The anniversary of the
‘Roaring Lion’ portrait
around town by Bruce Sach
I
t’s easy for pedestrians on Wellington Street to journey from the Château Laurier past the Parliament Buildings blissfully unaware of the direct connection between the two edifices and the most iconic photograph of the 20th century. On December 30, 1941 Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh captured the wartime spirit of Sir Winston Churchill in his ‘Roaring Lion’ photo – a photo that was to be given credit for inspiring the Allied efforts in WWII in defeating the fascist threat. How was it that British prime minister ended up in Ottawa two days before the New Year, 1942? Churchill was in
8 OTTAWALIFE WINTER/SPRING 2022
Canada, having just visited Washington weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbour. Ever the master orator, Churchill had been in North America to ensure U.S. support for the United Kingdom war effort and he was burning to reply to French General/Collaborator Marshall Pétain who had said that ‘in three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken”. In a 22-page speech before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Commons, Churchill derided these predictions although only four words, his famous ‘some chicken, some neck’ is how history has summed up his reply. The
United
Kingdom
was
now
ABOVE: Winston Churchill by Yousef Karsh,
courtesy of the Estate of Yousuf Karsh RIGHT: The Karsh statue was unveiled on June 2017in Ottawa. (PHOTO: @Carole Jobin)
more confident of victory thanks to the continued support from Commonwealth countries, the Soviet Union and the United States. And Churchill, the master of public speaking and public relations (the whole speech was filmed) was no doubt in a jubilant mood, his speech having been constantly interrupted by applause and cheering. Enjoying a scotch and cigar in the Speaker’s Chambers after his speech, Churchill was unprepared for his
