Today in 1965, the great Statesman, World Leader and War Hero Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill died at his London home in Hyde Park Gate. His State funeral was held on 30 January 1965.
a sculpture of The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill at Guildhall
I loved history in school and especially the European and British history, in particular the Second World War for which, for some unknown reason, I have always from a very young age had a special affinity. I’ve read hundreds of books relating to WW2 and used to joke about how if I came back I wanted to come back as a spy!! 😉 008 Jane Bond at your service; always stir-crazy, never shaken!! LOL.
safety glasses on, and assault rifle in hand….008 strikes again!
So since coming to London, albeit something I had never planned to do (was I daft or what?), I have enjoyed visiting the places where Churchill worked and lived, the Churchill War Rooms are fascinating and you can hear some of his speeches being relayed over a tannoy; hearing his very distinctive voice left my hair standing on end and tears streaming down my face.
The Churchill War Rooms, a fantastic museum
St Paul’s Cathedral where Churchill’s funeral was held, has a particular draw for me for many reasons (Mary Poppins, Princess Diana) et al, it is in fact one of my most favourite places in London.
St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London where Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral was held
I wrote a blog yesterday for 3 Days in London about finding Churchill in London and listed some of the places where you can find him. I’m delighted to say that on the 30th January (next Friday) I will be part of a memorial flotilla on the River Thames commemorating 50 years since he died.
Commemoration flotilla on 30 January 2015 – image courtesy of Thames Clippers
One of his most famous wartime speeches referred to the brave pilots of the Royal Air Force ‘The Few’, who fought so valiantly and without thought to their own lives in the skies above our wee island, the Battle of Britain – a defining battle of WW2.
The Battle of Britain memorial on Victoria Embankment – “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few”
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- ‘The Few’ – Pilots of the Royal Air Force
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- ‘The Few’ – Pilots of the Battle of Britain
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- ‘The Few’ – The Battle of Britain
the ever so marvellous Spitfire used so effectively during the Battle of Britain in WW2
And one of my favourite wartime images
an iconic image of St Paul’s Cathedral from during the Second World War
so here’s to The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, long may he Rest in Peace
Born: November 30, 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock
Died: January 24, 1965 at Hyde Park Gate, London
Buried: January 30, 1965 at St Martin’s Church, Bladon
…Named the Greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 poll
This is an excerpt from one of my favourite speeches made by Winston Churchill on 29 October 1941 during an address at a school in Harrow during WW2:
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Sir Winston Spencer-Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches
“Never give in, Never, Never, Never…” for the full speech visit http://www.winstonchurchill.org/
