Aug. 21, 1962 - Sir Winston Churchill returned to his London home today after 54 days in Middlesex Hospital convalescing from a fractured thigh. Smoking his ever-present cigar, he smiled, raised his hat, and gave his famous V for Victory sign to the crowd that cheered him in front of the hospital and his Hyde Park Gate home. “Isn’t he beautiful?” shouted a woman. “He’s a ruddy marvel,” a man answered. The crowd at the hospital shouted, “Good old Winnie!” and “God bless you, Winnie” as the ambulance drove off. They and millions of others have anxiously followed every detail of the recovery of the 87-year-old wartime leader. He broke his left femur in a fall in a Monte Carlo hotel June 28. Sir Winston has taken a few steps but is still unable to walk normally, hospital sources reported. During Sir Winston’s stay at the hospital, seven secretaries worked full time acknowledging the avalanche of letters, telegrams, and gifts showered upon the statesman.
