In marketing terms, Brigg ought surely to be making more capital of the following information viewable on the internet for would-be visitors the world over to read...
Winston Churchill, war-time Prime Minister, stayed at the Exchange, in Bigby Street, during the Second World War.
There have long been rumours about him coming to the Exchange while visiting a factory in Scunthorpe which was vital to the success of the Pipeline Under The Ocean (PLUTO) Project, taking supplies across the England Channel after the 1944 D-Day invasion.
However, there's the confirmation of the story on the Exchange's own website.
www.exchangebrigg.co.uk
PS Ignore the description of the "young" Winston staying there, as he was born in November, 1874 and was in his late 60s. Despite all that stress, heavy drinking and puffing on huge cigars, he lived to be 90 and didn't die until 1965. For the benefit of Brigg Blog comment poster-in-chief, Ken Harrison, who thinks we can find a railway angle in any topic, we should add that Southern Region loco No 34051, named Sir Winston Churchill in his honour, was specially chosen to haul the train carrying the great statesman's coffin.
He also survived a number of heart attacks - info was covered up during WW2; he suffered from what he called the 'Black Dog' - severe psychotic depressive episodes.
ReplyDelete....and I was on the motor launch that carried his coffin down the Thames, a couple of months ago..........and he dictated letters to his secretary while he took a bath.
Scribs - if you read the historian's description (properly!) it suggests that WS stayed at The Exchange sometime during his young shaver years and returned in WW2 to visit Scunny steelworks.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know wot source material the historian is gaining his evidence.
Ps Queen Victoria slept at my house.