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On 24 January 1965 Sir Winston Churchill, the great wartime leader, died at the age of 90. He had been in poor health for several years and had given up his seat in the House Of Commons at the 1964 election. He had spent over 60 years as an MP, representing five different constituencies and two political parties (he was initially a Conservative, joined the Liberals in 1904 and returned to the Conservative party in 1924).
He had not done well at school but went on to be a great speaker, a great leader and wrote two major works, a six volume memoir about WWII and a four volume History of the English speaking Peoples which covered the period from Caesar's invasion until the start of WWI. Owlbut would like it noted that his history starts earlier and finishes later. Churchill was also a painter, loved science and, all in all, a fine example of the fact that just because you do not do well in school you are destined to be a failure.
I am not writing too much here because you can find out loads about him elsewhere. He was granted a full state funeral, normally only given to a monarch and, as far as I can see, only awarded to a commoner on nine other occasions. His body lay in state in Westminster Hall for 3 days and the funeral was held in St Paul's Cathedral and attended by the Queen. His coffin then went by boat along the Thames to Waterloo Station where it was loaded on to a train and taken to St Martin's Church Bladon close to his birthplace at Blenheim Palace.
It was in the same year that capital punishment, which is punishment by death, usually in the UK by hanging, was abolished except for the crime of treason. In 1998 capital punishment was totally abolished.
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