| 1939/09/01 |
Nazi Germany invades Poland. |
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| 1939/09/03 |
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces Britain's declaration of war against Germany. "I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street....this country is at war with Germany". |
10, Downing Street Sw1, London
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| 1939/09/03 |
Churchill is appointed First Lord of the Admiralty with a seat on the war cabinet. By April 1940, he will become chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee. |
Admiralty House, London, The Admiralty
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| 1940/05/08 |
After a two days of debating, including being criticized by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes and Lloyd George but supported by Churchill, Neville Chamberlain's government loses a confidence vote in the House of Commons. |
House of Commons, Palace of Westminster
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| 1940/05/10 |
At Buckingham Palace, Neville Chamberlain resigns the office of Prime Minister and advises George VI to bring in Churchill. Chamberlain will tell the nation "...you and I must rally behind our new leader...with unshakable courage...." |
Buckingham Palace, London
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| 1940/05/13 |
Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers his first speech to the House of Commons, "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat...". |
House of Commons, Palace of Westminster
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| 1940/05/27 |
British Ministry of Shipping telephones boat builders to acquire small boats with shallow drafts moored on the River Thames, the east and south coasts to be pressed into service to rescue soldiers stranded in Dunkirk. |
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| 1940/06/03 |
HMS MEDWAY QUEEN completes her 7th trip, having rescued about 7,000 men from Dunkirk. |
Medway Queen,
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| 1940/06/04 |
Winston Churchill's speaks of the great military disaster at Dunkirk and warns of the expected invasion by Nazi Germany to the House of Commons. "We shall fight on the beaches..." |
House of Commons, Palace of Westminster
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| 1940/06/09 |
By 9-10 June, the Germans break through the French defenses on the rivers Somme and Aisne. over the next few days, the defense of France crumbles. |
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| 1940/06/17 |
French Foreign Minister, Paul Baudouin, meets the Spanish Ambassador and asked him to send to Germany a request for an armistice and for peace. |
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| 1940/06/18 |
Churchill speech at the House of Commons ends with: Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.' |
House of Commons, Palace of Westminster
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