50th Anniversary Of Churchill's Funeral To Be Marked With River Procession

James Drury
By James Drury Last edited 110 months ago
50th Anniversary Of Churchill's Funeral To Be Marked With River Procession

The 50th anniversary of Churchill's funeral will be marked with a recreation of the journey his coffin took down the Thames. Photo by akirbs via the Londonist Flickr pool.

A worldwide television audience of 350 million people watched Winston Churchill's funeral when it took place in 1965. Now, to mark the 50th anniversary of that event, the boat which carried his coffin down the River Thames will retrace its journey.

Starting at HMS President at 12.40pm on 30 January, the Havengore will travel under Tower Bridge — which will be raised to mark the occasion — before continuing past HMS Belfast, which will deliver a four gun salute. It will then make its journey to the Houses of Parliament, where a short service and wreath-laying will take place.

The Havengore will be accompanied by vessels from Trinity House, the Port of London Authority, the River Police and the RNLI.

The BBC has archive footage of the funeral.

Last Updated 20 January 2015