October 10 - Churchill War Rooms
Slow start today. Not a great sleep last night. I'll attribute it to time change adaptation. Got going aout 09:30.
Last night I bookked an 11:30 tour of the War Rooms. It should have been a straight forward trip there but, of course I changed it to an adventure 😉
I went to Waterloo station with the intent of walking over London Bridge to the War Rooms. Unfortunately, I turned the wrong way when I left Waterloo.
I figured out my problem: As you descend into or out of a tube station there are so many turns that you lose the sense of which way is which (noeth, south, etc.). Also, most of the time you can't fix on a landmark due to nearby buildings. For example, tall landmarks near me are the London Eye, Big Ben, or the Shard. Couldn't see any of them until it was too late.
They spelled my name wrong! Only 2 G's
Having changed direction and crossed London Bridge I came across this shinx. The may be hard to see, but the scars in the lower belly area re from a WW2 bomb blast.
This obelisk "was laying prostrate for centuries" before being given to the "British nation" (according to the plaque).
So, I made it to the War Rooms jusr before my time slot expired. Here's the queue outside. These are all gov't buidlings (we are in Whitehall, after all). Lots of stonework and statues on the upper floors.
The queue actually went quite quickly and I'm inside with one of their (free) headsets and tours.
Side note: I am writing this at dinner time with a COLD beer), and my windows are open for fresh air. One of the adjacent rooms is cooking dinner, and does it ever smell good! He/she might be my next good buddy!
On with the tour: The War rooms are part of the cellar of the building behind the queue that were set up as a secret command post for WW2 operations, led by Churchill. There were various reinforcements made (extra beams, lots of concrete, etc.) to strengthen it, but it was never tested with a direct hit.
This seemed like a typical bedroom for some of those who got to stay down here. Lots ofmmilitary and high level gov't folks.
Contrast that with Lady Churchill's bedroom. It was never confirmed that she stayed here (remember #10 Downing is just around the corner). Note the water pitcher. There was only one functioning water tsapm in the bunker, in the kitchen.
Lots of other offices / bedrooms in the bunker. some were larger as the occupant was of 'higher' importance.
The 'bosses' (Churchill's) office / bedrooms. He apparently spent many nights in here, held meetings and worked 18 hour days.
Sorry about the bad photo. That bright rectangle is somebody else's phone.
The Chiefs of Staff Meeting Room.
Note all the maps on the walls. You can't see them in the photos, but there are stick pins in the maps with thread winding through them to dhow thw various front lines in the war.
The kitchen. Barely showing on the left, you can just see the one faucet in the entire bunker.
I should have taken some photos of some of the secretary's offices (there were 3 or 4). The tour emphasized their importance and dedication to their tasks, with recordings of their memories presented in the tour audio.
The Radio Room. Cjurchill apparently made a number of broadcasts from his office and sent out here.
I took more photos, but I think the above gives a tiny peek into life in the War Rooms.
One part of the War Rooms was turned into a Churchill museum. One could spend a while in there as well.
One very surprising fact about Churchill was that he was a prolific painter, creating between 500 & 600 canvases during his lifetime. Here is a tiny sample:
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