Nov. 29, 1964 - Sir Winston Churchill, who will be 90 tomorrow, waved his greetings to a cheering crowd of well‐wishers outside his London home this afternoon. Sir Winston stood for nearly three minutes at the open window, brusquely rejecting an offer of support from his wife at one point. He smiled occasionally as the rain‐sodden crowd roared its approval.
Wearing a green velvet siren suit, which he made famous during the war, Sir Winston acknowledged the shouts by waving frequently, sometimes with both hands. He finally turned away, and the celebration appeared at an end. Suddenly, however, the curtains parted, and he was at the window again. Photographers sprang back into action and the crowd of about 300 roared with delight. Then he was gone again.
The good‐natured crowd included many Americans. It sang “Happy Birthday to You” in the hope of getting the now frail wartime leader to return. It also sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and raised three cheers, but the curtains remained closed.
Finally, a radiant Lady Churchill opened the window to say that Sir Winston would not be coming back.
“I’m saving him for tomorrow,” she explained.
She thanked the crowd and was thanked in turn. The knot of people began to disperse slowly. But a group of Girl Scouts and an elderly man waited outside the front door at 28 Hyde Park Gate, eager to pass in personal messages.
A member of Sir Winston’s staff took an envelope from the girls and waited until the man had written a brief note on a card.
The elderly man, wearing a beret and carrying a walking stick, said he had come from the Netherlands to see Sir Winston. It was his first trip to England.
“I was in the Resistance,” he said, answering questions reluctantly. “I spent five years in prison camps, but I’ve survived everything thanks to Churchill. We’ve all survived thanks to him.”
He declined to give his name or to say what message he had written.
“That will be my secret with Sir Winston and Lady Churchill,” he said, and strode off briskly toward Kensington Gardens, a block north of the quiet, residential street.
As the hundreds of people drifted away, postmen and messengers continued to arrive with birthday messages from all over the world. Many were from world leaders, honoring the man who has become a legend in his own lifetime.
For Sir Winston, his 90th birthday will be a quiet day. His private secretary, Anthony Montague Brown, said there would be a small dinner party for the family and close friends — 14 guests in all.
Prime Minister Harold Wilson will pay a visit early in the day to convey the greetings of the House of Commons, which Sir Winston served for 62 years.
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