Churchill's War Room

Winston Churchill and his Cabinet Ministers ran WWII from an underground complex underneath the Treasury buildings near Whitehall in London. It was built to withstand a direct hit from a German bomb, but luckily never actually was hit - they weren't sure if it could withstand a direct hit from one of the big, 500 pounders.

The complex was huge, you only see a small part of it. It housed over 500 people and had a hospital, a shooting range, and dormitories for those working there. Interestingly, on the day of the Japanese surrender, they all packed up their belongings, turned out the lights, and walked away leaving it after working there for 6 years. It is very much the way it was left in 1945. There is also a very modern Churchill museum in the complex, opened a couple of years ago, it is a very interesting look at his life. There is a letter displayed from the King talking about a conversation they had held the previous night. The King says, "you recall where we discussed we wanted to be on D Day? Well on further consideration, I think it makes no sense to risk both the PM and the Sovereign at this dangerous time in history. I am not going, and I ask the same of you." (paraphrased) Pretty amazing, the King and Churchill wanted to lead their troops onto the beach at D Day.

The picture at the top is my favorite. In the actual War Room the walls are covered by maps tracking the progress of the war. Someone stationed there in the bunker drew a cartoon of Hitler right on the map.

This is a lousy shot of the room where the cabinet met.


This is the War Room (that cartoon of Hitler is on the left wall)


This is the room from where the BBC broadcast the news of the war.


This is another of the war rooms. You can see the row of phones, each a different color, each connected to a different head of government somewhere in the world. The ivory covered one on the right end connected to the King of England. This was the home of the first ever "hot line" - a secure phone line connecting Churchill to the Presidents of the US, Roosevelt & Truman. Churchill kept that phone in his lavatory.


The bedrooms of the Churchills. Winston on the left and his wife on the right. It is said he only stayed there three nights during the war.