In the midst of our bus tour around Great Britain, our program director announced after leaving Oxford that we had an unscheduled stop coming up. We'd be stopping at the grave of Winston Churchill.
There was time enough to think about Churchill's contributions to the 20th century, which were considerable. You probably are familiar with his story, as he led Great Britain in World War II. At one point around 1940 and 1941, Britain was one of the few democratic nations still standing after the attacks of Nazi Germany around the rest of Europe. Churchill was a symbol of resistance when we needed one the most. He'll never be forgotten for flying the flag of freedom high during those difficult times. If Britain had fallen to Germany in those years and Adolf Hitler quit when he was ahead when it comes to territorial expansion, the century looks a great deal different.
The irony of Churchill's status comes with the way the war turned out. Yes, Britain was on the side of the winners, but by 1945 the United States and Soviet Union had emerged as the world's major powers. Britain was by no means ready to compete with them, and the nation's influence on world affairs shrank. But at least there was hope, and Churchill takes a bow for that.
And so we'll never forget Sir Winston. He is buried with his family right next to a church in Bladon, a small town in Southern England. Churchill suffered a stroke in January 1965 and died a couple of weeks later. There was a state funeral, but the burial was private. He is located near many other family members next to the front door of the church.
Thanks for everything, Sir Winston.
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