Going Underground with Churchill

When I was in school, World War II definitely got short shrift. In American History classes, we'd start off strong with Jamestown, the Pilgrims and the Revolutionary War and spend a lot of time on the Civil War. The Industrial Revolution was good for a week or two. By the end of the school year, we talked a little about World War I and very little about World War II. It was pretty much: "We were the good guys, the Germans, Japanese and Italians were the bad guys. Ask your parents about the rest."
You see, I was part of the generation where all the dads were in the war and all the moms remembered rationing.
So when it comes to World War II, I'm fascinated. And I have learned a lot about both wars while here in London, visiting museums. London - and the Brits - withstood an awful lot.
Today I visited the underground nerve center for the British forces in World War II - the Cabinet War Rooms. It's a fascinating self-guided tour, showing the room where Prime Minister Winston Churchill met with his war cabinet as well as radio rooms, sleeping rooms, map rooms and even a fully functional kitchen. The men directing Britain's part in the war stayed underground for six years - during the Blitz, while London was bombed night and day by the Germans, the Cabinet were underground, with six feet of concrete between them and the building above.
Churchill had a bedroom - a simple single bed with his cigars nearby and maps covering the walls - but he rarely slept in it at night. He was known to nap there for an hour most afternoons. Another perk of being prime minister: He had access to the only underground flushing toilet. The others ... well, made other arrangements.
It was interesting to hear video clips - of Churchill's famous speeeches and of a phone call between Churchill and brand-new U.S. President Harry Truman.
On an even lower floor, typists, secretaries and non-officer personnel were provided cots in which to sleep. Rats were a problem in those lower rooms and there was no privacy and little contact with the outside. A sign hung on the wall, telling the workers in the war rooms what the weather was like outside.
On V-J Day, when the war finally ended, workers walked out and left the rooms as they were - and that's how you see the rooms today. Original paint, original furniture.
When I walked out of the war rooms and up the stairs to ground level, it was barely still light outside. It's getting darker much earlier - it was about 3:45 p.m. when I came out, and it's cold today.
Still, I couldn't resist crossing the street to take a stroll through St. James's Park. It's so beautiful - this oasis of nature a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament. As I walked down the path, big hungry ducks and cygnets came close to me, hoping for a treat. I wish I'd had something to throw at them.
I ended up coming out of the park, walking through Admiralty Arch and straight to Costa Coffee, where I drank a big cup of tea to ward off the chill. One more day.