Winston Churchill's Parrot
is still alive at 104 and still cursing the Nazis.
From the
U.K. Mirror:
bq. SHE WAS at Winston Churchill's side during Britain's darkest hour. And now Charlie the parrot is 104 years old...and still cursing the Nazis.
bq. Her favourite sayings were "F*** Hitler" and "F*** the Nazis". And even today, 39 years after the great man's death, she can still be coaxed into repeating them with that unmistakable Churchillian inflection.
bq. Many an admiral or peer of the realm was shocked by the tirade from the bird's cage during crisis meetings with the PM.
bq. But it always brought a smile to the war leader's face.
bq. Churchill bought Charlie - giving him a boy's name despite the fact she was female - in 1937.
bq. She took pride of place in a bizarre menagerie of pets including lambs, pigs, cattle, swans and, at one point, a leopard.
bq. He immediately began to teach her to swear - particularly in company - and she is keeping up the tradition today.
bq. The blue and gold macaw is believed to be Britain's oldest bird.
bq. The title was previously thought to belong to 80-year-old Cokky the cockatoo.
bq. But it can be proved Charlie is at least 104 and was born in the 19th century.
Posted by DaveH at January 19, 2004 11:44 AM