By Lisa Trainer

LADY MARY SOAMES, the daughter of Winston Churchill, unveiled a bronze plaque at Dundee University yesterday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her father’s election as the city’s MP.

Members of various Winston Churchill groups, historians from around the country and local office-bearers gathered to watch the ceremony at the Heathfield teaching block.

Lady Soames said she was “delighted” to be back in a city that held so many memories for her father.

She told her audience, “I first visited here over 80 years ago as a baby of only seven weeks old. A newspaper at the time ran a picture of me in my mother’s arms in Dundee and had the caption Churchill’s wife and ‘her un-baptised child!’

“There was a strong political tide flowing against him and he was suffering from appendicitis at the time he was trying to be re-elected.

“Despite holding a seat for 14 years he did lose out at the elections in 1922. I can remember him saying to us ‘I’ve lost my seat, my office, my party and my appendix’.”

Lady Soames said her mother stood in for the MP in the city and was used to attending meetings which could become quite “rowdy and rough.”

She added, “It’s nice to return all these years later and have my father fondly remembered.”

The plaque, to be displayed at the gable end of St Paul’s Cathedral, charts Churchill’s time in the city as well as other key dates from his life.

Dundee University principal Sir Alan Langlands said that the institution was proud to be acknowledging Churchill’s legacy and commemorating the centenary of his election as MP.

During his time in Dundee there was much growth and development for the city, and this success continued after his period here, Sir Alan said.

Lord Provost John Letford gave a speech saying the day “means so much to so many” and said the view that the people of Dundee did not care about Churchill had been proved wrong.

Following the ceremony Mr Letford said, “Lots of effort has been put into making this such a wonderful day. I hope this finally puts to rest the ghosts of the past and demonstrate that the affection of the people is there to see. It would be churlish to miss out this accolade for him. All in all this has been a great event for the Churchill family and for Dundee.”

Churchill was returned to Westminster by Dundee voters on May 9, 1908 and continued to represent the city until 1922, when he was unceremoniously booted out in favour of prohibition candidate Neddy Scrimgeour.

The date was considered so significant that a party of 50 overseas visitors, all members of the Churchill Centre, made a pilgrimage to various Dundee sites associated with the election victory.

A Churchill exhibition is also being held at the university, whose archivist Pat Whatley said it contained material that looked at his early life, his time in Dundee, “statesman years” from the two world wars and his later years.

She added, “His impact in Dundee was far-reaching and the fact that 20,000 people voted for him in elections speaks volumes about how popular a figure he was.

“In 1943 he was offered Freedom of the City and although he did turn it down there is a lot of hearsay and folk say about what truly happened.

“A lot of the issues Winston was dealing with are issues that are very relevant to us today with the war in Iraq.”

Texan couple Molly and Marcus Frost, in Dundee for the day’s celebrations, unveiled a plaque at the Queen’s Hotel to mark the visits Churchill had paid there. Both are members of the Churchill Centre and Cabinet War Rooms.

Mr Frost said, “I thought the whole of the day’s events have shown how welcoming a place Dundee is. It has been quite emotional to finally come here after reading so much about Churchill’s time as MP in this city and to have Mary Soames here too is great.”