Winston Churchill, the British statesman and author, was born in November 1874 in Oxfordshire, England. His father was Lord Randolph Churchill, a prominent figure in the Conservative party. Churchill was elected a member of Parliament in He was a shrewd opportunist who, in his political career, was not above switching parties when it gave him an advantage. He served as head of the British navy during World War I but was forced to resign his post in , after the disatrous British landing at Gallipoli. Between the wars, Churchill continued serving in the House of Commons. He also devoted time to his writing, publishing several historical works. He became prime minister in May 1940. Churchill served in that capacity again after World War II from 1951 to 1955. Churcill could be recognized by his gravelly voice, his ever-present cigar, and his two fingered "V for victor" salute. As prime minister, he frequently and deliberately took great personal risks, such as walking around London in the midst of heavy German bombing raids. An eloquent speaker, Churchill was also a master of the written word. At the end of his career, he published his memoirs of World War II in a six -volume work, entitled "The Second World War", For this and other writings, Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. Winston Churchill, Great Britain's prime minister during World War II, was an eloquent speaker, writer, and statesman.