Winston Churchill addressing both houses of Parliament in 1941 in which he made his famous chicken reference.
The Library of Parliament has brought Winston Churchill to Centretown.
An exhibit, entitled “Winston: From Canada to the World,” was presented by the Churchill Archives Centre to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the British wartime prime minister’s speech “Some Chicken, Some Neck," which was delivered to a joint session of the Canadian Parliament on Dec. 30, 1941.
The exhibit includes original notes from his speech, including some alterations that he made himself.
The core of the exhibit is the page that includes the “Some Chicken, Some Neck” insertions.
This was a reference to a remark made by French Marshal Philippe Pétain, future leader of the Vichy French government. Pétain, convinced that Germany would invade Britain, told Churchill that within three weeks Britain would “have its neck wrung like a chicken.”
Churchill told the Canadian Parliament: “When I warned them that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet, ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck!”
The original pages are accompanied by vintage film of Churchill’s speech in both English and French.
“It’s really interesting because there were only two of Churchill’s wartime speeches,” says Dianne Brydon, director general of Learning and Access Services at the Library of Parliament. “And this is one of them.”
The speech was broadcast on newsreels around the world.
“It really put Canada on the map during the Second World War,” says Brydon,"it was one of his most famous speeches.”
Also on display is a signed copy of the iconic photograph of Churchill taken immediately following his speech by Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh.
The Churchill Archives Centre at the University of Cambridge has all of Churchill’s papers.
The 70th anniversary of Churchill’s memorable speech took place in December 2011.
Allen Packwood, director of the Churchill Archives Centre, suggested they loan some of the speech notes to help commemorate the event's anniversary.
“This was a key moment for Churchill and for Canada,” Packwood says. “The speech articulates the values for which the Allies fought. The ensuing victory has shaped Canada and the modern world.”
The exhibit is part of every Parliamentary tour.
“When people tour other parliamentary buildings, they get to tour the library. So we expect about 100,000 people to go past the exhibit between now and the end of June,” Brydon says.
Carleton University history professor Paul Ritt applauds the exhibit’s intentions.
“It shows Canada really being involved and being a key player,” Ritt says.
“There’s a whole celebrity cult with Churchill, and the Second World War was a significant episode in both Canadian and world history. I think hooking Canada into the bigger picture in this way is a good thing.”