Winston Churchill: We shall fight on the beaches
I think it’s time for a classic, the speech that is said to be the defining speech of World War II: "We shall fight on the beaches" by Winston Churchill. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a recording of the full speech. So I’ve included a YouTube video, an audio file and the full transcript.
The audio file can be found at The Guardian. You’ll find several speeches when you follow the link. Just scroll down to the first section, entitled "No. 1: Winston Churchill", and click on "Listen to the speech".
The video doesn’t include the last section of the speech, which is, in my opinion, the most important part.
The full transcript can be found at FiftiesWeb.
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I Agree This Is The Finest Speech Ive Ever Heard, I Just Wish I Knew What Came After”We Shall Fight Them On The Beeches”!!:)
Comment by mr ears — 2011-11-18 @ 20:44
I think the rest of the speech after he predicts that Churchill and his people would never surrender – although little noted and not well remembered – is just as worthwhile and interesting as any of the rest.
we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.
Resistance to the attacks following the evacuation will surely be remembered as one of Britain’s finest hours. I see no reason to doubt that our part in the war, our contribution to preserving human freedom against the Axis of evil of that time, Germany, Italy and Japan, will be remembered as one of our finest hours. As Churchill said, they held on until the Americans arrived, and our might tipped the scales of war in favor of the Allies.
Comment by Dick Hatzenbuhler — 2012-06-04 @ 10:11
I thank you for giving me this much credit. Amen.
Comment by winston churchill — 2013-01-30 @ 16:07