For speed of reference I have produced a timeline of the life of Sir Winston Churchill. A timeline of Winston Churchill's life spans two World Wars, the decline of the British Empire and the beginnings of the Cold War - all great World events in which Churchill played a part. The timeline by definition condenses these 90 years into a rather brief chronology but hopefully it gives you a feel for The great man's life.
1874 30th November - Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill is born at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
1888 Churchill enters Harrow School
1893 Winston is enrolled into the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
1895 Churchill is commisioned into the 4th Hussars. While on leave he visits Cuba and comes under fire for the first time
1896 The young cavalry officer Churchill is posted to India
1897 Winston becomes involved with the Malakand Field force fighting local tribesmen on the North west frontier
1898 Churchill participates in a regimental cavalry charge with the 21st Lancers in the Sudan
1899 In a break from the army, Winston fails to be elected to parliament. Travels as a journalist to the Boer War. Is captured and escapes. Commisioned into the South African Light Horse.
1900 After his return to England, Winston is elected to parliament as a Conservative MP
1904 Leaves the Conservatives to join the Liberals
1905 Winston is made Under Secretary of State for the Colonies
1908 Churchill is made President of the Board of Trade. He marries the love of his life Clementine Hozier
1910 Winston becomes Home Secretary
1911 Churchill is made the First Lord of the Admiralty for the first time
1914 First World War begins
1915 After the disaster of the Dardenelles, Winston resigns from the Cabinet and rejoins the army
1916 Churchill leads the men of the 6th Battalion Royal Scots fusiliers in the trenches of France. Later resumes his political career
1917 Churchill works as Minister for Munitions
1918 The end of the First World War
1919 Winston is Secretary of State for War and Air
1921 Churchill is Colonial Secretary
1922 Winston loses his seat as MP for Dundee in the general election
1924 Leaves the Liberals to rejoin the Conservative party. Is re-elected to parliament and is made the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1930s Out of office and largely out of favour, these are described as Churchill's "Wilderness years". He warns persistantly of the threat of war with Germany
1939 Britain declares war on Germany - Winston is back as First Lord of the Admiralty
1940 Winston is made Prime Minister. He leads the country during the dark days of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz
1941 Russia enters the war after Hitler invades. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbour. Britain declares war on Japan. Germany and Italy declare war of the USA
1942 The Japanese win victory after victory in the Far East. Early in the year Rommel is dominant in North Africa. Churchill meets with Stalin and Roosevelt. Winston approves the policy of saturation bombing of German cities. Eventually in October, Montgomery is victorious for the allies in the Battle of El Alamein
1943 The Russians regain Stalingrad after a long siege. The allies drive the Germans out of North Africa and invade Sicily and Italy
1944 D-Day
1945 Victory in Europe. Churchill's government is defeated in the general election. After 2 nuclear bombs are dropped on her people, Japan surrenders
1946 Churchill gives his "Iron Curtain" speech in Missouri
1951 Winston Churchill is Prime minister again
1953 Churchill wins the Nobel Prize for Literature
1955 Winston resigns as Prime Minister
1964 Churchill leaves the House of Commons
1965 24th January - Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill dies in London
