On a recent voyage, I had a discussion with some Brits about their history history. The subject of Churchill came up and one elderly lady mentioned what a terrible job he had done with the Dardanelles during the First World War. I was surprised she held that view given the research, commissions, etc. that have been held since the war. She must have gone through the school system or perhaps her parents belonged to the party which opposed Churchill for her view to be held so long after the fact. I mentioned some counter information and she was genuinely surprised to hear the information I provided. History is not dead, and it continues to shape our view of our world.
This brings us to this review of Churchill and the Dardanelles by Christopher M. Bell. I was familiar with Bell as I had previously read his excellent book, Churchill and Sea Power and this book only goes to increase his reputation as an historian of note.
After the failure of the Dardanelles, there was much finger pointing as to would shoulder the blame for both the naval and army failures. Was the campaign supported by the major players? Did the Navy consult with the Army regarding joint action? Did the Navy go into the campaign with a full understanding of the Turkish defenses? Who oversaw each operation? The questions went on and on, but the initial blame landed on the desk of Churchill. As a result, with all the politicians and military leaders running for cover, Churchill who was viewed as head-strong and much too pushy was left alone by most of his political allies. He lost his position and was all but cast into a political wilderness. Although the Prime Minister realized that Churchill was being sacrificed and that his skills would be helpful to the war effort, he was simply beyond the pale until tempers cooled down and a more objective analysis of the failures could be found.
Churchill immediately began to build his case for his political resurrection. He gathered documents, spoke with is political allies and when a commission was formed to review the entire campaign, he labored hard and long for the ability to be actively involved not only to be in the commission but to also examine witnesses who were called. Although he felt betrayed by Jackie Fisher who he had brought back to the naval board, they realized that they needed one another, and a temporary truce was called. Numerous witnesses were called and after lengthy hearings, it was decided that Churchill came out with a much-improved position.
Churchill, however, was not one to rest and he took the entire episode to heart, becoming less naïve and careful to work to create his own image. He used his political allies including the press to reconstruct and improve his image and the publication of his monumental work, The World Crisis in which he managed to paint his actions in the Dardanelles in a positive light while at the same time not burning any political bridges all but secured his resurrected reputation.
Although he would make political errors in the future (re: the Royal abdication, self-rule for India, etc.), he had learned that careful control of the press and public opinion could save him from his own errors. Lord Birkenhead once commented, “When Winston is right, he is unique. When he is wrong-Oh My God!”. Churchill knew that history would treat him well because he was determined to write it and write it, he did. Yes, he made errors and could drive those around him to distraction, but in the end, his legend which he wrote was not that far off the mark.
