A year after Dunkirk...

Decent three page article on Churchill’s "popularity" during the early stages of the war, or at least the stages at this time just as Hitler invaded the USSR. And it also shows the British military strength in at least man-power a year after Dunkirk.

The British edition of the Gallup poll showed last week that 86% of the British approved of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister. In March 88% had approved, and the months between had seen damaging blows to his prestige—the Balkan campaign, the loss of Crete. As far as British popular sentiment went, the vote indicated that the Prime Minister's personal prestige would probably survive another defeat—provided it was not due to gross incompetence.


…Britain has had to take 7,450,000 of its able-bodied population out of productive work. There are 4,000,000 men in the Army, (another) 1,700,000 men in the Home Guard, (coupled with) 1,750,000 men and women working in various civilian defense forces.

I was especially impressed by; …"the words of Conservative Sir Herbert Geraint Williams in the House of Commons: ‘Because you have a Prime Minister of great genius and capacity for inspiration, that is no reason his acts should go without criticism. It is a real peril to this country that Mr. Churchill should be regarded as a man beyond challenge: it is bad for him and it is bad for you.’ "


Goto:

GREAT BRITAIN: Churchill's Other War - TIME