S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. Bandaranaike joined his Sinhala Maha Sabha in forming the UNP in 1947 having given the impression that Senanayake would soon retire and he would succeed him. With no signs of Senanayake retiring and conflicts with Senanayake on hard line nationalist policies of he had, in 1951, Bandaranaike resigned from his posts and dissolved the Sinhala Maha Sabha and established the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Senanayake assumed the portfolio of Health and Local Government held by Bandaranaike and began countering his break in parliament for the next few months. Death On the morning of Friday, 21 March 1952, Senanayake took his usual pre-breakfast ride on Galle Face Green, a short distance from his official residence Temple Trees. He was riding the one of his favorite horses Chitra a mare belonging to the mounted police. Accompanying him on that day was Sir Richard Aluwihare, the IGP; G.G. Ponnambalam, a cabinet minister and Inspector Eddie Grey. The horse broke into a gallop from a canter and went on for a mile, when suddenly the Prime Minister fell off the saddle. He was taken to a nursing home where he remained unconscious for the next thirty-two hours. It was believed that he had suffered a stroke. He was treated by Dr M. V. P. Pieris, Ceylon's seniormost surgeon and a team of Professors from the University of Manitoba who had been visiting Ceylon as part of a WHO medical mission. A radio message was sent for Sir Hugh Cairns, who decided to fly out to Ceylon to attend the Prime Minister. Winston Churchill order a RAF Hastings with a double crew to take Sir Hugh. However the aircraft with three more doctors and two nurses was taxiing to take off when the message was received that it was too late as the Prime Minister's situation was deteriorating. Two more neurosurgeons from India and Pakistan had reached Colombo too late to make a difference. Senanayake died at 3:30 pm on 22 March 1952. His remains were taken to Temple Trees, where they lay until the next morning when they were moved to the House of Representatives to lay in state, with over half a million persons showing their respects. His state funeral followed with over 32,000 people taking part in the funeral procession with the stage barring the coffin drawn by sailors of the Royal Ceylon Navy. The procession