How the young Winston Churchill escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp
And what his unlikely tale reveals about imperialism
The future prime minister sat at the bottom of a coalmine, clutching a bottle of whisky. He had fled from a prisoner-of-war camp, stowed aboard a train and jumped off in the middle of nowhere. The enemy were hunting for him. If caught, he would be locked up again; those who had helped him would be shot.
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “From prisoner to prime minister”
Christmas Specials December 23rd 2023
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From the December 23rd 2023 edition
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