It’s Never Too Late

We will never surrender…

On December 12th, I was listening to Scott Simon on NPR interviewing author Paul Johnson about his new biography of Winston Churchill.

I immediately went to Amazon.com and ordered the book.  A few days later it was in my hands.

Johnson has written a short, pithy biography of Churchill.  At just over 200 pages, it is only enough to whet the appetite. Thus, I have ordered William Manchester’s two volume version for when I get back in NY.

Churchill had a very very interesting life, most of which we are all familiar with to some extent. But one fact I had never really paid much attention to stood out on this reading:  At the age of 55, Churchill was pretty much a failure.

Born in 1874, he turned 55 in 1929. In that year he was out of office, unemployed and then proceeded to lose most of his life savings in the 1929 stock market crash.

Many might think Churchill rich, as he was born to Lord Randolph Churchill, but he worked for every dime he ever had as a journalist and writer – and quite a good one at that. He would later go on to win a Pulitzer Prize.

But in 1929 it must have seemed as if all were lost.  His beloved home, Chartwell was on the verge of repossession, he was broke, he had lost his job, lost his seat in Parliament and lost any public support or position.  His past record, particularly in light of the disaster at Gallipoli was mixed at best. As Chancellor of the Exchequer he had supported the Pounds return to the Gold Standard, against the advice of people like John Maynard Keynes and Lord Beaverbrook.  This later was seen as contributing greatly to the length and depth of the Great Depression.  It seemed at the age of 55, it was about time for retirement.

But Churchill was nothing if not indomitable.  He didn’t just say ‘we will never surrender’, he lived it.

Churchill went on to return to power, to become First Lord of the Admiralty in 1939 and later the Prime Minister who brought England through its greatest crisis and pretty much saved the Western World.  While America dithered and France fell, it was Britain that stood alone against the Nazi threat.

And in those days, the outcome was far from certain.

When Churchill said “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”, he turned to one of his closest aids and said, “we might fight them with pitchforks and sticks, but we’ll fight them”.  Congress was then still debating over lend-lease and whether they even wanted to send assistance to Britain. The Republicans were strongly opposed. But they had lots of support. Ambassador Joseph Kennedy was a big Nazi supporter as well.

Having seen my own life pretty much burned to the ground at the age of 49 and having to start over again, I always take great solace in Churchill’s story.

Never surrender.

Never.

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 35 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.

7 Comments
  • Adam Westbrook December 29, 2009

    A great perspective on things, thanks Michael.

    If you’re pushing to live an extraordinary life and challenge yourself the option to give up is always there.

    The difference between the people who succeed (in anything) and those that don’t is simple – it’s the ones who never give up.

  • Michael Rosenblum December 28, 2009

    yes. later. but for many years it was really Britain alone.

  • Michael Rosenblum December 28, 2009

    Dear Yaro
    Again your Sovie education….
    During the early years of Nazi expansionism, the Russians and the Germans were allies. (Hitler and Stalin agreed to divide Europe up). It’s not until Hitler invades Russia that Russia comes in on the side of the Allies, pretty much against all prior plans in Moscow. Prior to that, it was England against everyone else, Russia included.

    • Yaroslav December 28, 2009

      Dear Michael,
      My Soviet kindergarden education was lacking in many respects, I do agree…
      There was Nazis-Soviet Non-Aggresion pact, broken by the invasion of Poland in 39′ which started the War. But with the USSR suffering 24 Million casualties I think it hardly a small contribution, something our American education conveniently fails to mention. Not to say that Stalin was any better then Hitler, the work camps were originally his idea.

  • Yaroslav December 28, 2009

    “it was Britain that stood alone against the Nazi threat”

    How about Russia?

  • Rachelle December 27, 2009

    That’s an inspiring story to start of the New Year. Thank you!

  • peter December 27, 2009

    William Manchester’s Churchill biography is 3 volumes. Unfortunately he died before completing the third – which was finished by a protege and will be published next year.

    The 2 earlier volumes are well worth reading but they end in 1939.

    Another interesting fact about WSC – it was he who first championed the notion of a National Health Service to the British parliament.