Royal Air Force
Organization
Found in 32 Collections and/or Records:
File
Speeches: speech notes (some by WSC as First Lord of the Admiralty) and other material., 30 Mar 1940 - 01 Oct 1940
File
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/144
Scope and Contents
Notes for WSC's broadcast (30 March, BBC) entitled "A hideous state of alarm and menace" on the fate of the neutral nations, German atrocities, particularly in Poland, and wishing to avoid conflict with the Soviet Union. Also includes various cuttings reporting the speech. Part published: Complete Speeches VI, pp 6199-201.Notes for WSC's broadcast (19 May, BBC) entitled "Arm yourselves and be ye men of valour" on the war situation in France and the formation of the coalition government,...
Dates:
30 Mar 1940 - 01 Oct 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Unknown
"Their Finest Hour", 18 Jun 1940
Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/140A/32-55
Scope and Contents
Notes for WSC's speech (18 June) entitled "Their Finest Hour" on subjects including: fighting in France; the importance of unity and respect for government Ministers; preparations, defence and forces for fighting invasion by Germany, the strength of the Royal Navy; the campaign in Norway; forecasting the Battle of Britain and the determination of the RAF; support from the Dominions. He ends "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and...
Dates:
18 Jun 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Item
(Untitled), c 1946
Item
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/245/3-36
Scope and Contents
Galley proofs reprinting a despatch by Air Chief Marshal [1st] Lord Dowding [then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Fighter Command] dated 20 August 1941 on the course of the Battle of Britain incorporating various appendices, with later Air Ministry foreword and footnotes.
Dates:
c 1946
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Found in:
Churchill Archives Centre
/
The Papers of Sir Winston Churchill
/
Chartwell Papers
/
Official: Prime Minister
/
Official: Prime Minister: Air Operations in Britain and North-West Europe, 1940-45: proofs of mainly contemporary despatches and reports for publication, with accompanying correspondence. [some material probably used in the production of WSC's "Second World War"].
Unknown
"War cabinet: Chiefs of Staff Committee: Weekly Resume (no.40) of the Naval, Military and Air Situation", 30 May- 6 Jun 1940
Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 23/5/1-14
Scope and Contents
Detailed summary of the war situation including: the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk including the effect of weather conditions, numbers evacuated, naval losses and attacks by German bombers; attacks by U-boats on seaborne trade; anti-submarine operations; German trade; overview of the military and air situation covering Norway, Italy, the North Sea and coastal operations, the bombing of Great Britain, attacks on Germany by Bomber Command, French and German air...
Dates:
30 May- 6 Jun 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Unknown
"War Cabinet: Chiefs of Staff Committee: Weekly Resume (no.56) of the naval, military and air situation from 12 noon September to 12 noon September 26th, 1940", 27 Sep 1940
Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 23/6/86-99
Scope and Contents
Summary of events including: attempted landing at Dakar by General [Charles] de Gaulle; U boat activity in the North Atlantic and shipping losses; operations by German raiders; information about the disposition of German and Italian troops; events in Greece, Yugoslavia [later Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia], Bulgaria, the Mediterranean and the Middle East; air attacks on Germany (including Berlin) and on invasion ports in France and...
Dates:
27 Sep 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Unknown
"Wars are not won by evacuations", 04 Jun 1940
Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/140A/9-28
Scope and Contents
Typescript copy of notes for WSC's speech on the fall of Belgium and surrender of King [Leopold] of Belgium; the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk [France]; the successes of the RAF; losses of men and weaponry; military development and the possibility of German invasion. Speech includes the phrase "We shall fight on the beaches . . . We shall never surrender".Carbon typescript copy with some manuscript annotations in ink [not by WSC] laid out in "psalm style" apart...
Dates:
04 Jun 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Unknown
"Westward, look, the land is bright", 27 Apr 1941
Unknown
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 9/150B/124-142
Scope and Contents
Speaking notes for WSC's broadcast (27 April, BBC) on the war situation including: public morale; his tours of bomb-damaged cities; General Sir Archibald Wavell's [Commander in Chief Middle East] successes in Libya; German successes in the Balkans and British support for Greece; admiration in the United States for Great Britain; praise for troops from Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC); condemnation of [Benito] Mussolini "This whipped jackal"; the Battle of the Atlantic and praise...
Dates:
27 Apr 1941
Conditions Governing Access:
Open