It is now 50 years since the death of Sir Winston Churchill. A poll in 2002 named him the greatest Briton of all time, and he was also the first person to be an honorary citizen in the USA.

Beyond his outstanding, unique leadership and the charismatic resonance of his remarkable voice, “Our Winnie” was deeply loved as a father figure, across the spectrum of our society during the dark days of the Second World War.

I vividly recall VE Day with loving memories. A small group of us in the Women’s Royal Navy Service had just come off night duty, and the buzz in the air was so strong that we just had to be in London to celebrate with the rest of the world.

We made our ways along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where the King and Queen were standing on the balcony with Winston Churchill.

Suddenly our dear Winston was left alone to acknowledge the overwhelming crowd.

We all went mad with excitement, shouting and waving in love and profound gratitude for our highly esteemed wartime leader, who had inspired us all with his constant reassurance that “We would fight them on the beaches . . . We would never ever surrender!’’ Our beloved country so desperately needs that great strength of leadership today, to protect our precious core values, our freedom of speech, and the defence of our shores; during this uneasy time in our deeply troubled world.

As is written: “United we stand! Divided we fall!”

Mary Ratcliffe Ex WRNS Old Town Swindon