22 August 2019

Signatures of King George VI and Churchill in newly digitised Cabinet War Rooms visitor book released for the very first time

#CWR80 Twitter: @I_W_M Instagram: @imperialwarmuseums

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Churchill War Rooms becoming operational on 27 August 1939, Imperial War Museums (IWM) has digitised the original visitor book containing the names of numerous well-known visitors.

The visitor book, kept during the Second World War between October 1939 and April 1945, is on display in Churchill War Rooms, beneath the streets of Westminster in London. Signatures include those of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, US General Dwight D Eisenhower, as well as Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his successor in 1945 as prime minister, Clement Attlee.

On 12 May 1942, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the Cabinet War Rooms, the day after the Luftwaffe bombed and sank three British destroyers. General Dwight D Eisenhower signed the visitor book on 29 May 1942, the day before Operation Millennium, the ‘thousand bomber’ raid on Cologne.

James Taylor, curator at IWM, says: “Winston Churchill stated that the Cabinet War Rooms was the place from which he wanted to direct the Second World War. He retrospectively signed the first page of the visitor book with the dates of his term, 11 May 1940: Churchill’s first full day as prime minister, and 26 July 1945: the day the Conservative Party, led by Churchill, lost a general election to Clement Attlee’s Labour Party.

“The war rooms are a unique and vital location in our national history, and this visitor book is a visual reminder of the powerful figures that walked its corridors during that period. Their secret visits to this underground bunker are in such contrast to today, with half a million visitors a year. The signatures span royalty, prime ministers and war leaders, reflecting the significance of what was happening beneath the streets of Whitehall, beginning eighty years ago.”

From secret Second World War bunker … With rising political tension with Germany in the 1930s, plans for a purpose-built underground war room were drawn up in spring 1938. The search for a suitable site began, and on 31 May 1938, Colonel Hastings Ismay confirmed the basement of the Office of Works in Westminster as the ideal location. After a year of clearing rooms, sandbagging alcoves, installing telephone lines and strengthening key rooms, the lights were finally switched on in this Central War Room on 27 August 1939. The site became a crucial hub for gathering military intelligence, with up to 500 working underground at the height of activity.

… to international tourist attraction. Following VE Day in May 1945, the site became an unofficial visitor attraction, with tours being conducted by George Rance, who was responsible for the site’s maintenance during the war. In 1984, the site was formally opened to the public by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Over the decades, the underground bunker has been graced by numerous public figures and world leaders, including the Duke of Edinburgh in 1987, the Queen of Denmark in 1989 and most recently US President Donald Trump in June 2019.

Several historic rooms have been preserved since 1945 including the Map Room, which displays cubes of rationed sugar found in Wing Commander John Heagerty’s drawer; Churchill’s bedroom, and the Cabinet War Room, featuring Churchill’s wooden chair that bears the marks of his gripping fingernails and signet ring.

Ends

For further press information and interview requests please contact: Rachel Powell, Communications Officer (Commercial) at 0207 416 5436 / [email protected] Nicholas Osbourne, Communications Manager (Commercial) at 0207 416 5343 / [email protected]

Notes to editors

Churchill War Rooms Churchill War Rooms was the secret underground headquarters where Winston Churchill and his team directed the course of the Second World War. We show visitors where the staff lived and worked, explain how the decisions made here changed the course of history and reveal Churchill himself and his role in British history.

Open daily: 9.30am – 6pm. Last admission 5pm. (Closed 24 – 26 December). Admission: £22 Adults; £17.60 Concessions (Senior, Student, Disabled); £11 Child (5-16); Free child (under 5); family tickets available; special rates for groups of ten plus. Free for members. A 10% discount is available for advanced tickets booked online.

Churchill War Rooms, Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AQ T: 020 7416 5000 iwm.org.uk / @I_W_M / www.facebook.com/churchillwarrooms

IWM IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War.

Our unique collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.

IWM’s five branches which attract over 2.5 million visitors each year are IWM London, IWM’s flagship branch that recently transformed with new, permanent and free First World War Galleries alongside new displays across the iconic Atrium to mark the Centenary of the First World War; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and Britain's best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.