Letter: Churchill's last journey

Sir: There are many reasons why the funeral train carrying Churchill's body left from Waterloo (letter, 4 February). The station stands very close to the Thames, which was an integral part of the funeral day. The locomotive hauling the train, a Battle of Britain pacific, bore the name Winston Churchill, and this was operated by the Southern region of British Railways, which included Waterloo. The fact that there is a line from there giving access to Oxfordshire via Reading was surely a factor.

The Rev DAVID R BUNNEY

Bedford