At the very beginning of the Second World War, that is, in 1939, the prime minister was Neville Chamberlain, until May 1940, when Winston Churchill assumed office, who was prime minister throughout the war. Apart from being a politician and prime minister, he was also a military officer and writer. He was often able to express an opinion that was not always impressed by those who listened to him, because as others observed, he used brilliant phrases in his speeches to tell the truth, and was skilled in his rhetorical machinery. One also his famous statement was "we will never surrender".