Room 65a - The Prime Minister's Room

Unlike his predecessor, Chamberlain, who rarely visited the War Rooms, Churchill quickly made his presence felt here.  In July 1940 he was given this room, the former Cabinet Room, for his personal use as a combined office and bedroom and this remained as his emergency accommodation until the end of the war.

Although Churchill’s room boasts comforts of a higher standard than anywhere else in the complex, he preferred not to spend the night here.  However, he was occasionally obliged to spend the night when his military advisers and personal detectives persuaded him that the risks were too great to return to his official residence.

Churchill appreciated the value of the War Rooms and insisted on having as close access as possible to the adjacent Map Room - this was provided by the communicating door to the left of Churchill’s desk.  On a number of occasions Churchill sat at this desk and spoke via the BBC to the nations of the world.  The broadcasts included an invasion warning on 11 September 1940 and his transmission on 8 December 1941 following the outbreak of war with Japan.

The wall maps in this room show Britain’s coastal defences and the possible landing points for a potential German invasion.  The curtains hanging either side of these maps were often discreetly pulled across when Churchill met with visiting Heads of State, politicians and military figures.