April 25, 2015

Finest Hour 117, Winter 2002-03

Page 17

By Gary Garrison


CAMBRIDGE, JULY— The Churchill Years came alive for two exhilarating weeks at Downing College, Cambridge, one of five summer course programs including studies of the Elizabethan Age, Oscar Wilde, British Castles and Cathedrals and British Gardens.

The Churchill course director was Eric Grove, a leading British naval historian who is senior lecturer, Department of Politics and Asian Studies, and deputy director, Centre for Security Studies, at the University of Hull. Through a series of lectures, video clips, discussion and occasional debate, Dr. Grove placed us at Churchill’s side over the entire course of his epic life and stirring times.

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Classes consisted of nineteen 90minute lectures and several field trips, the most memorable of which was a private visit to the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College. Here we viewed original documents, minutes, papers, and photographs from different periods in Churchill’s life. Almost equal in importance was the Houses of Parliament, arranged by a Cambridge MP: a two-hour journey including both the Lords and Commons. It is difficult to describe one’s feelings standing where Winston Churchill once stood as Prime Minister. Other field trips included Chartwell, the Cabinet War Rooms, and Duxford Imperial War Museum. They were great fun, each supporting the lectures and class discussions.

Those lectures covered the span of Churchill’s full career. Topics included “Young Winston I and II,” “Young Statesman,” and on through the “Admiralty,” “Britain Alone,” “Churchill and the Division of Europe,” and “Never Despair.” One of the more unusual lecture topics was “God Bless You Mr. Chamberlain,” discussing the ecstatic reception of Chamberlain after the Munich agreement.

A highlight was a discussion with Dr. Grove on “what if” possibilities: suppose the British “Peace Party” had prevailed and signed a pact or a truce with Hitler? Fascinating speculation attended the possible scenarios. The conventional alternative is one that has been much debated over recent years: Backing out of the war would have eliminated the threat of invasion, saved British cities, and preserved the Empire; the Russians and the Nazis would have fought it out, perhaps for years, wrecking them both; Singapore and the Far East would have remained safely British; the Americans would have had their own war in the Pacific. Cozy scenario.

The opposite theory, and of course this writer’s, is that with Britain out, Hitler would have beaten the Russians very quickly. British and American supplies to Russia would have stopped or never started; the Wehrmacht would have thrown its entire force at the Soviets. With Russia finished, Britain would be reduced to a vassal state, open to invasion at any time Hitler thought necessary.

In addition to the course lectures, and field trips, there are optional evening lectures on Mondays through Thursdays during both weeks. Dr. Grove did one of these, “The Falklands War Twenty Years Later.”

Some sixty participants enjoyed comfortable dormitory accommodations bordering on the campus with its lovely greens and gardens. Meals were served in the Dining Hall; dinners were three-course affairs, and lunch was on your own. Opening and closing nights were more formal, with the High Table, where each student has the opportunity to sit once. As a “student,” your ID allows you entry to any of the Cambridge colleges. An old “Town & Gown” city, Cambridge is a delightful place with interesting sights and shops, a fine American Cemetery, and the University Botanical Gardens.

The experience of living and learning in the setting of a historic English University is for many a oncein-a-lifetime happening that allows you to expand your mind and knowledge with masters in their fields. It certainly gave me a clearer and deeper understanding of Winston Churchill, confirming for me that he truly was the greatest individual of the 20th century.

For more information on the Cambridge Summer Program, please contact Gary Garrison at [email protected] or by writing to him at 2634 Beechwood Drive, Marietta, GA 30062


Mr. Garrison is organizing the Atlanta, Georgia region for The Churchill Centre.

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