What illness actually caused the death of Randolph Churchill, Sir Winstons son?
A. The best account is in Cousin Randolph by Anita Leslie (London: Hutchinson 1985, page 206: “After the usual examination Dr. Marshall said hesitatingly to Andrew [Kerr, Randolph’s private secretary], who had loved Randolph and merited a truthful explanation, ‘I will have great difficulty in writing out this death certificate to avoid an inquest. A doctor has to write the cause of death and with Randolph the answer is: everything. His liver and kidneys and lungs and guts have all packed up. He’s worn out every organ in his body at the same time.'” The author adds, lyrically: “Randolph would have enjoyed that statement. And although one can never know exactly why he wanted to look out of the window in the early hours, it was as if he had been drawn by the beauty of his garden in the lonely light of dawn. Death filled him with curiosity.
