# "Winston Is Back" telegram **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810 "2016-04-21T13:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/1 "2016-04-21T13:05:57Z")
This was allegedly sent when Churchill was reinstated as First Lord of the Admiralty in the early part of the Second World War. It was supposed to have been sent to all stations etc and everyone knew he was back after getting thrown out after the Dardanelles campaign 25 years before. It was supposed to have been a “Rally round the flag boys” message to the RN where supposedly it met mixed reaction. The quote is in many publications, newspapers and quotes. However, apart from Churchill’s embellished writings there is a doubt if it ever existed. Certainly Gordon Corrigan calls it into question and says there is no independent confirmation. I have done an Internet search and there are many references to it , but I can’t find an image of the original telegram. Anyone got any insight? I acknowledge Corrigan has no time for Churchill. However Churchill also said “History will treat me well as I shall write it.” Any views thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/2 "2016-04-23T02:59:48Z")
If the story’s true, it may have been intended as a warning 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/3 "2016-04-23T05:52:50Z")
As far as I can tell, the preponderance of the evidence shows that it was meant as a celebratory message. > [@](#): > > The telegram contained only three words, three words that Lord Mountbatten said had ‘an electrifying effect throughout the fleet.’ > **["Winston Is Back": 75th Anniversary of Churchill's Appointment as First Lord...](http://bloggingyoungfogey.blogspot.com/2014/09/winston-is-back-75th-anniversary-of.html)** > > 75 years ago today, Britain declared war on Germany and Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, a position he had hel... I would assume that Mountbatten was in a position to know. And post #4 on this message board thread agrees: > **[NavWeaps Forums-Winston is back](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/warships1discussionboards/winston-is-back-t8477.html)** > > http://www.bobhenneman.in...c.php?t=1927&start=15 On the Battlecruiser board, Clyde Deep East Texas has heard an interesting interpretation of thi ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/4 "2016-04-23T13:30:51Z")
If it existed, it was quite clearly intended to be celebratory and you see very much the same bullish tone in the more popular British newspapers of the day. The main sub-headline on front page of the _Daily Express_ on the 4th was even similarly simply “Winston Back”. Churchill’s return to the job was also the main detail at the start of the _Daily Mirror_’s main front-page story on the same day. (Unfortunately, the main titles I have archive access to are the rather more po-faced _Times_ and _Guardian_, neither of which mentions any telegram, but then you wouldn’t really have expected them to.) ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/5 "2016-04-24T00:00:26Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > If it existed, it was quite clearly intended to be celebratory No. It was an official announcement that the First Sea Lord, the actual Navy , and the admiralty (the overseeing political body) accepted Winston was Secretary of the Admiralty. “Back” meant it was not some other Winston Churchill, it was not someone being equated to Winston Churchill , it was the same Winston . They didn’t need to put Churchill, although it might have been expected the telegraph operator would at least put the surname in. Further explanation was not neccessary as the radio was broadcasting the parliaments war footing speech. Everyone knew this meant total war, that you either capitulated ,which was harder for the Brits as they had little to offer except sex slaves (Germany needed france for ports and farming… and wine… ), or fought just as hard as you can facing near total destruction… Part of the war footing was to rearrange cabinet, and create a War Cabinet… This is a subset of Cabinet, mostly, but the important thing was the changes in the Secretaries and Ministers… The Secretary of the Admiralty was not just the person, but also the office, for handling the civilian life of the navy… The change in secretary for the war was an important change as it meant that a military trained person was going to start giving orders AND enforcing them… Any personnel under the Secretary could be returned to civilian life inside a civilian gaol … If you had to add a political message, then the likely message was “This is war, and this means war now, not tommorrow”. Winston had cleaned up the mess the RN was in after WW I, and they all knew the change to Winston, in a rush, meant they were going to be prepared in a rush … tommorrow would be too late, the secretariat was going to be asking your unit to report … two tick boxes 1. “100% ready” , 2. “I am not fit to be an officer”. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/6 "2016-04-24T01:08:06Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > No. It was an official announcement that the First Sea Lord, the actual Navy , and the admiralty (the overseeing political body) accepted Winston was Secretary of the Admiralty. > > “Back” meant it was not some other Winston Churchill, it was not someone being equated to Winston Churchill , it was the same Winston . They didn’t need to put Churchill, although it might have been expected the telegraph operator would at least put the surname in. > Further explanation was not neccessary as the radio was broadcasting the parliaments war footing speech. Everyone knew this meant total war, that you either capitulated ,which was harder for the Brits as they had little to offer except sex slaves (Germany needed france for ports and farming… and wine… ), or fought just as hard as you can facing near total destruction… > > Part of the war footing was to rearrange cabinet, and create a War Cabinet… This is a subset of Cabinet, mostly, but the important thing was the changes in the Secretaries and Ministers… > > The Secretary of the Admiralty was not just the person, but also the office, for handling the civilian life of the navy… The change in secretary for the war was an important change as it meant that a military trained person was going to start giving orders AND enforcing them… Any personnel under the Secretary could be returned to civilian life inside a civilian gaol … > If you had to add a political message, then the likely message was “This is war, and this means war now, not tommorrow”. > > Winston had cleaned up the mess the RN was in after WW I, and they all knew the change to Winston, in a rush, meant they were going to be prepared in a rush … tommorrow would be too late, the secretariat was going to be asking your unit to report … two tick boxes 1. “100% ready” , 2. “I am not fit to be an officer”. Sorry, was any of this meant to be coherent? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/7 "2016-04-24T01:31:33Z")
Secretary of the Navy, or First Lord of the Admiralty? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/8 "2016-04-24T03:04:39Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > Sorry, was any of this meant to be coherent? Made perfect sense to me, and/but I just finished a 60 hour work week. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/9 "2016-04-24T21:41:22Z")
To spell out the matter, there has never been such post in the UK as “Secretary the Navy” or indeed “Secretary of the Admiralty”. There is a [Naval Secretary](’ [Naval Secretary - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Secretary)’), which is a senior naval position, but in the case of Churchill the crucial job in question was much more important First Lord of the Admiralty. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/10 "2016-04-24T22:02:03Z")
You know, I’d have corrected that (minor) obvious typo in that last post had I not had the Board repeatedly freeze on me. As I have already observed, the Board has basically become unusable for some of in the last few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/11 "2016-04-24T23:47:44Z")
I just find it odd that an official announcement would use his first name, rather than his last. Was there another Churchhill who could be mixed up with? To me, it seems informal enough that it would make more sense as an additional, celebratory message. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/12 "2016-04-25T07:49:31Z")
Thanks for the responses. It is mentioned in “The Battle of The Atlantic” by Jonathan Dimblebey who says it was received with mixed feelings in the Navy (he doesn’t present any evidence it was actually sent). As for Mountbatten- well he was promoted well and truly above his level by Churchill so I would not trust what he said. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winston-is-back-telegram/752810/13 "2016-04-25T08:11:59Z")
Just to enlarge on my previous comment Mountbatten was promoted by Churchill from commander to Commodore, to Vice Admiral, Lieutenant General and Air Marshall by the age of 42. It seems only Stalin and Vinegar Joe Stilwell saw through him- and he managed to get away with the Dieppe catastrophe because of his connections.