Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom before World War II. When Nazi Germany occuped Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain attended a conference in Munich intended to solve the crisis in a peaceful manner. However, George Limb opined that Chamberlain and the rest of the Allies allowed Adolf Hitler to step all over them which exemplified their lack of resolve. After the conference, Chamerlain returned to Britain where he made the announcement, "I have in my hand a piece of paper..." (PROSE: Illegal Alien) which promised that there would be "peace in our time." (PROSE: One Wednesday Afternoon)
However, Chamberlain's attempts to keep the peace in Europe were unsuccessful. Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, triggering World War II. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus, Just War, AUDIO: Neverland, Just War) Chamberlain was suceeded as Prime Minster by Winston Churchill who led Britain during the war. (TV: The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, The Pandorica Opens, PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass, Magic of the Angels, COMIC: The Instruments of War, AUDIO: The Ultimate Adventure, Old Soldiers)
The Fifth Doctor opined that Chamberlain was ultimately wrong in the Munich decisions but, as he was trying to maintain peace, he was wrong for the right reasons, and for that the Doctor sympathised with him. Stan and Peggy Garratt named their son after Chamberlain. (PROSE: One Wednesday Afternoon)
Behind the Scenes
- He was played by Roger Brierley in the miniseries Mosley, Christopher Good in Dunkirk and Roger Parrott in The King's Speech.