Churchill and the War Rooms

Last week we had the opportunity to tour the War Rooms used by Churchill during WWII. I learned a lot and my respect for Churchill only grew. One thing I learned from the museum and war rooms was that most of the people who worked for or with him found him rude and difficult but also respected him so much they would not quit for an easier position. He also had a great relationship with his wife who lived in the war rooms with him during the course of the war.

An Intelligence Room

 Marine Guard (Wax, I try not to bother the real ones)

Living underground, people always wanted to know what the weather was like up above, so they kept signs posted. When they were being bombed they changed the sign to "windy," a typical British understatement.

The front to Churchill's office. The secretary's job seems to have involved keeping people away as well as putting distance between Churchill and the rest of the chaos. Apparently noise bothered him.

 Diplomatic Message box for messages for the Prime Minister only.

A Remington Noiseless Typewriter. You had to have one of these if you worked for Churchill. Apparently the noise of typewriters drove him up the wall. 

Awards of one of the generals

Notes and doodles by General Sir Alan Brooke during an important conference. Even war generals get bored during long meetings.

 A note from Clementine Churchill to Winston Churchill about their cat, Smoky. Cats wait for no one, not even during a war.

A light box. Living underground, they had to find alternate sources to get their vitamin D. I imagine it also made a big difference for the employees with depression. Imagine being stuck underground for the length of the war!

The war rooms are right underneath the Prime Minister's usual offices at no. 10 Downing Street. After Downing Street was bombed, they moved operations underground. In order to keep the location a secret, reinforcements were installed secretly, piece by piece. However, the building still could not survive a direct hit. We were very blessed that as the center of Allied war operations in Europe, they were not hit again.

 

 The bodyguards' room. Poor guys had to follow Churchill at any hour of the day. Apparently he could be very difficult. His wife made him promise to go to bed one night. Immediately after getting in, he sat up and said something to the effect of "come on, we're going out."

The luxurious quarters of a general...

Clementine Churchill's room

The major conference Room. A map on the other side has a caricature of Hitler drawn on it. I don't blame them. There must have been lots of long meetings. It really drives it home that these were real people down here though. The war wasn't a history lesson, it was their everyday life.

War Room Kitchen. Today you can buy a recipe book with all of Churchill's favorite recipes. Man it must have been scary cooking for someone so free with their opinion.

Radio Room.

Operator

Generals' office

 Keys for the whole complex (which resembles a rabbit warren in complexity, with no shortcuts) were kept on the back of this door.

The map room

I know the picture is fuzzy, but just look at all those pins. They had markers for everything.

 Churchill's bedroom. He gave his wartime speeches in here and then they were transferred over to the operator down the hall who would broadcast it. This is also where he welcomed guests including the Queen and King, and President Roosevelt.

 The first quote I saw in the museum: "We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glowworm." I love Churchill quotes. One of my other favorites, a woman told him that if he were her husband she would poison him. He said that if she were his wife, he would drink it.

Churchill's nightshirt.

A letter from his wife, asking him to be nicer to people. 

Churchill kept a guestbook. Yes those are the signatures of King George VI and Queen Mother Elizabeth.

What this card says, but you cannot see, is that Churchill liked all his documents to be hole punched and organized. He called the hole puncher a "klop" because of the sound it makes.

The plaque says: He would usually light his first cigar shortly after breakfast. He smoked about eight a day, constantly relating and never inhaling them.

Another fun Churchill quote for you. A woman told him he was disgustingly drunk. He agreed and said, "and you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." I guess that's what you get for criticizing a man like Churchill to his face. It isn't as if his reputation was a secret.

One of his jumpsuits which he was known for wearing during the war. They actually caught on for a while. I think he just wanted to wear pajamas to work.

Roosevelt's signature on a guest log

Churchill was made an honorary American citizen, with his own passport.

Churchill and President Roosevelt became quite good friends. This is one of my favorite quotes that popped up. 

Churchill's personal map

Some of Churchill's military awards. I couldn't even fit them all in the picture. Suffice it to say, he was honored by almost every country you could name except for maybe the ones he helped beat.

Death Mask. Kind of eery, but cool too.

Churchill enjoyed painting, and he was actually quite good at it. Besides being a politician he worked as an author and painter.

A sculptor was sent to do a likeness of Churchill. In order to get him to sit still, the artist gave him some clay to play with. Churchill loved it, and the artist would find him up early in the morning working on his sculpture of the artist's own head. I have no doubt that Churchill loved the irony.

Churchill's hearing aid.

From his childhood, Churchill played the general with his toy soldiers. These are only a few. There is a whole cabinet packed full of them at Blenheim palace. (He was born there but wasn't a direct descendant, so he didn't own it). 

Baby Winston. Isn't he cute?

This will be part of my response when students complain about English. Apparently it was one of his forte's. 

Copies of Winston and Clementines representations of themselves.

A newspaper with a picture of the happy couple on their special day.

His favorite gun.

Churchill's iconic pocket watch.

A last favorite quote from Churchill (keep in mind that in England, 'bugger' is a really bad word). When Churchill's grandson asked if he was the greatest man in the world, he responded, "Yes. Now bugger off." Thanks, Winston. I'm sure his mother appreciated that.

I also really loved the pictures of Churchill holding his kids or the Royal children. Apparently he had a soft spot for them, too.