Hiding behind history : Winston S. Churchill's portrayal of the Second World War east of Suez
This thesis is an examination of Winston S. Churchillâs portrayal of the war in the Far East, as set out in his six-volume memoir The Second World War.1 The research interrogates Churchillâs portrayal of the war against Japan through an analysis of the memoirs themselves, and against the backdrop of the post-war world. The thesis focuses on Churchillâs depiction of the advent of war with Japan; his narrative of the British Empireâs wartime losses of Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore; his account of the events and crises which occurred in India from 1942 to 1943; and his representation of the Indian Army and its role in the re-conquest of Burma. Close scrutiny of the memoirsâespecially the way in which they were written, the draft chapters, the revisions, the proofs and galleys, reveal how he performed his historical sleight of handâbut not why. Churchill claimed that history would be kind to him, especially as he intended to write it, but by studying the historian before studying the history the chasm between the Churchillian myth and the reality is revealed. Churchillâs self-made, interwar caricature as a die-hard Victorian imperialist backfired when it came to narrating the history of the war.
Wilson, Catherine Anne Virginie
History
Hiding behind history : Winston S. Churchill's portrayal of the Second World War east of Suez. This thesis is an examination of Winston S. Churchillâs portrayal of the war in the Far East, as set out in his six-volume memoir The Second World War.1 The research interrogates Churchillâs portrayal of the war against Japan through an analysis of the memoirs themselves, and against the backdrop of the post-war world. The thesis focuses on Churchillâs depiction of the advent of war with Japan; his narrative of the British Empireâs wartime losses of Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore; his account of the events and crises which occurred in India from 1942 to 1943; and his representation of the Indian Army and its role in the re-conquest of Burma. Close scrutiny of the memoirsâespecially the way in which they were written, the draft chapters, the revisions, the proofs and galleys, reveal how he performed his historical sleight of handâbut not why. Churchill claimed that history would be kind to him, especially as he intended to write it, but by studying the historian before studying the history the chasm between the Churchillian myth and the reality is revealed. Churchillâs self-made, interwar caricature as a die-hard Victorian imperialist backfired when it came to narrating the history of the war.
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