Britain marks 50 years since wartime leader Churchill's funeral

LONDON - Britain on Friday marked 50 years since the state funeral of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with the boat which carried his coffin in 1965 retracing its journey down London's River Thames.

Britain's current leader, David Cameron, began the commemorative events by laying a wreath at a statue of Churchill in parliament delivering a message that praised him as one of Britain's greatest ever statesmen.

Churchill, remembered across the world for announcing the Allies' victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 by raising his hand shaping a V-sign, died on Jan. 24, 1965 aged 90.

His state funeral was the world's largest at the time, attended by leaders from more than 100 countries, as well as Britain's Queen Elizabeth, an unusual honour for a Prime Minister.