Images of former prime minister Winston Churchill which have not been seen for decades have been released to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.

The pictures, from the archives of long defunct national newspaper, the Daily Herald, which include images of Churchill's state funeral in 1965, have rarely been seen since they were published in the newspaper, the National Media Museum said.

Covering the period from 1911 to the mid-1960s, the archive includes photographs of Churchill from all aspects of his life including his days in the military, the highs and lows of his political career, family pictures, his fondness for animals and even boyhood portraits collected retrospectively for his obituary, a museum spokesman said.

"The prime minister stands defiant, cigar clenched between his teeth, fingers raised in a victory salute," he said.

"This iconic image is what many people call to mind when they hear the name Winston Churchill.

"To mark the 50th anniversary of Churchill's death on January 24 1965, we have selected some quite different, rarely seen, photographs of him from the Daily Herald newspaper archive."

He continued: "As well as some fantastic images of his funeral, there are unusual images of Churchill feeding the albino kangaroo given to him as a gift by the Stockowner's Association of South Australia, the first image of Churchill (looking battered and bruised) after his car crash in 1931 and an image of him as a six-year-old boy."

To view the images, go to www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/CollectionSelections/picturing-churchill