Churchill 'set to fade from memory'

It seems hard to believe amid the current political storm, but research commissioned by the Royal Mint found that, in 80 years' time, people will not recognise the wartime leader.

As part of the survey, carried out to mark this week's 70th anniversary of Churchill's prime ministerial tenure, more than 1,136 people were asked to identify three prominent 20th century PMs including Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

One in five (19 per cent) adults failed to name Churchill, with the figure rising to 32 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds and 44 per cent of those aged 16 to 24.

Following the pattern, researchers projected the rough date when the leaders would no longer be recognised, with Churchill's demise predicted in 80 years' time.

They said the vast majority of those questioned could identify both Mr Blair (97 per cent) and Baroness Thatcher (98 per cent).

But recognition dropped significantly in the 16 to 24-year-old range – 16 per cent failed to identify Baroness Thatcher and more than a quarter (27 per cent) were unable to recognise Mr Blair.

If this downward trend were to continue, Gordon Brown's predecessor would be "extinct" in the public consciousness by 2075, followed by the Iron Lady in 2115, they said.

The survey, which involved people naming black and white headshot photos of the prime ministers, saw Churchill mistaken for Stephen Fry, Robert Hardy, Michael Gambon, Charlie Chaplin, Oliver Hardy, John Betjeman and Roy Hattersley, the Royal Mint said.

And one person even incorrectly identified Tony Blair as David Cameron.

Kevin Clancy, head of Historical Services at the Royal Mint, added: "It's shocking that one of our greatest statesmen runs the risk of potentially being forgotten.

"Churchill remains an historical colossus and is arguably one of the nation's greatest Britons."