Travels with Bob

London’s Churchill War Rooms

By Bob Nesoff

The British have always been known for their phrase of a “stiff upper lip,” meaning to deal with things as they come. But there is another physical attribute that should be a national phrase for them: “a backbone of steel.”

World War II had a devastating impact on the British populace. So-called “buzz bombs” launched from Peenemunde, Germany were rained down on non-military targets in London, causing incredible damage and loss of life. But through it all, the Brits persevered and dealt with the assault. The attack was, to give it a modern equivalent, the Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian attacks on civilian areas in modern Israel.

Britain did not have an “Iron Dome” missile defense as Israel does today. What they had was both a stiff upper lip and a backbone of steel. The Underground (subway to you Yanks) became bomb shelters and were located all around the city providing rapid and safe shelter from the onslaught.

Two museums in London that should be a must in understanding the war are the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. The Imperial War Museum gives visitors a complete education in the war. It does not glorify, it teaches. It shows all sides with an emphasis on the British. That’s natural. It’s their museum. But it pays homage to Americans who served and even has displays showing what the Nazis and Japanese did.

London’s situation during World War II was not a Monopoly game that moved pieces across a board. It was not what today would have been a graphic computer game. This was reality and literally thousands of lives were relying on the defenses put up by those stationed here.

And the Churchill War Rooms helps to bring the seriousness of the situation to life.

While Americans didn’t worry because planning was in the safe confines of the Pentagon and the safe room of the White House, the Brits went underground. Beneath the nation’s Treasury Building Complex was a series of fortified (with concrete) tunnels set up to plan and execute Britain’s defense and attack on the Axis war machine.

The warren of tunnels were not what today’s terrorists use to hide. They were for planning, eating, sleeping and providing a safe haven for top military brass and, of course, Sir Winston Churchill himself.

The entry, still in use today, is a non-descript doorway under a designation in gold lettering: “Churchill War Rooms.” Often, there is a line waiting to enter, but it moves rather quickly.

But while all seems to have gone smoothly during the war, Churchill was a task master and very demanding of those working in the War Rooms. One officer, General Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, commented on the irascible Prime Minister: “It was in every way an excellent battle headquarters with only one fault. Namely its proximity to Winston.”

But somehow — living underground in such close quarters on a daily basis could cause friction even amongst the most placid of individuals — they all managed to put aside their quarrels and personal conflicts for the common purpose of protecting Britain and defeating the Axis powers.

Visitors to the Churchill War Rooms go through an entrance situated beneath the beautiful and ornate Treasury Building. The quarters are close and with perhaps only few exceptions, they are spartan. Winston’s quarters are “luxurious” in comparison to even those occupied by General Staff officers. There’s a rather large bed, a sitting area, a workstation with a desk and telephone and a stuffed easy chair for him to relax while puffing on his ever-present cigar.

Mrs. Churchill had separate quarters. That was for privacy and protecting her dignity in the event of an emergency. It would not be appropriate for an officer to barge into the room while they were in bed. There’s no indication of what their sleeping habits were at home before the war.

Officer’s quarters were a fraction of the size of Churchill’s. There were few luxuries and were designed to simply give the officers a room to sleep in when not on duty or during critical moments.

The touring crowds in the tunnels stop momentarily to take pictures at each location. Some make use of the headphones and recordings explaining each and every aspect of the underground sanctuary, but that motion is respectful of those in line and moves along at a slow, but decent pace. Some, wishing to take more photos or to simply take a lingering look, step to the side to allow others to pass. The tunnels are not large, but big enough so that there is no feeling of claustrophobia.

As visitors move along the tunnel, they can feel the tension and work that was done by the military and civilian women who tended to the telephones. The Map Room exhibits the location of both allies and Axis troops, ships and movements. The Conference Room sits with pads and pens along an extended table appearing to be awaiting the planners to arrive.

A woman operator “mans” the telephone switchboard for instant communication with those on the surface and at other military installations. A low-ranking military man sits in a room with a radio or telephone in quarters that could make a prison cell look spacious. But they are here to plan strategy and not luxury.

The tunnels were one of the key meeting sites for Allies. Top generals from allies, including American Dwight Eisenhower, were often there to plan a joint strategy. It was arguably the safest place they could meet and have all necessary equipment right at hand. In fact, all the displays in the Churchill War Rooms are original from World War II in this location and used in planning the war effort. Mannequins at the various stations and locations are truly life-like, adding to the realism.

When Churchill first visited the location, he commented: “This is the room from which I’ll direct the war.” He could see how fortified the rooms were from the incessant German bombings of London and the primitive buzz bombs that were devastating the city.

King George and Queen Elizabeth, although not staying in the tunnels, met with the Churchills for dinner. Chances are it was not the fare the Royals were used to. That alone was confirmation of how safe the warren of tunnels was from the German assaults. Had anything happened to the Royals, it would have had a mortal effect on the populace.

Suffice it to say that the Churchill War Rooms and its sister museum, the Imperial War Museum (the IWM has no admission charge) should be high on the list of any visitor with even the most minimal interest in history and how the Allies worked together to defeat the Nazis.