Lord Beaverbrook A Canadian Hero Essay Research free essay sample

Lord Beaverbrook: A Canadian Hero Essay, Research Paper Lord Beaverbrook: A Canadian Hero By Condredge Dole 202001 Prof. Smith History 203-01 November 18, 1998 Lord Beaverbrook was a great subscriber to the Nationhood of Canada and to the freedom of the universe. Though many merely know him for the school named after him, he did much for Canada and the British Commonwealth. The function he played in both universe wars changed the class of history. As Canada # 8217 ; s # 8216 ; Eye Witness # 8217 ; and Britain # 8217 ; s Minister of Information in the First World War and their Minister of Aircraft Production and Supply in the Second World War, Beaverbrook was instrumental in the war attempts and the saving of freedom. As a adult male of personal success he was besides able to assist convey success to Canada early this century through his concern investings and his political engagement. His instruction, house spiritual foundation and his thrust for success during his early life put him in the place to impact positive alterations and influences on the British Empire. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord Beaverbrook A Canadian Hero Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page William Aitken, a Presbyterian curate, immigrated to Canada from Scotland and had his 3rd boy, Max Aitken, in Maple, Ontario on May 25, 1879. Shortly after the household moved to Newcastle, New Brunswick where the male child grew up in the local parish mansion with his eight brothers and sisters. Though faculty members were neer his strength, the male child loved to read old books from his male parent # 8217 ; s library. His front-runners were # 8216 ; English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century # 8217 ; by J.A. Froude and R.L. Stevenson # 8217 ; s many books. He claims to hold even skipped school to read them in his haymow! The male child # 8217 ; s instruction therefore was mostly based on the narratives of the high seas and escapade. Some would state that that epoch would hold suited him best. He would hold been a Magellan or a Drake had he been born in the 16th century. But alternatively Max turned his energy and passion to the cut pharynx universe of concern where he conquered a many # 8216 ; Spanish Armadas # 8217 ; . Even at the early age of eight, the male child began his entrepreneurial feats. He began in the egg concern selling eggs from his ain poulets to his neighbors. On one juncture Max received an order for excess eggs and so he # 8216 ; borrowed # 8217 ; some from his female parent # 8217 ; s larder. The undermentioned twenty-four hours his client asked, # 8220 ; Were those eggs fresh? # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Why, weren # 8217 ; t they? # 8221 ; , Aitken replied. His client so said, # 8220 ; Well, they were the first fresh-laid eggs I have of all time seen arrive difficult boiled! # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Ah, # 8221 ; said Max, # 8220 ; I was frightened the electrical storm we had yesterday would impact the biddies! # 8221 ; The arch side of Max neer left him. Those who knew him frequently mentioned his child-like mischievousness and his # 8216 ; arch smiling # 8217 ; . In fact # 8216 ; arch # 8217 ; seems to be the word most writers use to depict the adult male. His smiling was really characteristic, it stretched across his face and was really contagious. Many enjoyed his company and could non assist but laugh with the adult male and his infantile nature. Wood one time wrote of him in the Picture Post, # 8216 ; He will neer turn old: the ground is that he has neer grown up! # 8217 ; It was non immatureness that attracted others, but his appeal. In fact his friends were frequently much older and greatly respected by the populace, these included Bonar Law, Rudyard Kipling and Winston Churchill. John Buchan besides wrote about him stating, # 8220 ; Beaverbrook is non a bad adult male: he is merely a bad boy. # 8221 ; William Aitken spent his nest eggs on the instruction of his oldest boy, go forthing his other kids to fend for themselves. Therefore Max, at the age of 16, began to seek his luck. He began at a occupation with the local pharmacist but shortly dreamed of being a attorney. He worked for awhile as a clerk for a attorney but became impatient with that cognizing that he would neer go a attorney that manner. He entered a secondary establishment to analyze jurisprudence and rediscovered that his aptitude for faculty members was still instead limited. He followed his entrepreneurial background and got involved in concern. After merely five old ages he had become a millionaire from nil. He derived most of his luck from the cement industry here in Canada. He was besides involved in rail roads and electricity, but particularly news media. Lord Beaverbrook, as he was called after being raised to peerage in 1916, is widely known for his newspapers. Most notably, he owned the # 8216 ; Daily Expr ess # 8217 ; and started # 8216 ; The Sunday Express # 8217 ; ( now known as # 8216 ; The Express on Sunday # 8217 ; ) in England. Upon declaration of war in 1914, Beaverbrook returned to his female parent state. Robert Borden and Sam Hughes wasted no clip in dialoguing with Beaverbrook sing their concerns about the war. They were disheartened by the British intervention of Canadian military personnels. The British considered Canadian military personnels merely as supports to British units. The Canadian people and their authorities agreed that this was unacceptable and that something must be done. Lord Beaverbrook was their solution. He would return to England to plead the instance of the settlements. After some attempt in the British Parliament, Beaverbrook succeeded in converting them to let the Canadians to contend together under their ain bid. This was a great measure in the way of credence as a state for Canada on the universe broad sphere. The consequence of this was that the Canadians were able to interrupt through the German lines at Vimy Ridge ; perchance the greatest triumph of the war. and This was no n all the Beaverbrook did to elate Canada. He took it upon himself as a journalist and a representative in Europe to be Canada # 8217 ; s # 8216 ; Eye Witness. # 8217 ; Beaverbrook proceeded to obtain a rank in the Canadian reserves which allowed him to come in military countries from which he could describe. He proposed to the Canadian authorities that they allow creative persons and lensmans to fall in the ground forces and be given the position and wage of officers and travel to the forepart lines to document the war. The authorities supported this thought and proceeded. These creative persons produced over 850 pictures, sculptures and prints which became the Canadian War Memorials Collection! Beaverbrook oversaw the attempt to document the war and published two volumes of # 8216 ; Canada in Flanders # 8217 ; about the Canadian soldiers in Europe. He directed the first military movie footage taken on the forepart. Because this was the lone footage taken at this point, both t he British and subsequently the Americans used movies of Canadian soldiers in conflict for their enlisting thrusts. This he did mostly at his ain disbursal to advertise the war in Canada. The consequences of his attempts were instead broad spread. First, the Canadians felt as though they were portion of the war attempt which gave them a existent sense of integrity. The Canadians of the war gained a passion for their state and became strongly loyal. This documental attempt affected non merely Canada but besides had reverberations on the world’s phase. The impersonal Americans saw all the literature about the Canadians in the war and began to believe that it was the Canadians making all the combat as there was nil coming from Britain. Of class the British did non like this side of it and felt that they ought to hold their ain ‘eye witness.’ Thus, Lloyd George asked Beaverbrook to fall in his cabinet as the leader of the Ministry of Information. Before this, the Ministry of Information did non be and so Beaverbrook started it. He did the same thing he did for Canada and besides helped to supervise censoring in Britain. This seemed to contradictory for a imperativeness Godhead but Aitken had no jobs with it, gaining that it would lend to the war attempt. We can see that Beaverbrook had an unbelievable impact on Canada and the British Empire throughout the Great War. His attempts taking to Canadian Divisions contending together under Canadian bid and those bring forthing the Canadian War Memorials Collection, benefited the immature Dominion beyond step. On the fourteenth of May, 1940, Beaverbrook was appointed Minister of Aircraft Production. Merely three short months subsequently, the state was engulfed in its battle for endurance # 8211 ; The Battle of Britain. Upon his assignment Dowding made the appraisal that the Island had merely half the squadrons necessary for their defense mechanism. However, for Beaverbrook this was unacceptable. His finding and concern accomplishment ensured that the Air Force to hold more planes than pilots by the clip the conflict began! He besides rapidly began the plan of aircraft reparation, which was executed with great expedience. Great Numberss of aircraft were constructed while many which had been shot down were repaired and returned to action. Even with great resistance, Beaverbrook acted rapidly to protect his mills by distributing the production across the state. His determination to bring forth combatants instead than bombers was disputably an every bit of import determination before the sta te # 8217 ; s finest hr. While eliciting contention, he decided that as Minister of Aircraft Production he could bring forth the type of planes he wished instead than the 1s preferred by the Air Ministry. This proved to be polar as the reigning train of idea was that the bomber would ever acquire through and nil would halt it. This would intend that the Air Force would desire as many bombers as possible in the hope of out bombing the enemy. When Beaverbrook decided to concentrate his energies on combatant production he defied the governments and agreed with his new friend Air Marshal, Hugh Dowding. The combatants he built saved the state and accordingly the free universe from the dark government of Nazism. Churchill, whom many would name the greatest leader of the century, appointed Beaverbrook with the function of salvaging the state in its twenty-four hours of dire demand. Beaverbrook was a primary influence on Britain # 8217 ; s # 8216 ; finest hour. # 8217 ; The Bulldog one time said, # 8220 ; Lord Beaverbrook was at his really best when things were at their very worst. # 8221 ; Churchill esteemed Beaverbrook so extremely and was so certain of his ability to win that when Beaverbrook handed in his missive of surrender Churchill refused, on three occasions, to accept it. But Beaverbrook had more to give in the Second World War for on June 22, 1941 he accepted the place of Minister of Supply. This is another surprisingly of import place for a Canadian to keep in Britain and yet another chance for him to oppress Nazi powers in Europe. As Minister of Supply, Beaverbrook was instrumental in the devastation of Hitler # 8217 ; s Reich through providing Soviet Russia in their onslaughts against the Wehrmacht and in negociating supplies from the impersonal USA. Both of these supply lines were vitally of import to the war attempt and the eventual triumph of the Allied Powers. Churchill perceived this and would settle for the assignment of none other than the capable Lord Beaverbrook. We can see that Lord Beaverbrook besides played an of import function in the continuance of non merely Canada and the Commonwealth, but the full free universe as we know it today. As Churchill put it, # 8220 ; Lord Beaverbrook rendered signal service. All his singular qualities fitted the demand. His personal perkiness and energy were a tonic. I was glad to be able sometimes to tilt on him. He did non neglect. This was his hr. His personal force and mastermind, combined with so much persuasion and appliance, swept aside many obstacles. # 8221 ; Lord Beaverbrook was one of Canada # 8217 ; s, and even Britain # 8217 ; s greatest solon. As demonstrated by the 658 influential invitees who came to honor him at his 85th birthday, we are all indebted to the adult male who moulded the universe into a better topographic point. His huge parts to the nationhood of Canada set him apart as a # 8216 ; father # 8217 ; of the state. His mastermind in both universe wars rescued us from dictatorship and helped convey about peace. Beaverbrook is, so, a Canadian Hero. Bibliography Primary Beginnings A Record of the Dinner in honor of the Eighty-fifth Birthday of The Rt. Hon. Lord Beaverbrook given by Lord Thomson of Fleet # 8211 ; The Dorchester London Monday May 25th, 1964: Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson ( Printers ) Ltd. , 1964. Beaverbrook, Lord. My Early Life: Fredericton, New Brunswick: Brunswick Press, 1965. Driberg, Tom. William maxwell aitken: A Study in Power and Frustration: London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1956. Farrer, David. G-For God Almighty ; A Personal Memoir of Lord Beaverbrook: Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1969. Secondary Beginnings Burton, Pierre. Vimy: Markham, Ont. : Penguin, 1986. Deighton, Len. Fighter ; the True Story of The Battle of Britain: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1977. Hayes, William A. The Canadians: William maxwell aitken: Don Mills, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited, 1979. Taylor, A.J.P. Beaverbrook: New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972. Wood, Allan. The True History of Lord Beaverbrook London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1965. Internet Beginnings Aitken, Max # 8211 ; Lord Beaverbrook: hypertext transfer protocol: //raven.cc.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_one/bio/a/aitken.html Canada # 8217 ; s War Artists: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.schoolnet.ca/collections/courage/canadaswarartists.html. Express Newspapers. History of Newspaper Titles: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.research.expressnewspapers.co.uk/history.html. Schmid, Vernon R.J. ed. , Well Known Canadians ; William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook: hypertext transfer protocol: //alvin.lbl.gov/bios/Beaverbrook.html.