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Far Cough 8:00 Tue Jan 20
One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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50 years to the day that the great man was laid to rest.
I distinctly remember it was a cold grey day and the old dockers cranes in the pool of London, lowering their jibs as his barge sailed past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Xkr8z3lEo
Beautiful rendition of I Vow to Thee....
BBC:
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. His father was the prominent Tory politician, Lord Randolph Churchill. Churchill attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, before embarking on an army career. He saw action on the North West Frontier of India and in the Sudan. While working as a journalist during the Boer War he was captured and made a prisoner-of-war before escaping.
In 1900, Churchill became Conservative member of parliament for Oldham. But he became disaffected with his party and in 1904 joined the Liberal Party. When the Liberals won the 1905 election, Churchill was appointed undersecretary at the Colonial Office. In 1908 he entered the Cabinet as president of the Board of Trade, becoming home secretary in 1910. The following year he became first lord of the Admiralty. He held this post in the first months of World War One but after the disastrous Dardanelles expedition, for which he was blamed, he resigned. He joined the army, serving for a time on the Western Front. In 1917, he was back in government as minister of munitions. From 1919 to 1921 he was secretary of state for war and air, and from 1924-1929 was chancellor of the exchequer.
The next decade were his 'wilderness years', in which his opposition to Indian self-rule and his support for Edward VIII during the 'Abdication Crisis' made him unpopular, while his warnings about the rise of Nazi Germany and the need for British rearmament were ignored. When war broke out in 1939, Churchill became first lord of the Admiralty. In May 1940, Neville Chamberlain resigned as prime minister and Churchill took his place. His refusal to surrender to Nazi Germany inspired the country. He worked tirelessly throughout the war, building strong relations with US President Roosevelt while maintaining a sometimes difficult alliance with the Soviet Union.
Churchill lost power in the 1945 post-war election but remained leader of the opposition, voicing apprehensions about the Cold War (he popularised the term 'Iron Curtain') and encouraging European and trans-Atlantic unity. In 1951, he became prime minister again. He resigned in 1955, but remained an MP until shortly before his death. As well as his many political achievements, he left a legacy of an impressive number of publications and in 1953 won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Churchill died on 24 January 1965 and was given a state funeral.
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Eddie B
11:45 Fri Jan 30
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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The Havengore goes under Tower Bridge today at 12.45pm
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Far Cough
11:42 Fri Jan 30
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Replay of funeral on BBC Parliament
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Dr Congo
12:11 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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I was also suspicious of the docker being too young to speak with any authority, it sounded like something he'd heard down the pub. He should have been pressed gently but of course if he then says "my dad told me about it" the Beeb loses the exclusive angle they would have been desperate for.
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defjam
11:56 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Northern Sold 11:53 - Maybe the MEDWAY bit?
FC - I did arrange to meet Ted but he went out that day! :-(
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Far Cough
11:53 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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You must have met ted in his winkle pickers and drainpipe trousers?
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Northern Sold
11:53 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Yeah you have a point about Clacton DJ... it's almost like a part of Kent broke off and floated it's way up the Essex coast??
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Far Cough
11:52 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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ag ag ag
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defjam
11:37 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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NS - I know i was there SON!
I went to the CLACTON airshow, it was like going back in time and i'm not just talking about the Lancasters!
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Northern Sold
11:34 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Defjam... we had TWO (2) Lancaster Bombers stationed over ROCHFORD last Summer... quite a sight seeing those 2 beauties flying side by side.... Oh and if you Kent boys try anything wit your ickle fighters we will send the big boys over (2 x lans 1 x Vulcan)... you've been warned
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defjam
11:26 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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LEGENDARY Spitfires and Hurricanes are set to mass in the skies above Sevenoaks to create the biggest fighter formation seen since the Second World War.
Vintage planes from across Britain will take off from Biggin Hill and fly a series of sorties over southern England.
More than 20 aircraft - including the last four Hurricanes still operational in Britain - are being lined up for the ultimate flypast this summer to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Organisers at Biggin Hill’s Heritage Hangar have chosen Tuesday, August 18, for the spectacle – the date of The Hardest Day, when dogfighting in Kent’s skies reached its savage peak.
Robin Brooks from the Hangar told the Chronicle the mass formation will break up into three flights after taking off from Biggin Hill.
“The first flight will head down to the Isle of Wight, over the Solent and Portsmouth before returning back to Biggin,” he said.
“The second will fly east over Dover, Hawkinge and the national memorial at Capel-le-Ferne.
“And the third will pass over West Malling, Detling and Gravesend before returning to patrol over Biggin in an act of protecting the airfield while the first two flights return from the Isle of Wight and Dover and land. Once they’re down, the patrolling aircraft will come in - as was the case of Nos 32 and 610 Squadrons in August 1940.”
Robin stressed the event is still in the planning stages and the number of aircraft is yet to be finalised.
The Heritage Hangar - based on the edge of the airfield - rebuilds, maintains and operates vintage warplanes for public and private events.
But, in preparation for the anniversary flight, it has also started the mammoth task of tracing some of the service veterans and civilians who survived the Battle of Britain and the Blitz so that it can invite them to watch the flypast as VIPs at Biggin Hill.
Read more: http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Legendary-Spitfires-Hurricanes-set-Biggin-Hill/story-25884642-detail/story.html#ixzz3QCfAwF1N
Follow us: @7OaksChronicle on Twitter | sevenoakschronicle on Facebook
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Northern Sold
11:26 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Eddie B 11:17 Thu Jan 29
I was a coffin bearer at my Nan's funeral (along with me dad, Uncles bro in laws etc) .... those things weigh a ton... my fear was that we would drop her and the old girl would roll down the aisle...
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Far Cough
11:22 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Yeah but that means I have to go to KENT
Still, thankyou please
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defjam
11:20 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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FC Theres a big fly by in KENT later this year.
A shit load of Spitfires taking off from Biggin Hill then splitting up and flying around KENT!
Can't wait.
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Eddie B
11:19 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Yes, I wondered why they didn't have any WWII planes going over. Would've been much more poignant.
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Far Cough
11:18 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Love those old Lightnings, would have been better if a few Lancasters and Spitfires had done a flyby
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Eddie B
11:17 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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I thought the programme was, overall, excellent, though.
The story from the soldier that they almost dropped the coffin on the steps of St Pauls was amazing. Imagine that!
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Monk~koknee
11:16 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02532/81188125_2532635b.jpg
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Far Cough
11:12 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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Yes Eddie, I thought he was too young, even younger than me, still, Paxman lapped it up
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Far Cough
11:11 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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That's the picture link I posted earlier
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1964
11:09 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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In the Upper Pool of London between Tower Bridge and London Bridge the cranes were mostly on the south side and these were the cranes dipped for the funeral. There were some on the north side along from the Tower but not as many - picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_of_London#mediaviewer/File:Upper_Pool_1.jpg
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Eddie B
11:09 Thu Jan 29
Re: One for the old farts: Winston Churchill
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I was minus 6.
Just remembered something - I read once that Milwall used to kick off on Saturdays late, to give their fans time to finish work and get to the ground (anyone else heard this?).
So, if that's true, then dockers DID use to work on Saturdays, so what this fella was saying was bollocks. Also, how old was he, do you think? He didn't look much older than 65-68 ish, ie a teenager in 1965.
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