A Study in Failure : Churchill at the Admiralty, 1939-1940

Every politician's rise to power is a story of success and failure, accompanied by tantalising what-might-have-beens.

The career of Winston Churchill was no exception, with his eight months prior to becoming Prime Minister as First Lord of the Admiralty marked by the loss of important warships, the planning of disastrous expeditions and the design of impractical weapons.

Based on archival and biographical research, this account argues that Churchill's actions at the Admiralty were for the most part misjudged and dangerous. Much of what happened could have been avoided, with lives saved and the defence of western Europe strengthened had other counsels prevailed.

Very much the opposite of a hagiography, A Study in Failure provides an alternative perspective on the man regularly considered the UK's greatest ever leader.

Author: Simon Matthews

c 1918 to c 1939 (Inter-war period), c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Biography: historical, political & military, European history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Political leaders & leadership

Published on 10 May 2026 by Oldcastle Books Ltd.