The 24 January 1965 saw the death of the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill aged 90. He died at his London home nine days after suffering a severe stroke on the morning of Sunday, 24 January 1965. Coincidentally it was 70 years to the day after his own father's death.
On this day back in 1965
the state funeral took place, in London, of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill had been a young soldier in India, the Sudan and the Second Boer War. He was also a historian, a writer, and an artist.
As a politician he had held many positions in government having served in Asquith's Liberal administration before he switched parties to serve as a Conservative.
It was the biggest state funeral of its kind since the burial of the Duke of Wellington in 1852 and one of the iconic images was of the cranes on the River Thames dipping in salute as the barge carrying his coffin passed them by.
