Writer who was Churchill's last child
LONDON -- Mary Soames, who was the last surviving child of British World War II leader Winston Churchill, has died. She was 91.
Her son Nicholas Soames said she died Saturday evening after a short illness.
"She was a distinguished writer and led a distinguished life, with her service in the war, and is part of that generation which is passing," he said Sunday. He said it was "extraordinary timing" that Churchill's last remaining child died just before the 70th anniversary of D-Day, which is Friday.
"It is the great swing of history," he said.
Mary Soames was born Sept. 15, 1922, the youngest of five children of Churchill and his wife, Clementine.
As her father led Britain's fight against Nazi Germany during World War II, Soames joined the Red Cross and later served in London, Belgium and Germany with anti-aircraft batteries of the army's Auxiliary Territorial Service.
She also accompanied her father on several overseas journeys, including the postwar planning conference in Potsdam, Germany, attended by U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
After the war, she married Conservative politician Christopher Soames.
Mary Soames wrote several books about her family and worked with many nonprofit groups.
Metro on 06/03/2014