The London terminal of the telephone scrambler, codenamed ‘X-Ray’, was so large it had to be located in the basement of Selfridges department store in Oxford Street.Ĭonversations were transmitted by cable from the hot-line to the Selfridges site where they were enciphered and sent by cable to Scotland and from there by radio waves to the President in Washington. This old basement broom cupboard was converted in 1943. Transatlantic Telephone RoomĪ scrambler codenamed ‘Sigsaly’ was connected to this room which created the hot-line enabling Churchill and the President of the United States to have vital discussions with total security. As soon as the bombing stopped Number 10 again became the main place where the Cabinet and Churchill conducted affairs. The Central War Rooms were used extensively from September 1940 to May 1941, during the Blitz. It was from here that he dictated a memorial speech on the death of Neville Chamberlain. Churchill’s BedroomĬhurchill did not like his bedroom in the Central War Rooms, however, he used it occasionally for an afternoon rest. The British governments underground Cabinet War Room beneath Whitehall, London, used during World War II, 1939-1945. It was in this room that the direction and progress of the war was charted. On the walls were large maps of the Atlantic, the Far East, and the seas around the United Kingdom. The Map Roomįrom the day that the Cabinet War Rooms were ready for use, the Map Room was used and remained the centre point of the underground site until Victory in Japan day. It was in this room that many crucial decisions were made. The War Cabinet met no less than 115 times in this underground room during bombing raids. He had his meals in Number 10, bombs or no bombs, and went over to the Cabinet War Rooms in the evenings. John Colville (Churchill’s private secretary) recalled: Churchill never had a meal here, but used the reinforced Garden rooms or the Annex for dining. The Central War Rooms had a “mess” where members of senior staff from Number 10 and the War Cabinet Office would drink together. If you watch War Room you know that one of the highlights is a firebrand rant by host Steve Bannon that lets everyone know that The Biden Regime’s Created Border Crisis Has Violated Americans Constitutional Rights Ben Bergquam of Real America’s Voice talks to two Texas sheriffs about the Biden-created crisis on the southern border. It is not surprising that many staff would dare the long journey home at night just to sleep in comfort. It was also extremely dark on this level so people needed to carry torches in order to see where they were going. In the Dock, anyone taller than four feet needed to stoop to get to their bedroom chambers. Insects, rats and the noise of the ventilation system, made sleeping very uncomfortable. There were many draw-backs about sleeping in these underground rooms. All but the most senior staff slept in the sub basement, known as the “Dock”. There were no flushing toilets and people would sleep in tiered bunks with in crowded dormitories, covered in army blankets. Staff would have to carry their gas masks around with them wherever they went. Life in the secret basement was not easy.
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