January 1, 1970

Churchill was the longest serving MP in the twentieth century (he was first elected on 1 October 1900), serving for nearly sixty four years, although his span wasn’t continuous (he wasn’t an MP for a short time in 1908 or between 1922 and 1924).

As his physical and mental condition gradually deteriorated, he became more melancholy. Inevitably his final years were marked by the death of old friends – Lord Cherwell (the ‘Prof’), Brendan Bracken – and family troubles beset the Churchills. Clementine was often unwell herself, his children variously battled alcoholism and depression and his daughter Diana took her own life in 1963; neither Churchill nor Clementine were well enough to attend her funeral but both managed to get to her crowded memorial service on 31 October 1963.