Winston Churchill and the Dardanelles
Subject in History
Winston Churchill and the Dardanelles has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including The Rest Is History. 2 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History
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
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, 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 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
Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Holland maintains that whatever his failings, Churchill was never a coward.
“what you can't say about Churchill is that he was ever a coward”
The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 56:16
Podcasts
- The Rest Is History · 1 episode
Episodes
676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6)The Rest Is History · Jun 3, 2026 · 1 h 17 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook conclude the Gallipoli campaign, covering Churchill's fall, the failed August Offensive, the evacuation, and the birth of the Anzac legend.