In Winston Churchill, veteran historian Peter Caddick-Adams gives us an overview of Churchill’s life, from his early days as a soldier and part-time journalist through to the Second World War and beyond.

Caddick-Adams argues that the recipe for Churchill’s success during his wartime premiership of 1940-45 can be found in the First World War. The nation, and its leaders, had undergone a ‘dress rehearsal’ in 1914-18: conscription, rationing, convoys, air raids, mass production, women’s uniformed services, coalitions and war cabinets had all happened before, and Churchill had been there when they did. This experience, combined with Churchill’s extraordinary abilities (along with some foibles), were what enabled Britain to survive.