Martin Gilbert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Sir Martin Gilbert CBE FRSL
Gilbert being awarded an honorary doctorate at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel, 2011
Born	Martin John Gilbert (1936-10-25)25 October 1936 London, United Kingdom
Died	3 February 2015(2015-02-03) (aged 78) London, United Kingdom
Education	Highgate School
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford St Antony's College, Oxford.
Occupation	Historian, author
Known for	Winston Churchill's official biography Twentieth century history Jewish history

Sir Martin John Gilbert (born October 25, 1936 – died February 3, 2015) was a famous British historian. He was also an honorary member of Merton College, Oxford, a well-known university in England. Sir Martin wrote many books, around 88 in total! His books covered important topics like Winston Churchill, the history of the 20th century, and Jewish history, including the terrible events of the Holocaust.

He was also part of a special group called the Chilcot Inquiry. This group looked into Britain's part in the Iraq War.

Early Life and Education

Martin Gilbert was born in London, England. He was the first child of Peter and Miriam Gilbert. His family's original name was Goldberg. His grandparents came from an area in Russia that is now part of Poland and Lithuania.

When he was a baby, the Second World War started. To keep children safe, he was sent to Canada. This journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Liverpool to Quebec stayed in his memory. It made him curious about the war later in life.

After the war, Martin went to Highgate School. He loved history and was very interested in "Jewish things" from a young age. He even got into a little trouble for his support of Zionism. After school, he served two years in the Intelligence Corps. Then, he went to Magdalen College, Oxford at the University of Oxford to study history. He graduated with top honors in 1960.

A Career in History

Becoming a Historian and Author

After finishing his studies, Martin Gilbert was asked to help Randolph Churchill. Randolph was writing a biography about his famous father, Winston Churchill, who was a British Prime Minister. In 1962, Martin became a member of Merton College, Oxford. There, he met other famous thinkers like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

He spent several years working on his own research. At the same time, he helped Randolph Churchill with the first two volumes of the Churchill biography. When Randolph passed away in 1968, Martin Gilbert was chosen to finish the huge project. He completed the remaining six main volumes of the biography.

Martin spent 20 years on the Churchill project. He also wrote many other books during this time. The Churchill biography is very detailed. Each main volume has two or three extra books of documents. This means the whole biography is about 28 volumes long, with over 30,000 pages! People praised his careful work. One reviewer said that the decision to make Martin Gilbert Churchill's biographer was a "vote of thanks from the nation."

Other Important Works

In the 1960s, Martin Gilbert also created many historical atlases. These are books of maps that show historical events. He wrote a very important single-volume history about the Holocaust. He also wrote single-volume histories of the First World War and Second World War. He even wrote a three-volume series called A History of the Twentieth Century.

Martin Gilbert was known for using "primary sources" in his work. These are original documents, like letters or diaries, from the time he was studying. He believed that gathering facts carefully would help prove the truth of history.

In the 1980s, he became interested in the Refusenik movement in the Soviet Union. These were Jewish people who were not allowed to leave the Soviet Union. He wrote books like Jews of Hope and Shcharansky: Hero of Our Time. He also spoke out for the Soviet Jewry Movement at places like the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

In 1995, he retired from Merton College but remained an Honorary Fellow. He received many awards for his work. In 1999, the University of Oxford gave him a special degree for all his published books.

Public Service and Recognition

In 2009, Martin Gilbert was asked to join the British government's inquiry into the Iraq War. This group investigated Britain's role in the war. Some people questioned his neutrality because he had previously praised leaders like George W. Bush and Tony Blair. However, Martin Gilbert believed that any criticism based on his Jewish background was unfair.

Awards and Honors

Martin Gilbert received many honors for his contributions to history.

• In 1990, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
• In 1995, he received a knighthood for his work in British history and international relations. This means he was called "Sir Martin Gilbert."
• In 2012, he won the Dan David Prize for his important work in history and biography.
• The library at Highgate School, where he studied, was named the Sir Martin Gilbert Library in 2014. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown opened it. Brown said that Sir Martin helped many prime ministers with his historical insights.

Honorary Degrees

Sir Martin Gilbert received special degrees from many universities around the world. These are called honorary degrees and are given to people who have made great achievements.

Location	Date	School	Degree
Missouri	1981	Westminster College	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
Israel	1989	Bar-Ilan University	Doctorate
Ohio	1992	Hebrew Union College	Doctorate
England	1992	University of Buckingham	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
England	1999	University of Oxford	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
District of Columbia	2000	George Washington University	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
Pennsylvania	2000	Gratz College	Doctorate
New Jersey	2002	Seton Hall University	Doctorate
Ontario	4 June 2003	University of Western Ontario	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
England	2004	University of Leicester	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
Israel	2004	Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Israel	2011	Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	Doctorate

Fellowships

Sir Martin Gilbert was also a Fellow of several important institutions. This means he was recognized as a distinguished member.

Location	Date	Institution	Appointment
United Kingdom	1977	Royal Society of Literature	Fellowship (FRSL)
England	1994	Merton College, Oxford	Honorary Fellowship
Wales	1997	University of Wales, Lampeter	Honorary Fellowship
California	2002	University of California, San Diego	Distinguished Visiting Fellow
Michigan	2002	Hillsdale College	Distinguished Fellow
England	2008	Churchill College, Cambridge	Honorary Fellowship

Personal Life

Martin Gilbert was married three times. He had a daughter with his first wife, Helen Constance Robinson. He had two sons with his second wife, Susan Sacher. From 2005, he was married to Esther Gilbert, who is also a historian of The Holocaust. Martin Gilbert was a proud practicing Jew and a Zionist.

Death

In March 2012, while visiting Jerusalem, Martin Gilbert developed a heart problem. He never fully recovered from this illness. He passed away in London on February 3, 2015, at the age of 78. Sir Martin wanted to be buried in Israel. A memorial service was held in London in November 2015.

His death was announced by Sir John Chilcot, who led the Iraq Inquiry. Chilcot said that Gilbert had died after a long illness.

Key Books by Sir Martin Gilbert

Sir Martin Gilbert wrote many important books. Here are some of his most famous works:

• Biography of Winston Churchill: He completed the official biography of Winston Churchill, which is a very long and detailed series of books.
• The Holocaust: A single-volume history of the Holocaust, which is widely recognized.
• First World War and Second World War: Single-volume histories of these major global conflicts.
• A History of the Twentieth Century: A three-volume series covering the entire 20th century.
• Atlases: He created many historical atlases, which are books of maps showing historical events.
• Books on Jewish History: Including works about the Refusenik movement in the Soviet Union.

See also

• Fori Nehru