Officers

Many congratulations on becoming an officer and a gentleman. Don’t let the double promotion go to your head.

1895. (Maclean, Churchill Proceedings, 1987.)

WSC to Charles Maclean, father of Sir Fitzroy Maclean (see People); Charles, like WSC, was commissioned in 1895. Sir Fitzroy Maclean of Dunconnel KT (1911-96) was a diplomat, writer and politician, a swashbuckler and favourite of WSC, whom he served in the war as special representative to Tito and the Yugoslav partisans.

You do not rise by the regulations, but in spite of them. Therefore in all matters of active service the subaltern must never take “No” for an answer. He should go to the front at all costs.

1900. (Hamilton’s, 123; Boer, 279.) Churchill certainly profited by his own advice.

Live well but do not flaunt it. Laugh a little, and teach your men to laugh—great good humour under fire— war is a game that is played with a smile. If you can’t smile, grin. If you can’t grin, keep out of the way till you can.

1916, 27 January. Ploegsteert, Belgium.

(OB III, 651.)

Letter to his wife recounting his homily to his men before entering the trenches for the first time.

_I shall always urge that the tendency in the future should be to prolong the courses of instruction at the colleges rather than to abridge them, and to equip our young officers with that special technical professional knowledge which soldiers have the right to expect from those who can give them orders, if necessary, to go to their deaths. It is quite clear that class or wealth or favour will not be allowed in the modern world to afford dividing lines.

1946, 9 March. Pentagon, Washington.

(Sinews, 114.)