What Dominic Sandbrook has said about Winston Churchill and the Dardanelles

Sandbrook compares Churchill's grandiose post-dismissal rhetoric about the Dardanelles to Boris Johnson.

“You know who he reminds me of there? I mean, who he undoubtedly is like. He is Boris Johnson at this point”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 34:15

Sandbrook says Churchill's decision to serve on the Western Front is where the comparison with Boris Johnson breaks down.

“And I think this is the point where the comparison with, yeah, Boris Johnson evaporates”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 53:50

Sandbrook, citing Andrew Roberts, argues that Churchill was the primary culprit and deserved to be blamed.

“And Churchill is definitely the primary culprit. Even Andrew Roberts in his biography says, you know, he's the scapegoat in chief, but he deserves to be the scapegoat in chief”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 1:01:11

Sandbrook finds Churchill's description of Gallipoli as stakes Britain could afford to lose more shocking than his use of the word gamble.

“But the shocking thing about that to me is not the word gamble. It's the stakes we could afford to lose because the stakes”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 1:02:07

Sandbrook doubts that Churchill truly learned from Gallipoli, seeing his love of risky schemes as part of his character.

“So did he really learn from it? I don't think he did, actually. I think it's always part of his character”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:42