He was just reaching for the knob when he heard the announcer say that Churchill was about to give an impromptu speech in Whitehall before he went on to Buckingham Palace for an audience with Their Majesties. Ron turned up the volume and leaned against the bar as all the chairs and tables were now in use outside.

Churchill’s voice came through loud and clear above the happy cheering of what sounded like a vast crowd gathered in Whitehall. ‘God bless you all,’ he rumbled. ‘This is your victory.’

‘No!’ they shouted back. ‘It’s yours!’

There was a smile in Churchill’s voice as he replied, ‘It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land.’

This elicited a great roar of approval and he waited for it to die down before continuing. ‘In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone; man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried. Neither the long years, nor the dangers, nor the fierce attacks of the enemy, have in any way weakened the unbending resolve of the British nation. God bless you all.’

He waited for the enormous cheer to die down. ‘My dear friends,’ he said, his voice strong and triumphant, ‘this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It’s a victory of the Great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year. There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in?’

The crowd yelled, ‘NO!’

‘Were we down-hearted?’

‘NEVER!’

‘The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it!’

‘YES!’ they roared.

‘So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered. When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail?’

‘NEVER!’ came the fierce response.

‘I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we’ve done and they will say “do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be – unconquered.”’

The crowd cheered and Churchill struggled to be heard. ‘Now we have emerged from one deadly struggle – a terrible foe has been cast on the ground and awaits our judgement and our mercy. But there is another foe who occupies large portions of the British Empire; a foe stained with cruelty and greed – the Japanese. I rejoice we can all take a night off today and another day tomorrow.’