Churchill was an abusive, ill-humoured patient, reveals nurse’s diary

LONDON - Former UK Primer Minister Winston Churchill was a terrible patient, according to a diary that was kept by his personal nurse during a cruise in 1960.

The cruise on SY Christina had been designed for Churchill to recuperate from a neck injury he suffered after a fall in London.

In the diary, nurse Muriel Thomson recorded how she attempted to help the former war leader’s recovery with deep breathing exercises.

“..this treatment was not received with much enthusiasm! Patient difficult and ill humoured,” the Daily Mail quoted her as having written in the diary.n another entry she wrote: “2.30am - Proceeded to bang a hole in the wall with a glass urinal most abusive to Mr Howells - cause unknown.”

“His abusiveness continued throughout the morning!”

And another read: “Most uncooperative during the early part of the morning. Out of bed for the first time.”

But there were some worrying entries as well, describing his state of mind.

“Seemed unable to co-ordinate his thoughts with his speech. This inability to say what he wanted to appeared to distress him a good deal,” Thomson had written.

Thomson’s family had four years ago auctioned off the diary for 9,000 pounds, and now it has once again been put up for sale by a private collector. (ANI)