“We have finally made it to World War II in my tenth-grade Modern World History class. […] The lesson was a terrific success. Boys were engaged in their work, and judging from their charts, they seem to have grasped many of the possibilities and problems with each source from a historian's perspective. At the end of class, we flowed naturally into a conversation about the complexity and nuance of history and how history is an act always under creation.”

Will Brown – Penn Teaching Fellow at St. Albans School (D.C.)

"The online digital Churchill Archives are an absolutely fabulous resource. Whilst researching Churchill Master and Commander my publisher Bloomsbury granted me full remote access, which proved vital as this was during the height of the Covid pandemic. There is such a cornucopia of documentation available that it is very easy to disappear down proverbial rabbit holes! While the archive is easy to navigate the staff at the Churchill Archives Centre were incredibly helpful with enquiries and making recommendations. In particular, they helped me gain insight into American, British and Chinese attitudes towards the issue of Indian home rule during WW2. One line of enquiry included clarifying facts and figures, especially unit and troop numbers when it came to countering the very real threat posed to the British war effort by the Quit India revolt in 1942."'"

Anthony Tucker Jones, Defence Writer and Author

"I’m thrilled that our students here at the University of Ottawa have access to the superb research potential of the Churchill Archive. I teach courses on the First and Second World Wars and regularly recommend the Archive to students, especially since the interest in Churchill’s remarkable life continues unabated. Whether studying Gallipoli or the Battle of Britain, our students obtain valuable primary-research skills by consulting the Churchill Archive while at the same time deepening their understanding of this pivotal historical figure."

Serge Durflinger, Full Professor, History, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, Canada

Case Study

Using Churchill Archive in teaching at Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama

"I have used Churchill Archive Online in two of my classes: Industry, Imperialism, and World War: History of England from George II to the present; and Britain in the Age of Churchill.

In my Industry, Imperialism, and World War: History of England from George II class, I had the students write a short paper on one of the set topics found in the Teaching and Research area of the site. Since this is a lower level course, I found it most beneficial to have the students limited to evaluating only the sources suggested. The prompts for the sources were especially useful. The reaction was very positive. Many students said it was almost like working in the Archive itself. Most of these students had never worked with primary sources. I think what excited them most was seeing the actual documents.

For each session in the Britain in the Age of Churchill class, I asked the students to explore the Archive and pick out a document from the period assigned that they found interesting. Many of the students said that they could hardly get out of the Archive because they found so many of the documents fascinating. Although I did not require that all research papers be on a Churchill topic, two did do their research directly on Churchill, one on his role in the development of the tank and one of his role with South Africa after he entered Parliament. These students used the Archives in their research.

I hope to include the Archives more and more in my teaching."

Dr V. Markham Lester is the W. Michael Atchison Professor of History at Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama

"I have been using the digitised Churchill Archive very heavily for the past three years while doing research for my current book. I have found it to be a priceless academic resource that has led to the discovery of items which have made an unexpected and invaluable contribution to my work. I highly recommend this treasure trove to all students of 20th-century history."

Dr Piers Brendon, Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge

"This is the holy grail of twentieth-century archives."

Martin Farr, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Newcastle University, UK

"One day all archives will be like this!"

Nick Lloyd, Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies, King's College London, UK

"The real gem of online Churchill resources."

History Today

"The Churchill Archive is a superb resource, a treasure chest of documents ranging widely across the modern world. It will be invaluable for scholars and students alike, and deserves the widest audience."

Robert Saunders, Lecturer in Modern British History, Queen Mary University of London, UK

"This is a phenomenal resource, both in terms of the content and the navigational mechanisms. It allows researchers not just to understand one man, but a century of world, diplomatic and social history."

Kellian Clink, Reference Librarian, Minnesota State University, USA in Reference Reviews

"It is clear that careful thought has gone into every bit of this archive. It’s a dynamite digital product and Bloomsbury has added stacks of value to the material"

Ingram Content Group Digital Publishing Award Committee

"The Churchill Papers collection is an Aladdin’s cave of historical riches, which it has been my privilege to explore. I strongly endorse this project, which will enable everyone to have access to Winston S. Churchill’s writings and correspondence. It is a project that will bring the history of the first sixty years of the twentieth century, and the remarkable story of Britain’s greatest Prime Minister, into the classroom and the home."

The late Sir Martin Gilbert, former Special Advisor to the Churchill Archive and Churchill Biographer

"The Churchill archive will make students much more likely to use primary sources, and will give them a wider range of documents to draw on. In addition, I am more likely now to shape components of my course around the documents if I know they are available to students in such a convenient form."

Christopher M. Bell, Associate Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada

"There is a wealth of material within the Churchill Archive. The richness and variety of documents form an invaluable resource, helping me to get students to engage critically and creatively with the period. I wholly recommend it."

Richard Toye, Professor of Modern History, University of Exeter, UK

"There are few figures more important to the history of the twentieth century than Winston Churchill. Making his archives accessible to scholars and students of history the world over is a crowning achievement, which will provide new generations with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of not only Churchill, but also the tumultuous times in which he lived."

David B. Woolner, Senior Fellow and Hyde Park Resident Historian, Roosevelt Institute, USA

"This archive will be of use to 20th-century historians and scholars ... Best suited for research libraries as well as large public libraries serving scholarly adult populations."

Library Journal