Everyone knows Winston Churchill as the unwavering British bulldog who helped lead the Allies to victory during World War II, but his career and personality were much stranger than many people realize. In truth, Churchill was a complex character with a range of eccentricities, quirks, and contradictions. These 20 facts show the lesser-known side of one of the most celebrated — and bizarre — leaders in history.
1. He loved taking bubble baths
When you picture Winston Churchill, you probably imagine him as a tough, no-nonsense political leader, perhaps giving a speech or smoking a cigar. What you presumably don’t think of, is him enjoying a relaxing bubble bath. But the truth is, Britain’s leader loved nothing more than a soak in the tub.
In fact, bathing was a lifetime pleasure for Churchill. Even when he went on trips to remote Africa or the war trenches of Flanders, he would track down a bathtub; if there wasn’t a tub already there, one would be packed for him! Plus, the famous Prime Minister apparently liked his baths to be just the right temperature: 98°F to be exact!
“Full immersion”
When time allowed, Churchill liked to take two baths a day. He also liked to practice “full immersion” when he was in the tub, submerging himself fully under the hot water and exhaling bubbles like a dolphin as he did so. But bath time wasn’t all play for the Prime Minister. He would often dictate to his secretaries while he was relaxing in the tub; they had to sit outside the door and note down what he was saying.
Churchill’s love of baths was so strong, in fact, that it even made it into his political speeches! On December 8, 1900, for instance, he addressed the New York City Press Club by saying, “England and America are divided by a great ocean of salt water — but united by an eternal bathtub of soap and water.”
2. He once led a daring escape from a prison camp
Churchill is most famous for his time as Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II, but his legend was arguably made in 1899. That was the year he led a courageous escape from a prison camp — and sealed his fate as a British hero.
The remarkable event took place shortly after Churchill graduated from a military academy. He was 25 years old and went to Cuba to work as a newspaper correspondent and a military observer.
“There is no ambition I cherish so keenly as to gain a reputation for personal courage”
The young Churchill was dispatched to South Africa next, but the armored train he was traveling on was ambushed by Boer fighters — the descendants of Dutch settlers at war with the British at that time. Churchill was taken prisoner and marched to a prison camp. But the future PM would use all his cunning to break free, scaling a wall in the cover of darkness with two fellow prisoners, who actually turned back.
Churchill, however, did not plan to go back to the prison. In his escape, he stumbled fortunately upon the home of a British coal-mine manager. His fellow Brit let Churchill hide in a mineshaft for three days as the Boers searched for him before sending him in a rail car full of wool into Mozambique. Churchill was then able to catch a ship back to the front line in South Africa, with a hero’s reputation.
3. He proposed to four different women
Churchill is known to have been married only once during his lifetime, to Clementine Hozier. They were married back in 1908, and their union lasted for nearly 57 years, until Churchill’s passing in 1965.
But what many people don’t know is that Clementine was far from Churchill’s first choice, or indeed his first attempt at marriage. No, the British Prime Minister had actually previously proposed to three other women and been rejected on each occasion.
Persistent
Churchill’s first marriage proposal in 1900 was to Pamela Plowden, who was the daughter of a British colonial officer. The persistent politician then offered marriage to American actress Ethel Barrymore and heiress Muriel Wilson, both in 1904.
Although his marriage to Clementine was widely considered steady, Churchill did have an illicit four-year affair with Lady Doris Castelrosse — née Delevingne — during it. After decades of rumors, this was confirmed on tape recordings of an aide to the PM that were discovered many years later. Lady Doris is the great-aunt of model and actress Cara Delevingne.
4. He really, really loved a good tipple
Churchill was a man of many vices. But while he is most famous for his love of cigars, which he puffed on regularly, the statesman really adored alcohol too. Indeed, when questioned as to the essentials of life, he quipped, “Hot baths, cold Champagne, new peas, and old brandy.”
Churchill’s love of alcohol — and in particular brandy and whiskey — was such that when he traveled to the U.S. in 1932 during the tail end of Prohibition, he secured himself a doctor’s note that specified that he could drink an “indefinite amount” of alcohol whilst he was in the country!
Special dispensation
In 1932 Prohibition was still in place, and it wouldn’t be overturned until a year later. But Churchill received special dispensation anyway, and even remarked that Prohibition was “an affront to the whole history of mankind.”
Churchill also ran into trouble when meeting Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz in 1945. He had expected that due to the monarch’s religious beliefs, the British statesman wouldn’t drink alcohol in his presence. But an undeterred Churchill quipped, “My religion prescribed an absolute sacred rite smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before, after, and if need be, during all meals and the intervals between them.”
5. He was clumsy and accident-prone
Despite being a world leader of considerable repute, Churchill was something of a klutz. In fact, the British statesman was really accident-prone, and he had a series of minor and major mishaps during his lifetime.
For instance, in his childhood, Churchill once threw himself off a bridge in a moment of apparent childlike abandon. As a result, he suffered a concussion and a ruptured kidney.
Almost drowned
Churchill also had several falls from horses and somehow almost managed to drown in a Swiss lake. A particularly painful incident occurred when he was disembarking a ship in India and dislocated his shoulder in a fall. In fact, Churchill seemed to be capable of cheating death on more than one ocassion.
He once managed to survive a scary plane crash while he was learning to fly. He also made it through being hit by a car in New York City. These potentially fatal incidents didn’t even put him in a wheelchair, and he lived a decade shy of a century!
6. He loved animals… but also shot wild animals
Did you know that Churchill was something of an animal lover? Throughout his life, he had many pets, including rabbits, dogs, cats, and birds. His love of animals went all the way back to his childhood. While at boarding school, Churchill even sold his bike so that he could buy himself a bulldog! This dog breed would become synonymous with him during WWII — his “bulldog spirit” in the fight against fascism.
Churchill also looked after animals on the grounds of his estate in England, from swans and geese to his beloved pet goldfish. He was also an avid horseman; he loved riding horses, playing polo, and serving on horseback as a cavalryman.
Avid hunter
Having said all that, a lot of animal lovers would be appalled to read about some of Churchill’s actions towards other species. Firstly, he was an avid hunter in his youth and killed hares, pheasants, partridges, deer, boars, and foxes.
Secondly, Churchill was also known to have killed exotic animals whilst on safari in Africa. He noted this in his book My African Journey from 1909. There are pictures of Churchill standing over a dead black rhinoceros, and he also killed ostriches and crocodiles on that journey.
7. Despite his oratory skills, he had a speech impediment
Churchill is widely remembered for his great speeches. His oratory skills were such that they are widely credited with helping Great Britain to victory in World War II, from the “We shall fight them on the beaches” speech to the “blood, toil, tears and sweat” address a month earlier.
But despite his noted talent for inspirational oratory, Churchill actually suffered with a speech impediment. He did his best to hide it though; most people would have been none the wiser.
Lateral lisp
Churchill suffered from what is often referred to as a lateral lisp: this means he had difficulty pronouncing “s” and “z.” It was bad enough that he sought help from a specialist in speech impediments called Sir Felix Semen in 1897.
Sir Felix said Churchill needed to just practice and practice some more, if he was to get past it, so, that’s exactly what Churchill did. Still, there were a few words he could never quite master, one of which was that of the mortal enemy: “Nazi.” Churchill always referred to them as “Narzees,” which may or may not have irked Adolf Hitler.
8. He had a close friendship with Queen Elizabeth II
Churchill is known to have had a strong friendship with Queen Elizabeth II, going back to the WWII years and before she ascended the throne in 1952. Yes, despite their obvious differences, Elizabeth and Churchill got on like a house on fire.
Politician and writer Roy Jenkins once suggested that Churchill had “near idolatry” for the young Elizabeth, and a great deal of pride and respect in the British monarchy itself. Churchill holds the distinction of being the first PM that the Queen had in the role. Out of the 15 who served, he might well have been her favorite.
Handwritten letter
British newspaper The Daily Mirror revealed just how strong the bond between Queen and statesman had been, when it reported on a heart-tugging, handwritten letter Elizabeth had given him upon his retirement in 1955. It had noted how much she would miss him and “his wise guidance.” Their weekly meetings would often stretch to two hours.
Besides that, Elizabeth also broke protocol at Churchill’s funeral in 1965. She arrived at his funeral before his family, when royal protocol states that the ruling monarch is supposed to be the last person to arrive at any function. But such was her respect for Churchill, she broke it on this solemn occasion.
9. He invented a onesie for air raids
Remember a few years back when there was a onesie craze? Everyone seemed to be buying cozy adult romper suits at one point; around Christmas 2012 onesie sales were up by 600 percent!
But did you know that the onesie was effectively pioneered by Winston Churchill? Honestly, hear us out. Churchill had what he called his ‘siren suits’ for when air-raid sirens gave warnings of a Nazi bombing raid.
Inspired by bricklayers?
Churchill’s specially made “siren suits” were likely inspired by boiler suits worn by bricklayers. He liked them because they could be quickly thrown on and zipped up when an air raid was incoming. Churchill mostly wore these special comfort suits when he was residing and working at his Chartwell residence.
But Churchill was also known to wear his “siren suits” at 10 Downing Street, Britain’s White House equivalent. The British statesman even had a special black velvet one made for when he was having dinner. There is one of these sartorial pieces of history on display in the Turnbull & Asser shop on Jermyn Street, London.
10. He loved eating clear soup for dinner
Believe it or not, Churchill was something of a foodie. Lunch or dinner was a big event. If you were ever invited to eat a meal with the British statesman, you had better have some time to set aside.
Indeed, lunch or dinner with Churchill would often last around three hours. For lunch, he often enjoyed a three-course meal, with which he drank his favorite Pol Roger Champagne, slightly chilled.
An after-dinner stroll
After a meal, Churchill would often pour a glass of brandy or port and smoke a cigar before going for a stroll with his family and friends or whoever had enjoyed dinner with him. Churchill had a pretty adventurous palate, it would seem.
Indeed, one of his favorite meals was clear soup, or consommé. He apparently got his taste for this — and his favorite turtle soup — while he was stationed in India. Churchill loved consommé so much, he would often have it just before bed.
11. He was a gifted painter and an award-winning writer
Churchill was a jack of all trades. But rather than being a master of none, as the saying goes, he was actually a master of many. Indeed, the British statesman was an all-round creative, who was just as adept at painting as he was writing.
Yes, journalism and writing aside, Churchill was also a very talented painter. His love of painting may have been sparked earlier in his life, but he didn’t publicly start doing it until he was in his 40s. After that, it was with him right to the end of his life.
Over 500 works
Churchill spent a great deal of his free time indulging in his love of painting. By the end of his life, he had produced over 500 works of art. His style was influenced greatly by French painter Paul Maze, with whom he became close friends, and who became a painting companion of Churchill’s until his death in 1965.
Churchill was particularly adept at painting still lives and impressionist landscapes. Some of his paintings have been sold for millions of dollars since his death. His last piece was the 1962 painting entitled The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell.
12. A World War I failure nearly ruined his career
Churchill is widely renowned — and indeed heralded — for his leadership of Great Britain and its colonies during World War II. What he is less known for is his disastrous interventions in the preceding Great War.
Yes, Churchill — whose political career effectively began in 1900 when he was first elected as an Member of Parliament — became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911. And it was in that post that he organized a disastrous amphibious assault against the Ottoman Empire.
An unmitigated disaster
It was March 1915 and Churchill thought that his cunning plan would lead to the British being able to join up with their Russian allies, and stretch Germany on its eastern front, potentially tipping the balance of the entire conflict in the Allies favor. But in reality it was an unmitigated disaster. So, what happened?
Well, when Allied battleships made their way into the Dardanelles Strait near present-day Istanbul in March 1915 the Ottomans soon sank three of them, severely damaging three others and pushing the remaining ships into an embarrassing retreat. The Gallipoli Peninsula battles didn’t go well for Allied troops either; during months of fighting they suffered over 250,000 casualties. Not surprisingly, Churchill was fired from his admiralty post. But he later rehabilitated his reputation to such an extent that this escapade has been largely forgotten.
13. He was voted out of office shortly before WWII was won
If you didn’t know better, you might have thought that in July 1945 Churchill was loved by absolutely everyone in Britain following the defeat of Nazi Germany, with World War II victory all but assured. With that in mind, he will have coasted to victory in the General Election held that month, right?
Erm, no. A resounding no in fact: Churchill and his Conservative Party lost in a landslide to Clement Attlee’s Labour Party in that election. It was a bit of a shock, but in hindsight perhaps it shouldn’t have been. For the post-war rebuild, the British people trusted the Labour Party over the pro-business and seemingly anti-welfare Conservatives.
Generous in defeat
Perhaps just as surprising was the magnanimous way that Churchill accepted the electoral drubbing he and his political party had suffered. On the defeat, Churchill remarked, “They [the Labour Party] have a perfect right to kick us out. That is democracy. That is what we have been fighting for.”
Quite. It wouldn’t be the last of Churchill in politics though. He and the Conservatives got their own back when they returned to power in 1951. Yet worsening health saw Churchill resign just three-and-a-half years into his term.
14. He accidentally flashed President Roosevelt
Churchill undoubtedly had a warm relationship with his American counterpart Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The two were Prime Minister and President respectively during a very trying period for both their countries.
Their joint goals in defeating European fascism and Japanese imperial aggression and achieving a lasting peace required them to work together closely, and a friendship grew out of that. They appeared together at many conferences too, including at Yalta.
“Nothing to hide”
Churchill’s friendship with FDR was such that he was able to accidentally flash the President of the United States with no damage to their relationship at all. Yes, an amusing moment between the two giants of the political stage was witnessed by Churchill’s male secretary Kinna.
When Churchill was stateside and staying at the White House during WWII, he was in the bathroom in just a robe. Kinna was in there too, but when President Roosevelt suddenly knocked on the door and entered in his wheelchair, Churchill’s robe fell down to leave him completely naked. The British statesman cut through any uneasiness when he immediately quipped, “You see, Mr. President, I have nothing to hide from you.”
15. He wanted to join the troops at D-Day
D-Day was a hugely significant chapter in World War II, and helped tip the scales of the conflict irrevocably in the Allies’ favor. The largest seaborne invasion in human history began on June 6, 1944, and was officially codenamed Operation Neptune, but became colloquially as D-Day.
As British Prime Minister, Churchill was of course very much in the know about the planned invasion. In actual fact, the statesman with the famous “bulldog spirit” wanted to be more directly involved in them.
He had to back down
It’s true: Churchill boldly requested to accompany the Allied Expeditionary Force on D-Day. The British PM proclaimed that he would travel to sea on board HMS Belfast to watch the beach landings and visibly support his troops.
But Churchill was discouraged by an admiral from undertaking this hugely risky move. King George VI also helped stop Churchill from doing this by stating that if he went, then the monarch would also go. Churchill’s respect for the monarchy and an unwillingness to risk the King’s life persuaded him to back down.
16. He met the person who hit him with a car and gave him a gift
We mentioned earlier how Churchill had been an accident-prone man. Well, one of the more serious accidents that the British statesman was involved in occurred in America, in New York City to be exact.
The incident occurred years before Churchill was British Prime Minister; at this stage he was merely a Member of Parliament, although one of some standing. It was an accident that could conceivably have cost him his life.
Looked left
On December 13, 1931, Churchill had been crossing a busy street in New York City. Being British, he instinctively looked to the left for oncoming traffic, seemingly forgetting he was in the United States, where such traffic came from the right.
Churchill was struck by a car, and was taken to the nearby Lenox Hill Hospital with serious injuries, including several cracked ribs and a wound on his head. Most interestingly, Churchill would be later visited by the man who struck him with his car. With seemingly no hard feelings, Churchill actually gave the man a signed copy of his autobiography. Imagine what that would’ve been worth just a few years later!
17. He was a very emotional man
From today's standpoint, looking back on the legacy of one of the greatest statesmen the world has ever produced, Churchill is widely remembered for not only his leadership, but for his evident masculinity and famous “bulldog spirit.”
But although he was both a leader and a masculine man, Churchill also had a much more sensitive side. Yes, the leader was neither afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve nor simply able to contain his emotions on many occasions.
Weeping when speaking and listening
In fact, Churchill would often cry when in the British Parliament’s House of Commons. This occurred both when he was personally speaking, and when he was receiving praise from within the chamber.
One such notable occasion was when he was first elected as Prime Minister in 1940. Three days later in Parliament, David George, an old Liberal colleague of Churchill’s and Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War I, movingly told the House how highly he regarded his friend. Churchill cried and mopped his eyes, as noted by Labour MP Howard Nicolson.
18. He was a writer, but he was not particular about grammar
As we know, Churchill was an award-winning writer. The wartime leader authored several books and wrote numerous essays: they ranged from biographies and memoirs about his life, to books on history and he even penned a novel and several short stories.
Churchill’s sole novel was called Savrola, but he also wrote the short stories On the Flank of the Army, The Dream and Man Overboard! In 1953 Churchill landed the Nobel Prize for Literature whilst still in office “for his mastery of historical and biographical description, as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”
Clear aptitude
But despite his clear aptitude with the pen — or typewriter — Churchill was not strict about grammar and grammatical errors. In fact, he really wasn’t a fan of some grammar rules!
In particular, Churchill ridiculed the contentious grammar law that requires one not to end a sentence with a preposition. He once remarked on this law, saying “That is nonsense, up with which I shall not put!” Okay, calm down!
19. He came up with wild ideas and plans
Churchill was undoubtedly a very intelligent man in many respects, and a fabulous orator who helped motivate his country in the darkest moments of World War II. But one thing he wasn’t was a brilliant military analyst.
We have already addressed Churchill’s failed World War I attack on the Ottoman Empire, which cost the Allies a lot of men and led to him losing his post as First Lord of the Admiralty. Well there was another plan that Churchill hatched during World War II that was thankfully not followed through.
Operation Unthinkable
That mission — for which Churchill drew a series of plans up — has been labeled “Operation Unthinkable.” That is a fitting name for what seems like a frankly ridiculous idea, and one that is almost certain to have been a disaster had it been followed through.
Churchill came up with the idea of rearming around 100,000 captured former Wehrmacht soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the Joseph Stalin-led Soviet Union. This had been in 1945; Stalin was an ally and a member of the “Big Three” leaders with Churchill and FDR, and the Soviets were a major part of the Allied forces. Then there’s the silliness of rearming members of perhaps the most evil and genocidal regime in history, with whom you’d just been fighting bitterly for six years.
20. His last words were surprising
There is no doubt that Winston Churchill lived a storied life. From traveling the globe in both war and at leisure, through serving as an MP and then as his nation’s Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, to enjoying the luxury of his Chartwell estate, Churchill’s story is one for the ages.
But by the time he had reached the ripe old age of 90, the British statesman had lost his lust for life, as Iggy Pop might frame it. His reported final words would certainly reveal as much.
Last words
The last person to hear Churchill speak was his son-in-law Christopher Soames. It was mid-January 1965, and he offered his famous father some Champagne in hospital, where he was recovering from a stroke. But he was met with the retort, “I’m so bored of it all.”
Churchill fell into a coma soon after and passed away on January 24, 1965, aged 90. The eighth stroke he had suffered in his life finally got the better of him. A period of national mourning followed, as well as the biggest state funeral ever held for a British Prime Minister.