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Never was so much owed by so many to so few.....
Never was so much owed by so many to so few.....
Item # 564823
August 20, 1940
CLEVELAND NEWS, Cleveland, Ohio, August 20, 1940
* Famous Winston Churchill speech
* Never was so much owed by so many to so few
* World War II - WWII
This 20 page newspaper has a nice two line banner headline on the front page: "BRITAIN TO OFFER DEFENSE BASES TO U.S. IN NEWFOUNDLAND, INDIES" with related map.
This was when his famous "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" speech was given.
Other news of the day with much on the war. Light browning with little margin wear, otherwise in good condition.
wikipedia notes: Never was so much owed by so many to so few is the name commonly given to a speech made by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill at the height of the Battle of Britain on August 20, 1940. The actual line in the speech is Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, although the abbreviated form is commonly used in popular culture.
Contents.
The speech is said to have originated after Churchill visited 11 Group’s operations room at RAF Uxbridge on August 16 during a day of battle. Afterwards, Churchill told Major General Hastings Ismay ‘Don’t speak to me, I have never been so moved’. After several minutes of silence he said ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.’ The sentence would form the basis of his speech to the House of Commons on August 20.
The speech was given as the United Kingdom prepared for the expected German invasion. In it, Churchill tried to inspire his countrymen by pointing out that although the last several months had been a series of monumental defeats for the Allies, their situation was now much better. Churchill's argument was in fact correct; shortly thereafter the British won the battle – the first significant defeat for the hitherto unstoppable Nazi war machine.
This speech was a great inspiration to the embattled United Kingdom during what was probably the most dangerous phase of the entire war. Together with the three famous speeches that he gave during the period of the Battle of France (the "Blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech of 13 May, the "We shall fight on the beaches" speech of 4 June, and the "This was their finest hour" speech of 18 June) they form his most stirring rhetoric.
At the end of the speech, he introduced the first phase of the growing strategic alliance with the United States, and referred to the coming agreement for establishing U.S. bases on various British territories
Category: The 20th Century
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