From Churchill's War Rooms: Letters of a Secretary 1943–45

by Joanna Moody, Phil Reed (Foreword)

The period from 1943 to 1945 saw some of the most important events of World War II, and few were fully aware of the decisions that were to affect the outcome of this global conflict. Yet, a young wartime secretary, Olive Christopherson, spent this remarkable time working in Churchill's famous Cabinet War Rooms. She became one of a tiny inner circle of people party to the political secrets of the crucial final years of the conflict. Working for long hours in an underground bunker opposite St. James' Park, Olive wrote a series of letters to her fiancé filled with incredible details about the glamorous lifestyle and travel she enjoyed because of her job. Published for the first time, this illuminating and poignant correspondence offers a rare insight into the workings of the War Rooms and documents the rich experiences of a woman with exclusive access to the closed world of Churchill's inner circle.

Genres: World War II, War, Nonfiction, Biography

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2007

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a war Olive Christopher had - I ended up willing Neil to come home so they could get married! Would have liked more biographical detail from their subsequent joint lives, but assume the lack of detail was a decision made by Olive & the family.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting insight into life during the war parted from your loved ones. While you do learn a bit about Churchill and the way he worked ( I never realised there was so much travelling involved ) the main emphasis of the book is the letters between the secretary and her fiancée in which they keep there relationship going despite being parted for longer than they were together.

[Melyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't as exciting as I imagined, but I guess it is understandable that she couldn't write about what was really happening during the war. It was still interesting to read letters from "regular" people during the war. It made me miss letter writing.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It was really interesting to see how a regular person ended up with such an extraordinary job of great importance to Britain during WWII. It was a good follow up to visiting the Churchill War Rooms in London last month, which is where the main character worked.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with an insider view of the work in the War Rooms. Interesting to read about the trials of Olive and her husband Neil's relationship during the war. Provides a great example of both professional and self-censorship during the war, especially given Olive's work in the War Rooms and Neil's deployment in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe.