Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire. Candice opens Chapter 1 with a review of Winston’s early love of 1,500 toy soldiers and make-believe battles and then gives an in-depth discussion of the extant and success of the vast British Empire ..read more

Host Dennis Leap begins discussing a new book on the life of Winston Churchill by author Candice Millard. Hero of the Empire gives us details of Churchill’s daring escape from prison in Pretoria, South Africa (the capital of the Boer Republic), while fighting in the Boer War and the making of his political career ..read more

After fighting the bloodthirsty Pathans and getting reassigned to leading a Punjabi infantry (none spoke English), Winston attempts to get attached to the Malakand Field Force permanently. This did not happen, and he was sent back to his home base at Bangalore. In Chapter 13, Winston seeks to maneuver for a job in a new campaign in the Sudan under Sir Herbert Kitchener. However, he discovers that those who had previously been friendly and encouraging had turned against him. Those who once supported him were calling him a medal hunter and a self-advertiser. Winston has to learn to endure “the l ..read more

Host Dennis Leap discusses North Indian tribes attack on the British in Chapter 11. As the Malakand Field Force moved deeper into the Mamund Valley, Sir Bindon Blood was negotiating with the North India tribes to avoid a bloody conflict. Yet young Winston and other soldiers like him wanted something exciting to happen. Winston wanted a rifle fight. Sir Bindon Blood and the Mamund tribe gave him his wish ..read more

Host Dennis Leap discusses Winston Churchill’s praise for Sir Bindon Blood’s talents as a military leader while working with the Bunerwal and Pathan tribes of Northern India, but then reveals the flaws in some of Britain’s political officers. Winston calls them Marplots because they failed to act resolutely or decisively, leading to the unnecessary deaths of British soldiers ..read more

At the end of Chapter 9: “Education at Bangalore,” Winston is offered a 3-month leave to return to England, which gives him a break from the sweltering heat of India. While in England, he reads in the newspapers that the north Indian tribe Pathan was revolting against the British. He learns that his friend Sir Bindon Blood is leading a field force of three brigades to quell the revolt. Winston telegraphs Sir Bindon to remind him that he had promised to include Winston in such an event. Winston returns to India to join the fight; however, he learns after his return that he must become a war cor ..read more

Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore” with Winston’s treatise on polo’s popularity with the British troops and the Indian populace. Polo games in India were high cultural events with parades of elephants and British royal regalia. Of course, Winston was most excited about his polo team defeating the highest-ranking Indian team. The ultimate takeaway from this chapter is true education involves books, classes, quality social occasions and challenging athletic events ..read more

Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9, “Education at Bangalore.” Winston comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have a grasp on religion. He recognized that the British Empire had exposed him to many different religions full of untruths that created much confusion. His final religious belief in God came after a few years of being in constant danger: He continually prayed for protection and he knew that God provided it for him ..read more

Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9: “Education at Bangalore.” During the winter months of 1896, Winston came to the realization that he needed more education. He wrote, “I began to feel myself wanting in even the vaguest knowledge about many large spheres of thought.” While he had developed a huge vocabulary thanks to being an avid reader, he still lacked knowledge in subjects such as ethics, the Socratic Method and history. With the help of his mother, he built his own school library and studied history such as Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He spent ..read more

Host Dennis Leap moves into Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore.” While being trained to utilize British fighting maneuvers to protect the Empire in India, Winston realized he was not truly educated: There was a lot of English vocabulary he did not understand. He could speak the words, but he did not know their meaning. For example, he loved the word ethics, but did not know exactly what it was. “I would have paid some scholar 2 pounds at least to give me a lecture of an hour or an hour and a half about ethics,” he wrote. So young Winston set a goal to give himself a college-level education ..read more