August 2, 2015

Finest Hour 167, Special Issue 2015

Page 18

By Robert O’Brien

Winston Churchill Will Never Be Forgotten. That was the message reverberating through the hallowed halls of the historic Trinity College Chapel at the University of Toronto on 24 January 2015. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s death, The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy and the John W. Graham Library at Trinity College hosted a commemorative ceremony based on the original Order of Service for Sir Winston’s funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral.

The idea originated with Linda Corman, Head Librarian at Trinity College and a director of the Society. Trinity College is home to one of the world’s largest collections of books by and about Churchill, acquired over thirty years from generous donors and fundraising efforts. So it was natural that the service be held in the same college where the Churchill Collection has been preserved and maintained. As with Churchill’s actual funeral, planning for this event required much time. The response was overwhelming. With Churchillians from far and wide coming to pay their respects, registration had to be closed off early.

When the day came John Plumpton, former Chairman of The Churchill Centre, set the stage by recalling the plans for and details of the funeral. After these opening remarks, the pomp and ceremony of the original order of the funeral service was recreated in the Trinity College chapel, which was the last work of British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed Liverpool Cathedral and the famous British red telephone booths. The Archbishop of Toronto, the Most Reverend Colin Johnson, presided at the ceremony, which included recitation of the original readings, prayers, psalms and hymns with accompaniment by organ, full choir, and bugler.

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Rousing renditions of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, O God Our Help In Ages Past and the National Anthems of Great Britain and Canada stirred all in attendance in the same way that mourners at St Paul’s Cathedral were moved fifty years ago. Corporal Jonathan Elliotson, Bugler of The Governor-General’s Horse Guards, pierced hearts with The Last Post  and Reveille.

At the reception that followed, Linda Corman proudly showed some of the treasures from the Churchill Collection, and Chairman Joel Watson officially toasted the memory of Sir Winston. For those who remembered the events of 1965, it was a poignant return to the past. For the many young people in attendance born after 1965, including Ontario Legislative Interns sponsored by the Society, it brought an important part of history to life. Sir Winston and his legacy live in the hearts and minds of Canadians into the twenty-first century.

Canada’s longest serving prime minister, William L. Mackenzie King, worked with Churchill throughout the Second World War. After a post-war meeting with Churchill he wrote in his diary on 25 November 1947:

“I felt that perhaps in more respects than one he was the greatest man of our time. Not by any means the greatest in any one field but rather in a combination of fields—in the aggregate. I felt that his great knowledge of history, which gave him a great outlook, would cause him to speak with authority, causing other men to realize how little their knowledge and vision really was. The form with which he expressed his views was what gave him his great influence.”

Former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner was twelve years old when Churchill arrived in Ottawa to address Parliament—not a forgettable event:

“Even though it was seven decades ago, I still vividly remember meeting Churchill. It was on 30 December 1941, when the British Prime Minister was in the House of Commons in Ottawa, delivering one of his most famous speeches [Some chicken! Some neck!]….I was with my mother and sister outside the House of Commons listening to the speech relayed by loudspeakers. Churchill was already a hero in Canada and there was a tremendous crowd. Unlike many politicians, he came out after his speech and mingled with the crowd, a gesture that was deeply moving. As Churchill came down the driveway, my mother introduced herself and then introduced my sister and me. The great man looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Good of you to be here, good luck.’ That meeting with the greatest person I ever met became indelible in my memory.”

Robert O’Brien practices law in Toronto.