by Ray Setterfield
December 30, 1941 — Winston Churchill made a memorable and emotional speech to the Canadian Parliament on this day, thanking Canada for its support in the Second World War. He assured his listeners that Britain would never surrender to "Hitler and his Nazi gang" saying, "they have asked for total war. Let us make sure they get it".
He then delivered the famous passage telling how, after the fall of France, some generals there had predicted that "in three weeks England would have her neck wrung like a chicken". Churchill's response: "Some chicken! Some neck!”
No picture of the wartime Prime Minister displayed his attributes of defiance, courage, stubbornness and determination more than the iconic one taken just after he had made that speech. But the now famous picture does not, in fact, show the face of a man scowling at adversity. It shows the face of a man who has just lost his cigar.
Churchill had not wanted his picture taken. Tired and eager to be on his way, he told Yousef Karsh, the official parliamentary photographer: “You have two minutes. And that’s it, two minutes.”
In his book, Faces Of Our Time, Karsh recalls:
"Churchill’s cigar was ever present. I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, 'Forgive me, sir,' and plucked the cigar out of his mouth."
"By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph. The silence was deafening. Then Mr Churchill, smiling benignly, walked toward me, shook my hand and said, ‘You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed.'”
Karsh called his picture The Roaring Lion.
Published: April 24, 2016
Related Articles and Photos
Humble Beginnings of Churchill, the Political Giant
Winston Churchill, Britain’s legendary wartime Prime Minister was born on this day. Surprisingly the great statesman arrived in this world in a very unusual way.November 30, 1874Churchill’s Deadly Attack On His Ally
French battleships could have fallen into German hands in 1940. There seemed to be only one thing to do. And on this day Winston Churchill did it . . .July 3, 1940Funeral of Winston Churchill
Churchill's cortege in London during the funeralJanuary 30, 1965
Related Famous People
Articles on Events in December
Oh Tragedy! What Could Be Worse? – McGonagall’s Verse!
Suffering a tragedy such as happened on this day was bad enough: what made it worse was having self-declared poet William McGonagall compose a rhyme about it.December 28, 1879Benjamin Franklin’s Words of Wisdom
He is best known as a Founding Father of America but Benjamin Franklin’s first major enterprise was Poor Richard’s Almanack, first published on this day in history.December 28, 1732'Hitler Will Have to Break Us or Lose the War'
The German Luftwaffe were hammering the British RAF until a furious and frustrated Hitler changed the plan and possibly the outcome of the war.December 29, 1940Collector Samuel Pepys Sets a Shining Example
Fire, warfare and discontent meant 1666 was not a good year, his collection of silver plate seemingly providing the only bright spot for diarist Samuel Pepys.December 31, 1666
