“Never give in”: Was this a three-word speech?
Did Churchill ever make a three word speech, “Never Give Up,” and then just sit down? —A.S., Riga, Latvia
That story is all over the web, constantly repeated. But it is entirely wrong. I think it springs from the many inaccurate “wit and wisdom” quote books.
“Never give in” (not “up”)The three words (“in” not “up”) were part of Churchill’s 20-minute speech to the boys at Harrow, his old school, when he visited Harrow for their annual songfest (“Songs”) on 29 October 1941. The full speech is published in Robert Rhodes James, ed.,…
