Secret Wartime Britain: Hidden Places that Helped Win the Second World War

by Colin Philpott

Overview

During the Second World War, thousands of sites across Britain were requisitioned to support the war efforts. Additionally countless others were built from scratch regardless of cost. Often the purpose of these locations was concealed even from those living close by.

The author of Secret Wartime Britain has compiled a fascinating collection of examples that still exist today, albeit often in different usage. They include underground factories, storage sites and headquarters; spy and communication centres; interrogation and POW camps; dummy sites; research facilities such as sinister Porton Down; treasure stores in stately homes and even royal retreats in the event of invasion such as Madresfield Court.

Where were these sites and why were they needed? How successfully were they kept secret? What has happened to them since? Were they returned to their owners? Answers to these and other questions make Secret Wartime Britain a riveting and revealing read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526735485
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	11/30/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	42,715
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Colin Philpott has a long-standing interest in recent German history and in abandoned buildings and venues. His first book, “A Place in History”, looking at the impact on places where news stories happened in twentieth century Britain, was published in 2012. His drama “The Last Match” - about the last day of peace before World War Two, was first performed in 2014. He is a former Director of the National Media Museum and was a BBC programme-maker and journalist for 25 years. Alongside his writing, he now works as a non-executive director, a producer on creative and media projects and as a radio and event presenter.

Table of Contents

Introduction viii

Chapter 1 Factories 1

Chapter 2 Command Centres 31

Chapter 3 Spying and Listening Bases 63

Chapter 4 Broadcasting and Propaganda 97

Chapter 5 Decoys, Dummies and D-Day 119

Chapter 6 Retreats, Reserves and Resistance 141

Chapter 7 Interrogation, Internment and Indiscretions 172

Chapter 8 Weapons Of Mass Destruction 200

Conclusion 219

Sources 231

Acknowledgements 235

Index 237