CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS

                                          Underground Visit

            On one trip to London a visit to the Churchill War Rooms was a total surprise and again one of those wonderful unexpected experiences.

            Located beneath the Treasury building the Cabinet War Rooms were constructed in 1938 and were operational by 1939. In 1940, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill stood in the War Cabinet Room and declared, “This is the room from which I will direct the war”.

            It was amazing to stand in that room and listen to Churchill’s recordings. Talk about stepping back into history---and to my childhood. The day my dad sat my sister and me down and told us about Pearl Harbor is as clear today as it was 70 years ago!

            Operational all during W W II, the rooms were abandoned in 1945 after the surrender of Japan. Shelter from Britain’s wartime blitz was no longer needed and fortunately someone with foresight realized the rooms had historical value.

            It was pretty awesome to wander the maze of hallways as air raid sirens sounded and recordings of bombs exploding over head painted images in our minds. In the Map Room books and charts remain exactly as they where were left in 1945.

            Today the War Rooms are part of the Imperial War Museum  that also includes the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring his life.         

            These preservations became the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and later the Department for the Environment. In the early 1980s the Imperial War Museum took over the administration and the Cabinet War Rooms were opened to the public in April 1984. 

            Not as well known as other landmarks in London, these rooms and exhibit are certainly well worth a visit.

WAR MEMORIAL

                       SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE

In Melbourne, Australia one of the must-see attractions is the Shrine of Remembrance.

During World War  I (1914 –18) 114,000 young people from Victoria enlisted, and of the 89,000 who served abroad 19,000 were killed. In those days people didn’t travel like we do today and with so many loved ones buried overseas, the people wanted to build a memorial. The original idea was to build a Victorian memorial, but after committees were formed the end result is what we see today. During WW II thousands more Australians lost their lives so the Shrine of Remembrance is a memorial to all who served in all wars.

This memorial cost $470,000 and required a great deal of effort. Our guide told us, “There is an extensive war museum inside which you’ll have plenty of time to see, but first follow me to the center of the memorial.

“This part of the memorial is built so that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (the exact time of the end of WW I) a shaft of light shines through the ceiling to illuminate and move across the heart in the center of the floor.

“So many people wanted to see this that it is now mechanically reproduced each day." 

We arrived just moments before 11 AM. A hush fell over the crowd as we watched this most spectacular sight! It was a very moving experience.

The sanctuary contains the   marble  Stone of Remembrance, upon which is engraved the words "Greater love hath no man." The name of every serviceman who died defending his country is engraved on the  walls. The names are alphabetical and grouped by  conflict.

 The portico on each East and West side is approached by wide flights of steps which rise in stages to the podium on which the Shrines sits. The east and west facing fronts are marked at the corners by four groups of statuary  representing Peace, Justice, Patriotism and Sacrifice. The museum covered two floors and was most interesting.   The Eternal Flame burns outside in front of the memorial.

On my second visit Down Under the shrine was not on our itinerary. I wanted my traveling buddy to see it and made such a request to our guide. She was willing but she had quite a conversation with the driver before he finally relented. I was chomping at the bit because of the time restraints. But we did make it in time to see the light pass across the heart, and I had just as many chills the second time as I did the first, five years earlier. We had to skip the museum that time but we at least saw the most moving part. I made sure to thank all who made it possible.