Churchill’s use of “Sir” to begin this paragraph and the next one serves as a kind of affectation or tonal flourish. “Sir” is a shortening of “sire,” a title which denotes knighthood, though in common parlance “sir” can merely confer respect. Because Churchill addressed the House of Commons, a legislative body of 650 men, the word “sir” adds a tone of intimacy and closeness, as if each member of the audience were being spoken to directly.
