'We saw tele again today. We watched for about 10 minutes Winston Churchill's coffin, covered by the Union Jack, Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall. Thousands of people were going past remembering the great man.

The head called us 'animals' and 'greedy little beasts' in supper tonight. She also said that anyone who went on 'Spares' would be punished.I don't know what I'll do I'll just have to trot on E and hope for the best.

We had double french today, I was dead bored. I thought it would never end. Oh well, night night I've got to learn my history for a test.'

Explanatory Notes:
'Spares' was where you queued if you did not have a place or a meal partner to sit by.

I can't recall what we had done to be called 'greedy little beasts' or what the significance of 'E' was, except it was a table.

I do remember a standard size black and white TV being placed centre stage so we could all see the broadcasts relating to the death of Churchill- albeit from a distance!

We watched the Lying-in-State, as described in the diary entry. On the 30th January 1965 the entire school assembled again, this time to watch the State Funeral.

Later on we were to hear Churchill's finest Wartime speeches played on a record player in the hall. We all sat and listened with varying degrees of attentiveness. We were teenagers after all and we had not experienced war, except through the stories our parents told us.