Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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A NOTABLE MAN OF A NOTABLE FAMILY AMONG those whose names are mentioned in every British household to-day, is Winston Churchill. In thinking of him many forget that he had an equally famous, if not so well liked ancestor, in John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. These two notable men are very much alike in some ways, although in others we may hope that they differ. England has been very lucky to have them among her leaders at times when they have been so badly needed, and have been able to do so much to help her. Marlborough was born in 1650, the son of a Devonshire Cavalier. He had all the qualities of a good soldier; unruffled courage, a bold venturous temper, held in check by a cool and serene judgment, a vigilance and capacity for enduring fatigue which never left him. His manner was as winning as his looks. He was known in the French camp as the handsome Englishman. He is remarkable in that he held no great command until he was fifty-two. [31]

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the stately frigates and line-of -battle ships that followed Hawke into Quiberon Bay, Rodney off Dominica, and the famous Victory of Nelson at Trafalgar; right down to the super dreadnoughts of today. Age by age warships have been improved and developed. In Nelson ' s day the frigates of the British Navy were made of woods and driven by sail and wind. While they were small and slow in comparison with the modern vessels of today they carried quite a number of guns. These ships were built of oak, the larger of which had three decks. The masts, which carried heavy sail and rigging, were made from single trees. The men slept in dark and insanitary quarters, and had poor food. Some of them had been forced from their home and friends by the press-gang, who travelled about seeking for men to join the navy. In spite of this the spirit and tradition of the officers were, as now, the backbone of the navy. Signalling by flags had just come into use and the flagship led the battle. The result of better training in naval warfare was shown a few months ago when the captains of the Ajax and the Exeter were proud to say that no signals had been used throughout the battle with the Graf Spee. Orders are now conveyed by wireless, which enables a ship to ascertain the position of another boat, or to send a S.O.S. in the event of need. How much time Nelson would have saved before Trafalgar when following the wily Villeneuve, if he had had a wireless set! Wood and sail gradually gave way to steel and steam; the screw propeller replaced the paddle; while today turbine-driven engines are common in all ships from the tor- pedo boat to the battleship. Compared with the wooden ships of the line and frigates of the days of Trafalgar the modern vessels are much larger and heavier, for one shell nowadays weighs as much as the Victory ' s broadside. Also there are many different types of ships. First is the battleship, the heavy father of the fleet. The battle cruiser is its more athletic brother, which is capable of coming on the scene of action much more quickly than the heavier ship. The smaller armoured cruisers are the policemen of the ocean highways, and together with the destroyers, the cavalry of the fleet, perform all manner of useful jobs, such as the guarding of the larger ships, and acting as convoy to the merchant marine and passenger liners. With the development of submarine and aircraft warfare there came into use mine-layers, mine-sweepers, torpedoes and plane- carriers. In contrast to the early years of the nineteen century the officers and men have very comfortable quarters, electric light instead of oil-lamps, and good, fresh food pre- venting scurvy. All these attractions have combined with the spirit of adventure to make the navy a very popular service. England cannot do without the Navy, for in it lies her protection and welfare. All through the pages of history whenever the navy was weak Britain ' s power was at a low ebb. So in this war, as in the last, people will be calm and confident with the knowledge that the British Navy is guarding the shores of the Empire, and doing its share to bring victory to the Allies and peace to a stricken world. Mary Mitham, Form IIIb, Ross House, [30]

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For his services to James II he was rewarded with a peerage, and a colonelcy in the Life Guards. Then he plotted treason against James, and when William came into power he was given a high position in the army. Then, as his wife was a favourite with Anne, three days after Anne ' s succession to the throne, Marlborough was appointed Captain-General of the English forces. His suc- cess was wonderful. He never tried anything at which he did not succeed. He was such a great soldier that he did not mind the enemy as much as the ignorance and timidity of his own army. His greatest victory was at Blenheim, where his plans were so secretive that both his allies and enemies were deceived. His army started fighting at dawn, and by nightfall the enemy was conquered. Other victories followed in quick succession; Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. Meantime, in England, another woman had supplanted the Duchess of Marlborough in the Queen ' s favour. Her party wanted peace, and abused both the war and the Eng- lish general, Marlborough was accused of cruelty, insolence and corruption, and at last had to return home. He was dismissed from command, charged with peculation, and found guilty. He fled from England. The man who made possible the Treaty of Utrecht, by which Britain gained so much, was driven from England by the people he had fought for. True, he had been treacherous at times, but did not his great leadership overrule this objection? Could any other man have done his work as he had done it? His descendant Winston Churchill was born in 1874. He fought in the Boer war, and travelling a great deal fought in many parts of the Empire. In 1911 he became First Lord of the Admiralty. It was due to his foresight that Britain ' s Navy was well equipped as it was, when war broke out. He completely reorganized the Navy, and eagerly encour- aged the arrangement by which oil was obtained from Persia. On July 20, 1914 the King reviewed the most powerful fleet ever assembled; two hundred vessels manned by seventy thousand officers and men. With the cloud of war approaching the Navy stayed ready for action; and when war was declared the ships were already stationed in the North Sea. If his advice had been followed in the Gallipoli Campaign the outcome would probably have been very different. After the war he was appointed War and Air Secretary of State. When this war broke out public opinion decreed that he should certainly be appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and this was done. Winston Churchill who bears this famous name to-day is undoubtedly carrying on, in the service he is rendering his country, the noble tradition founded by his ancestor, the Duke of Marborough. With Winston Churchill at the helm of the Ship of State, the nation has every confidence that what can be done will be done to defeat our unscrupu- lous enemy. Lois Tyndale, Form IIIb, Fairley House. [32]