Their Finest Hour

The British Expeditionary Force was a contingent formed to assist France and Belgium in their fight against Nazi Germany. France, Belgium, and Britain declared war on Germany on September 2, 1939, in response to Germany’s invasion of Poland; the British Expeditionary Force was created the same day. It existed until May 31, 1940, when the BEF and some of the remaining French forces retreated to Dunkirk and were forced to evacuate across the Channel. Churchill refers explicitly to the BEF only once in his speech, explaining how strategic mistakes early in the Battle of France hampered their ability to support the French effectively. However, his praise for the British soldiers “who have already measured their quality against the Germans and found themselves at no disadvantage” is in effect praise for the BEF and contributes to his portrayal of Patriotism in Dark Times (Paragraph 5). Despite the dire circumstances in which the BEF found itself, Churchill says, it proved a formidable military force.

Formed in the early 20th century, the Commonwealth is a political association of now independent and self-governed countries formerly under British colonial rule. In the 21st century, it consists of 56 states, most of which are ex-colonies, but during WWII its membership was limited to British dominions, as these were the only self-governing territories still associated in any way with Britain. Churchill references the Commonwealth in the speech’s final lines, where he notably links it to Britain itself: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour’” (Paragraph 21). By rhetorically involving the Commonwealth in Britain’s struggle against Nazi Germany, Churchill underscores his theme of unity.

Dominion is a term that dates back to the 16th century and originally referred to any subjugated territory within the British Empire. It later came to refer to territories that possessed some degree of self-rule (as distinct from a “colony”). In 1929, Britain formally granted dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State (Republic of Ireland), though in practice several had already been self-governing. “Their Finest Hour” repeatedly references the military support Churchill hopes to receive from the dominions, though he stresses that they are “absolutely free to choose their course” (Paragraph 15). This emphasis on the dominions’ self-governance serves a dual purpose; it reassures the populations of those countries that Britain does not intend to interfere in their affairs, but it also reinforces the dichotomy between freedom and tyranny, which Churchill associates with Britain and Germany, respectively. In this way, it supports the speech’s depiction of WWII as a fight of Good Versus Evil.