Churchill's War Rooms

So we had a trip to London  to attend a garden party- lots of plonk and finger food and drunkenness!

Before that we visited Churchill's War Cabinet Rooms.

Then  a coach party came in, so we left.

This shows the building in Westminster, and the underground location of the war rooms.

Here's where Churchill had a room/cupboard so he could call the POTUS and have a confidential conversation.

Churchill hated noise. All the typewriters had a 'silencer' so they didn't  make a clickity clack noise.

Doors had to be keep shut. 

One of the great orators of our time. He was a skilled writer of course.

This is a bad photo of the centre of command, part of the map room. The walls are covered in maps with thousands of coloured drawing pins marking ever changing borders and battle lines.

In the middle of the room was a line of coloured telephones that kept the information up to date.

Everybody was down there. This was called the 'dock' a basement in the basement where the staff slept. There were 12 typists who worked a 12 hour shift, 6 on each shift giving 24 hour cover. They had a sunlamp in the dock to help fight the effects of day light deprivation.

This was Clemmie Churchill's bedroom when she was staying in London and there was an air raid. They could be nightly occurrences for months on end.

One of the 'silent' typewriters.

I've just sat behind a man with a very noisy keyboard for the five hour train journey from Glasgow to London so I'm with Churchill on this one.

The cabinet  for the cabinet! The crockery cabinet for the governmental war cabinet. Churchill had a coalition cabinet due to the risk to the country.

The meeting room.

Churchill had the big seat in the middle at the back.

Cutlery for the dining room.

This was the weather forecast system. When it said Windy, it meant there was an air raid on.

We have this sign in work.

Nobody pays any attention.

The toilet!

Note the other toilet under the bed!

Close up of said item.

How they worked! In  bed, then got up mid morning and attended meetings. But they probably had been up most of the night with the noise of the air raids.

Churchill only has 2 detectives as his security. This is their quarters.

At one point the coverings have been stripped back to show the reinforced fabric of the basement.

Concrete 2 and 3 metres thick in places,  plus steel girders for extra protection.

Even then, it would not have withstood a direct hit.