The 96-year-old contributed far more to the nation than simply ‘the greatest GIF of all time’.
Tributes have been pouring in for former Conservative minister and Bletchley Park codebreaker Baroness Trumpington, who has died aged 96.
Perhaps predictably, many of the messages focused on a now-infamous moment in the House of Lords, which saw her flick a V-sign at Lord King over what she perceived to comment about her age (in fact, as the clip shows, it was probably all a misunderstanding).
The moment, which went viral back in 2011, has been immortalised on Twitter ever since, and many were quick to reference it when news of her death broke.
However, as many pointed out, Lady Trumpington’s contribution to British life went far beyond a simple lapse in parliamentary etiquette.
She was a land girl in the Second World War
Born Jean Alys Campbell-Harris on October 23, 1922, Lady Trumpington was 17 when the Second World War broke out, at which point she was assigned to work the land on a farm belonging to David Lloyd George.
Describing the period, she said: “I hated being a land girl. There were only old men there. The young men had joined up. And it was all apples – no animals.”
She helped Britain defeat the Nazis
Lady Trumpington managed to escape farming for the more exciting world of codebreaking, making use of her German language skills to help interpret secret messages sent by the Nazis.
Speaking about her time cracking German naval signals, she said: “We never, ever talked about our work.
“When our boyfriends asked us what we did, we had a pact … we said we were the girls who decided who got the medals.”
She served in numerous important jobs
Lady Trumpington never reached Cabinet level, but was a vocal figure in the Tory government, with roles in the agriculture and social security as well as the position of Baroness-in-waiting to the Queen.
On top of that, she served in many other roles, including as UK representative to the United Nations Status of Women Commission and, briefly, the mayor of Cambridge.
She wasn’t averse to upsetting people
If you hadn’t guessed from her memorable moment in the Lords chamber, Lady Trumpington didn’t shy away from controversy.
On one occasion she infuriated thousands of animal-lovers who sent her letters of abuse after she suggested that Falklands sheep should be used as sacrificial mine detectors.
“My point was that sheep could be put out of their misery and eaten, whereas men could not,” she said.
She had some excellent stories
It should come as little surprise that, with so many years of experience, Lady Trumpington could spin a yarn. Here’s one, detailed at the start of her autobiography.
DEIR AL BALAH (AP) — Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire.
Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City.
Israel's army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.
The phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza.
Officials say that Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to his Board of Peace, which he has said he will head, marking an important step forward for his Middle East peace plan. The process has moved slowly since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect nearly three months ago.
The U.S. official and another official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would be the board's “designated” director-general. Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as the U.N. envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the U.N. Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020. During that time, he had good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease Israel-Hamas tensions.
Under Trump’s plan, the board would supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far.
On Thursday, Egyptian and European Union leaders met in Cairo and urged the deployment of the international stabilization force. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Hamas still refused to disarm and called the situation “extremely severe."
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10. Continued Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The Israeli military says any actions since the ceasefire began have been in response to violations of the agreement.
The strikes Thursday killed an 11-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor, a teenage girl and two boys in a tent camp, according to relatives and health officials. At least a dozen others were injured, hospital officials said.
Israel’s military said on Thursday that it wasn't aware of any strike-related casualties in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya area, where 11-year-old Hamsa Housou was killed, and didn't immediately comment on the other deaths that were reported that day.
Palestinians inspect the damage at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the damage at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect damaged tents at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the damage at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the damage at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army strike are brought to the morgue at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army strike are brought to the morgue at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Hamas militants search for the remains of Israeli hostage in Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The body of 11-year-old Palestinian girl Hamsa Hosou, killed by Israeli fire in Jabalia, is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The body of 11-year-old Palestinian girl Hamsa Hosou, killed by Israeli fire in Jabalia, is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
