Today, 30th January, is the fiftieth anniversary of the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. His granddaughter Emma Soames remembers the occasion.
I watched it on television. There was the ceremonial that we do so well. The rousing singing of The Battle Hymn of the Republic in St Paul's.
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But for me the most poignant moment was the crane drivers' salute as the launch Havengore pulled away from Tower Pier.
For some reason I've always thought the funeral was 1965! I too remember watching it on television, but as I was not quite seven I don't remember much about it. I do remember that I was absolutely clear on whose funeral it was and why he was getting a State Funeral, and the picture you've posted of the procession accords very well with my memories of the occasion. I don't remember the crane drivers' salute, but now I want to go and read about the event, because the name Havengore doesn't ring any bells.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see you've revived this blog; I had got out of the habit of checking, so apologies for the late reply!
You are quite right, of course - it was 1965. I don't know where my brain was when I wrote that!
ReplyDeleteIt's well worth watching the BBC's live broadcast on the i-player archive - for the views of London, if nothing else. Its noticeable how grimy the buildings in Whitehall are. I'd forgotten that that's how it was back then.
It's also noticeable that Dimbleby kept quiet for quite long periods and just let the pictures speak for themselves. The present generation should take note.
Good to see you here again. I hope with time there'll be some more conversation here.