D-Day plus 1 of the Churchill Conference

Today was the first day of seminars. We had an array of speakers. One man talked about how Churchill thought that there was almost no possibility of a war with Japan and that sending more soldiers to southern Asia was a bad idea. Also, he said a build-up would cause tax hikes and would lead to a Labour government.

Next a man talked about the defence of Hong Kong. Churchill and others believed that the defence of Hong Kong was a lost cause, impossible to defend. However, the Royal Navy saw Hong Kong as a key asset in the war against Japan. They proposed to send more troops, but Churchill wanted less, not more. However, 2000 Canadian troops were sent to Hong Kong. They hoped this would be a deterrent to stop the Japanese going to war.

Then we had a coffee break and I had a cup of tea. I met several interesting people including a brief encounter with Lady Soames, Churchill's daughter. Then I was off to the next session. Up next was a debate about whether Singapore had to fall to Japanese forces.

The first speaker argued that Singapore had to fall. He deemed it tactically indefensible. Many, including Churchill, thought that Singapore was an impenetrable fortress. However, this was not the case.

The list of speakers continues, but I do not, for that list is very long.

The conference was very fun and exciting and the Fairmont is lovely.
So long for now! Check back for photos of this evening's black tie affair!