42nd International Churchill Conference. Washington, DC | October 9-11, 2025

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Presentations on Friday concluded with the 2024 Stephen and Jane Poss Distinguished Churchill Lecture, which was delivered by Lord (Andrew) Roberts, who spoke about “Sir Winston and His Legacy: A 150 Year Perspective.” The full text will be published in the next issue of Finest Hour. To watch a video of most of the presentations made on the first day of the conference, please CLICK HERE. A reception followed in the evening at Lancaster House.

Presentations on Saturday, the 25th took place at the Royal United Services Institute. Amb. Mitchell Reiss presided over a roundtable about the “Churchill and the Changing Nature of Leadership” that included Sarah Sands, Jan Hal, and Matthew Palmer. Artist Paul Rafferty then spoke about Churchill’s passion for painting and his own passion for tracking down the locations where Churchill painted in the south of France.

The conference wound up with the traditional gala dinner, which took place inside the National Gallery. Attendees enjoyed champagne courtesy of Pol Roger while strolling through the gallery before sitting down to a sumptuous dinner. Actor Simon Callow spoke of his own encounters with the long legacy of Churchill in the closing speech while surrounded by priceless works of art—an appropriate setting for honoring the memory of a statesman who valued the joy of painting.

The 2025 Churchill Conference will take place in Washington, D.C. next year October 9–11. Details will be forthcoming in the New Year.