Clement Attlee died of pneumonia at Westminster Hospital in London on 8 October 1967, aged 84. He had served as Britain’s Labour Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951 and remained party leader until 1955.

Labour defeated Winston Churchill’s Conservatives in the July 1945 general election, and Attlee became Prime Minister. His government established the National Health Service, which began operating in 1948, and extended social security through the National Insurance Act 1946. Coal mining, railways and electricity were also brought into public ownership.

These measures were introduced as Britain recovered from the Second World War. Food shortages and rationing continued, and the government faced serious financial difficulties.

Attlee had previously served as Deputy Prime Minister in Churchill’s wartime coalition. After Labour lost the 1951 election, he remained party leader for another four years. He was made Earl Attlee in 1955 and continued serving in the House of Lords.

His ashes were buried in Westminster Abbey on 7 November 1967, during a memorial service.