Winston Churchill (1874–1965)

Churchill had a long and varied career before becoming Prime Minister. He served as a soldier in the Boer War in South Africa and worked as a journalist and writer. He entered Parliament as a Conservative MP, later crossed to the Liberal Party, and then returned to the Conservatives.

He held many Cabinet positions over the decades, including First Lord of the Admiralty during both world wars, and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1920s. He was also a prolific author, writing histories and memoirs throughout his life.

Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940, at the moment when Germany was overrunning France and Britain faced the prospect of invasion. He refused to seek a negotiated peace with Nazi Germany and rallied the British people through the Blitz — the German bombing campaign against British cities.

His speeches were electric. Phrases such as "We shall fight on the beaches" and "Their finest hour" became symbols of British resolve. He forged the alliance with the United States and Soviet Union that ultimately defeated Germany and Japan. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, and again from 1951 to 1955.

Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 for his historical writings and speeches. In a 2002 BBC poll he was voted the Greatest Briton of all time. He died in 1965 and was given a state funeral — one of the largest in British history.