Post by siampolee on Jan 22, 2024 12:10:35 GMT 7
This is my favourite, and although I don’t know whether it is true, I could well believe it.
Churchill died in January 1965. He was to be given a State Funeral (the last in Britain until that of Queen Elizabeth II).
Clearly there had been much advance planning, in which he was involved. He did not want General de Gaulle invited, as he felt (rightly) that de Gaulle disliked the Anglo-Saxons greatly.
However, to avoid a diplomatic incident, he agreed that he should be invited, on one condition.
That was that the funeral train taking his coffin to Blenheim (a few miles from Oxford) should not leave from Paddington (the natural station). Instead it should leave from Waterloo Station, so that de Gaulle would have to walk under the Victory Arch there.
Churchill died in January 1965. He was to be given a State Funeral (the last in Britain until that of Queen Elizabeth II).
Clearly there had been much advance planning, in which he was involved. He did not want General de Gaulle invited, as he felt (rightly) that de Gaulle disliked the Anglo-Saxons greatly.
However, to avoid a diplomatic incident, he agreed that he should be invited, on one condition.
That was that the funeral train taking his coffin to Blenheim (a few miles from Oxford) should not leave from Paddington (the natural station). Instead it should leave from Waterloo Station, so that de Gaulle would have to walk under the Victory Arch there.
