TWO years after the Second World War came to an end, Winston Churchill told an audience in Ayr that it had been an ‘unnecessary’ conflict that could have been prevented in 1935 or 1936.

Speaking at the Town Hall, where he was made a Freeman of the Royal Burgh of Ayr, he said: “I always have said that the last war would have been the easiest of all wars to stop. “I remember President Roosevelt in 1943 asked, ‘What shall we call this war?’ and he even invited replies from the general public of America on the subject. I said to him, ‘I could give you a very easy reply’, ‘What?’ he said. I answered, ‘Call it the unnecessary war’.

“In 1935, indeed by the end of 1936, it would have been perfectly easy to prevent Germany re-arming without the firing of a shot and through the instrumentality of the League of Nations, which would have summoned the Germans to explain the breaches which they were making in what they called the Unilateral Treaty ...

“And then with the power of the French Army - and it was a power at that time - and the British Fleet, and before we had lost air parity, there would have been no doubt whatever that Germany would have repudiated Hitler - that maniac of ferocious passion - and it might well be that European history would have taken an altogether different turn.”

“Mr Churchill was looking well and fresh on arrival at [Ayr railway] station,” the Glasgow Herald noted, “and was smoking his usual long cigar.” The wartime leader was touched by the warmth of his reception, both at the station, and at the Town Hall, where he addressed a 1,000-strong audience, with many more waiting on the street outside. The main photograph (right) shows how much he was appreciated by the townsfolk, with hats being raised in his honour.

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Herald Diary

Churchill had made an election visit to Glasgow on June 28, 1945 (far right, top). It was a reminder of his remarkable popularity; an estimated half-a-million people saw and heard him that day, and the carnival appearances of the streets were reminiscent of VE-Day just a few weeks earlier.

Churchill stood upright in a cream-coloured touring car, with flag-waving crowds on every inch of pavement. In a speech at Blythswood Square, attended by 10,000 people, he spoke of his pleasure at being welcomed so enthusiastically, and asked for votes so that his government could finish the job it had begun. To no avail: he lost heavily to Labour’s Clement Attlee, and was suddenly out of office.

Churchill, however, was restored to Number 10 at the 1951 election. On April 17, 1953, he returned to Glasgow, and made a major speech at Green’s Playhouse (far right, bottom). It was 18 months to the day since he had last been in the city. He scotched rumours of an early general election: “We came in to do a job,” he declared. “Our aim is deeds, not words; results, not promises.”

He also referred to an apparent improvement in the international situation, asking his audience: “Is a new breeze blowing on the tormented world?”