Often cited as the nation’s most popular prime minister, Winston Churchill – who died 60 years ago – was one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. He was also our local MP. Emily Allen reports
The ‘British Bulldog’ Winston Churchill guided Britain through the Second World War, gave rousing speeches that have gone down in history… and also represented the areas of Wanstead and Woodford as an MP for over four decades.
Winston Churchill was born in 1874 at his family’s ancestral home, Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire. He first entered Parliament in 1900 as a Conservative MP for Oldham. In 1904, he switched to the Liberal Party and won the seat of Manchester North West. After holding several cabinet positions, Churchill was elected as MP for Epping in 1924, which incorporated Wanstead and Woodford. He won the seat with a large majority and went on to rejoin the Conservative Party.
Among Churchill’s supporters was Woodford Urban District Council chairman Sir Alfred James Hawkey, the namesake of Sir James Hawkey Hall in Woodford Green, which Churchill would open in 1955. In May 1936, Churchill spoke in favour of the Wanstead and Woodford District Council’s application to become a borough. It was a success, and he presented the new borough with a mace, which is still owned by Redbridge.
After succeeding Neville Chamberlain as prime minister in 1939, and leading Britain to victory in 1945, Churchill became MP for the newly-created constituency of Woodford, which also incorporated Wanstead, following a change to constituency boundaries. He held this seat until his retirement from politics in 1964. While serving as prime minister during the war, Churchill was unable to visit his constituency, but his wife Clementine did, and in 1941, she opened a restaurant in Woodford Green as part of a Ministry of Food initiative. Churchill supported many charitable functions to shore up the war effort. A War Weapons Week was held in 1941 with Churchill as president, which raised over £900,000. Later events, such as a Churchill Week in Woodford, raised £265,108 for the war effort, roughly the cost of 13 tanks at the time. During his time as MP, Churchill maintained a strong majority. He led the Conservative Party back to power in 1951, his second term as prime minister.
A statue of Churchill was erected in Woodford in 1959, with Churchill and his wife present at the unveiling. In 1968, a bust was erected outside the former local Conservative Association in Wanstead (now The Bull pub).
Churchill continued to represent Woodford even after stepping down as prime minister in 1955 and remained active in Parliament well into his 80s. Churchill died at the age of 90 in 1965, and thousands of people lined the streets to watch the funeral cortege travel to St Paul’s Cathedral. Many of them will have remembered him as the prime minister who won the war, but for residents here, he was the man who had served them and their constituency until the end.
Emily Allen is a freelance writer. For more information, visit swvg.co.uk/allen
