The Marriage and Children of Winston and Clementine Churchill

Of Love and Madness

It is well known that Winston Churchill suffered from depression, which he called his "black dog." What is less known is that his wife, Clementine Ogilvy Hozier Churchill, suffered from anxiety, had a hard time bonding with her children, wrestled at one time with depression, and experienced postpartum psychosis after giving birth to their first child.

Nevertheless, the pair stayed married for 57 years, remained faithful to one another, and—with Clementine advising Winston from behind the scenes—kept England and the allies together during the war. They encouraged their country when heroism was needed and defeated Hitler, forever changing the world map at that time. This article is a personal journey into the lives of Clementine, her husband, and their five children.

Clementine's Childhood

Clementine's parents, Henry Montague Hozier, 10th Earl of Airlie, and Lady Blanche Hozier, Countess of Airlie, were aristocrats of high social standing. However, their marriage was full of scandal and rumor. So abhorrent was their marriage that there were speculations that none of Lady Blanche's children were fathered by Hozier. Lady Blanche was notoriously unfaithful. She was also a flagrant gambler, and her habit took its toll on the family wealth.

When Clementine was six years old, her parents separated. According to Sonia Purnell, author of the book First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill, Clementine's childhood and the better part of her life were lived in loneliness and neglect exacerbated by the separation of her parents and the life of relative poverty that followed.

When her sister Kitty was only 16 years old, she sadly succumbed to typhoid fever. Clementine's things were hastily packed, and she was sent to live with an aunt, having no idea at all that her sister was dying.

And then there was the embarrassment of realizing she lacked the social standing to have a debut. She feared no one would come if she had one, but with the help of a wealthy aunt, her debut was held and was well attended. All of these happenings, according to Clementine's daughter, Mary Soames, caused her lifelong anxiety and the loss of her self-confidence.

Winston's Childhood

Winston Spencer-Churchill, like Clementine, lived a somewhat reclusive childhood. His father, British Lord Randolph Churchill, was the son of John, the 7th Duke of Marlborough. His mother, Jennie Jerome, was American-born and the daughter of financier Leonard Jerome.

Winston's parents were cool and remote, and he spent much of his life at school. The book Jennie Churchill by Anne Seba features many letters that Winston wrote to his mother. He described his prep school as “sadistic” and pleaded to go home, or at least for his parents to visit him. Ironically, on the back of this emotional letter from her son, Jennie wrote down a list of names of people she intended to invite to a dinner party.

Winston's parents' style of parenting was cool and aloof. During his childhood, he was closest to his nanny. Later, he would always be in debt, as he tended to spend lavishly. In adulthood, he was both famous and controversial. His widely known war exploits eventually landed him in Parliament.

Winston and Clementine's Meeting and Courtship

Clementine was 19 years old when she met Winston at a dance in 1904. Churchill was 10 years older at 29. Their meeting was not a coup de foudre; by then, Winston was well known for his hair-raising escape from prison in the Second Boer War, and he was at that point a representative of parliament. Of that time, Clementine said “Winston just stared. He never uttered one word and was very gauche.”

Four years later in 1908, Clementine and Winston met again at a party. This may well have been a coup de foudre. After a few months of courtship, they married that same year. One year later in 1909, Clementine literally saved her husband's life from the whip of a militant suffragette. The attack was totally unexpected. The Churchills had just arrived in Bristol for a routine political stop when a militant suffragist abruptly whipped Winston and shoved him in the direction of a moving train. Pushing luggage aside, Clementine grabbed Winston's coattails and saved his life.

Clementine could well have been a politician in her own right if she wasn't a woman. Instead, she focused her energy on her husband's career. Winston himself admitted that his success was largely due to her influence. They remained married for 57 years.

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Clementine: Let them see your true qualities, your lack of vanity.

Winston: My poor judgment and my lying will.

Clementine: Your sense of humor.

Winston: Hohoho

— The Darkest Hour (Film About Churchill)

Clementine's Support of Her Husband in Work and Life

Clementine fully supported Winston's candidacy as Prime Minister even though it meant risking almost everything they had. During World War I, Winston volunteered as a soldier. He did this to make amends for his horrible mistake in championing the tragedy in Gallipoli. Clementine supported him despite knowing that he might die, and she urged him to stay for as long as was necessary and not to rush back home.

Oftentimes Clementine advised Winston on political affairs, and she made it a point to be warm and friendly with his allies. She also determinedly raised his confidence during his seemingly endless rounds of depression.

Clementine's Personal Accomplishments

Considering that Clementine was dealing with her own anxiety and experienced postpartum disorder, it is pretty amazing that she managed her husband so well and was such an important factor in his road to greatness. However, Clementine was also a force to reckon with on her own. For example:

• During the First World War, she was engaged with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), where she organized canteens for the soldiers.

• During the Second World War, she was President of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).
• Also during the Second World War, she was Chairperson of the Red Cross.
• In 1946, the Queen made her a Dame of the British Empire.

The Churchills as Parents

Both Winston and his wife Clementine clearly changed the world in a major way. At the same time, they remained married and committed to each other despite their respective mental struggles. That didn't mean that they had a peaceful home, however. Mary, their youngest daughter, recalls, “My mother had the will and the capacity to stand up to my father, to confront him and to argue with him, and the fact that she had that capacity is more important than whether she was always right.” She adds, “I’ve always thought my father married an equal in temperament and in spirit.”

So, how were the Churchills as parents? Winston and Clementine had five children. However, Clementine's devotion to Winston's career meant that both parents spent very little time with them. It was also not uncommon at this time for parents to leave their children in the care of nannies. When their parents were home, the children often stayed in the playroom.

Purnell wrote in her book that “Clementine appears to have been constitutionally unable to deal with her children, sending them away for long periods and needing time away from the household when they were young.”