The International Churchill Conference, jointly sponsored by The Churchill Centre and The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society of British Columbia was held Tuesday, September 11, 2007 to Friday, September 14, 2007. The theme was Churchill and the Pacific War. The event attracted 270 delegates to the Gala Dinner and 265 delegates to the Birthday Party for The Lady Soames on the Friday evening, of which 39% were British Columbians at both events. Conference Benefactor financing for the Conference was 44% Canadian, 44% American and 12% British. One hundred and forty students from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School attended the Friday morning events to a packed house of over 400 people. Six corporate sponsors facilitated the event. Delegates ranged in age from eleven to ninety-four.
The Conference began with The Allied Reception hosted by the Consuls General of the United Kingdom and the United States at The Vancouver Club. Both Consuls Generals addressed the delegates.
Rear Admiral Ken Summers spoke on Wednesday morning on The Role of Canadian Forces in the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan. The presentation was extremely informative for Americans and Canadians alike as the role of Canadians has not been widely reported in the media. Later, the weather was perfect with not a cloud in the sky for the one hundred delegates who enjoyed the Harbour Cruise taking in the sites of West Vancouver and False Creek and the staggering residential development of Vancouver’s waterfront.
Over one quarter of the delegates were first timers and Judy Kambestad, a governor of The Churchill Centre, welcomed them at the Roof of The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The remainder of the delegates joined the Welcome Reception and Christopher Hebb introduced the Conference Team from British Columbia.
On Thursday morning Gary Garrison, Chapter Affiliates Coordinator of The Churchill Centre, chaired the Affiliates Breakfast with attendance from representatives from societies across North America.
John Maurer, Professor and Chairman Strategy and Policy Department, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island commenced the theme discussions with a presentation on the Geopolitical Considerations Leading to the Pacific War and examined Churchill’s view of Japan during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Christopher Bell, Professor of History, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia unravelled the mystery surrounding the sending of Canadian troops to Hong Kong immediately prior to the Japanese invasion of the colony in December, 1941. Richard M. Torre, Investment Banker and Historian provided a well researched presentation on why Singapore had to fall. Ray Callahan, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Delaware explored whether or not Churchill could have done more to save Singapore
Six Chinese Canadians who were subject to the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong attended the Conference. Mr. Jules Siron, aged 93, gave the most heartrending address telling of his work in the British Army Aid Group in Hong Kong until he was arrested by the Japanese and tortured in innumerable ways, including the water torture.
At the luncheon, Gordon Fairclough, aged 88 and a survivor of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, addressed the delegates. He told of his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the British Territorial Army and of his posting to command an anti-aircraft gun site at Brick Hill Peninsula (now Ocean Park), overlooking Aberdeen Harbour on the Island of Hong Kong. Mr. Fairclough recalled how the troops he commanded valiantly faced a numerically superior, well-equipped Japanese force. As he became emotional, Fairclough referred the delegates to his book Brick Hill and Beyond. Mr. Hebb concluded the story relating how Fairclough was shot through the chest, shot again when he regained consciousness, then left for dead by the Japanese, spent six days living in a cave, was rescued by Chinese in a sampan, fed and watered in a British occupied building in Aberdeen which was overrun by the Japanese, was put in three POW camps, escaped with two others in February, 1942, made his way to China, thence to Burma and to India where he arrived in April, 1942. He arrived back in England in 1945 and received the Military Cross from King George VI. Fairclough’s story is one the delegates will never forget.
Gary Garrison presented the Action This Day Award to The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society of British Columbia for excellence in all it has achieved including an increasing membership, strong programs, its scholarship program and the distribution of Celia Sandy’s book throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
Barry Gough, Professor Emeritus of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario gave an excellent presentation on the Sinking of HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales on December 10, 1941. David Jablonsky, Professor of National Security (Retd.), Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania spoke on Churchill and Australia 1920-1945. He examined the misplaced assumptions and unfulfilled expectations as the national interests of the United Kingdom and Australia began to diverge under the weight of war.
The Gala Dinner featured Professor Callahan speaking on The Prime Minister and the Fighting Prophet in which he examined the complex relationship between political and military leaders under the terrible pressures of war through a case study of Churchill and Wingate. This was followed by dancing to Jennifer Scott and her Quartet.
On Friday, with the Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School students in attendance, James Boutilier, Special Adviser (Policy) to the Commander, Maritime Forces Pacific, addressed the audience on The China-Burma-India Theatre: From Disaster to Deliverance. He discussed the pivotal role that Burma played in the theatre and how Churchill accommodated the differing strategies of the U.S., which was focused on providing support to Chaing Kai-shek and the Chinese, and the U.K., which was focused on preserving its interests in Indian sub-continent.
Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus of History, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, gave a riveting talk on The March to Victory: Admiral Nimitz, General MacArthur and the Island Hopping Campaign. His talk focused on the two pronged attack against the Japanese, one from General MacArthur in the southwest and the other through the island chains from Admiral Nimitz. His presentation culminated with a great description of the naval Battle of Leyte Gulf. Dick Torre then returned to the podium to give The Story of Richard Sorge, the Russian spy working in the German Legation in Tokyo who warned Stalin that the Germans were to attack on the Eastern Front in June, 1941.
At the luncheon, Joe Hern, Conference Chairman of the 2008 International Churchill Conference, enticed delegates with a description of some of the events of the Conference to be held in Boston, September 11 to September 14, 2008. Gary Garrison, a governor of The Churchill Centre, described a number of interesting programs being sponsored by The Churchill Centre in the coming months.
James Muller, Chairman of the Board of Academic Advisers of The Churchill Centre and Paul Alkon, Leo S. Bing Professor Emeritus of English and American Literature, University of California, conducted a book discussion of Savrola, the only novel written by Churchill.
The final event was the celebration of the 85th Birthday of the Patron of both The Churchill Centre and The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society of British Columbia, The Lady Soames. Miles Alperstein, a member of the British Columbia Society, gave a Christian grace in English, a Muslim grace in Turkish and a Jewish grace in Hebrew. The birthday cake of The Lady Soames was piped into the room followed by a piped and sung “Happy Birthday”. Kieran Wilson, aged eleven and a member of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Vancouver Island, presented his birthday wishes to The Lady Soames from the podium. Stuart Clyne, a member of The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society of British Columbia, gave a delightful talk about his father, J.V. Clyne, who played host to Churchill during his 1929 visit to Vancouver. Christopher Hebb, on behalf of Ed Bredin, aged 93 and a past president of the Calgary Society, presented a picture to The Lady Soames. The picture showed Lord Soames at the Calgary Annual Banquet where he addressed its members in 1979 prior to giving the inaugural address to the British Columbia Society shortly thereafter. Wally Ross, past president of the Edmonton Society told of the forming of the first Churchill Society in the world in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964. Joe Siegenberg, past president of the Edmonton Society and the British Columbia Society, conveyed his birthday wishes together with amusing stories. The Lady Soames thanked all concerned and expressed her appreciation for her birthday party. Christopher Hebb closed the Conference.
See pictures of the event HERE.