| On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by eightonedee at 09:37, 30th January 2025 |     |
Unusually, our local Reach group paper (the Reading Chronicle) has been useful today, drawing to my attention an anniversary today with Railway connections.
Churchill's funeral took place 60 years ago today. His coffin was taken by train (hauled by a Bulleid pacific bearing his name) to its burial at Bladon in Oxfordshire. I can still recall standing (as an 8 year old) by the railway near the New Hill railway bridge in Purley and watching the train go past. Are there any other forum members with similar memories?
Edited to correct spelling of Bladon - thanks Chris
| Re: On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by broadgage at 10:53, 30th January 2025 | |
I remember hearing of the death of Sir Winston Churchill on the radio, and then watching the funeral on TV at a relatives home.
I presume that the funeral train passed through my local station, New Malden, but do not recall watching it.
ANOTHER event the recollection of which that makes me feel very old.
I recall a now late relative saying that "without Winston, we would all be speaking german now" They used to send Christmas cards with the wording "if you are reading this in English, give thanks to a soldier"
| Re: On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by ChrisB at 11:45, 30th January 2025 | |
Yes, I watched the whole thing on TV with my parents.
H's buried in Bladon churchyard, taken there from Hanborough station in a hurse.
Bladon was the local estate church to his birthplace at Blenheim.
| Re: On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by chuffed at 15:41, 30th January 2025 | |
Love the typo spelling of hurse. I look forward to reading about hurse drawn horses.....for clarification the spelling of hurse is hearse.
| Re: On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:09, 30th January 2025 | |
| Re: On this day - state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 30 January 1965 Posted by ChrisB at 18:33, 30th January 2025 | |
Love the typo spelling of hurse. I look forward to reading about hurse drawn horses.....for clarification the spelling of hurse is hearse.
That was my mistake....oops!
