West End Front The Wartime Secrets of London Grand Hotels Matthew Sweet 9780571234776 Books
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The Ritz, the Savoy, the Dorchester and Claridge's - during the Second World War they teemed with spies, con-artists, deposed royals and the exiled governments of Europe. And now, Matthew Sweet's West End Front is just as teeming with the incredible cast of characters from this unique period of London's history.
Meet the girl from MI5 who had the gravy browning licked from her legs by Dylan Thomas; the barman who was appointed the keeper of Winston Churchill's private bottle of whisky; the East End Communist who marched with his comrades into the air-raid shelter of the Savoy; the throneless prince born in a suite at Claridge's declared Yugoslav territory for one night only. Matthew Sweet has interviewed them all for this account of the extraordinary events that unfolded under the reinforced ceilings of London's grand hotels.
Using the memories of first-hand witnesses, the contents of newly declassified government files and a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs and photographs, he has reconstructed a lost world of scandal, intrigue and fortitude.
West End Front The Wartime Secrets of London Grand Hotels Matthew Sweet 9780571234776 Books
An astonishing look into the occupants at some of the posh hotels in London during the war years. A bit fragmented as it discusses a number of anecdotal situations but most of it very amusing. I especially liked to lengthy coverage of the beautiful nymphomaniac/spy whom I looked up on my iPad where I found a few photos of her. To fully comprehend the text you have to have been born and living in London to understand the colloquialisms used. There were a lot of royals and other shady characters hiding out under luxurious conditions in London, read up on these goings-on, don't miss out on the fun!Product details
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Tags : West End Front: The Wartime Secrets of London's Grand Hotels [Matthew Sweet] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Ritz, the Savoy, the Dorchester and Claridge's - during the Second World War they teemed with spies, con-artists,Matthew Sweet,West End Front: The Wartime Secrets of London's Grand Hotels,Faber & Faber,0571234771
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West End Front The Wartime Secrets of London Grand Hotels Matthew Sweet 9780571234776 Books Reviews
This book looks at the wartime secrets of London's grand hotels, such as the Ritz, the Dorchester and the Waldorf. It begins very well, with Victor Legg, a phone operator at the Ritz eavesdropping on a call to Randolph Churchill informing him that Germans are to bomb Poland that morning. When Legg tries to tell a friend at the BBC about the impending war, he is interrupted by a voice telling him to be careful what he repeats. Legg, who spent half a century working at the Ritz, spends the night in London - the only man outside of the government who knows war is about to be declared.
The author then leads us through many different elements of hotels during wartime. They housed not only those from the government, but deposed royalty, spies, military leaders, governments in exile, writers, artists, musicians, prostitutes and homosexuals. They were a hotbed of suspicion, interrogations, decadence and wealth. Sweet sometimes stretches the link between hotels and characters too far, in order to unravel an interesting story, but overall this is an excellent read.
There is the story of hotel workers, many of whom were Italian, who were arrested and interned despite being British citizens and working in the UK for over twenty years. Although the original plan had been to distinguish between citzens of enemy countries who were a danger to the British state and those who posed no threat, apparently Churchill decided it was safer to "collar the lot!" One of the most interesting events was when demonstrators invaded the Ritz, asking for shelter - a situation which led the government to open the underground and allow people to have somewhere to go during air raids. London's hotels were a locus of resentment, with the privilege of safe underground shelters and good food being available to the few and not the many.
Many of the stories are sad - girls who died of botched abortions, for example. Many are funny - one lady who was interrogated as a possible Nazi spy had such a filthy mind and language that interrogators failed to report on much of her conversation, describing it as having such a "filthy nature" that it was unrepeatable! Overall, this is a very entertaining and interesting account of London during the war. Not the typical war stories, but of the characters which made up a more decadent section of Society, where socialites defied Hitler by 'lunching for England' and the wealthy clung to their privileged world against all the odds. Lastly, I read the kindle edition of this book and the illustrations were included.
Every line in entire book was underlined. Quite distracting, thus difficult to read!
great
This book was on my sister's holiday hint list. She was most pleased and excited to get it and is almost finished reading it.
Totally fascinating untold story of secret wartime London. Highly recommended.
Very interesting subject.
Interesting pre WWWII politics and gossip
An astonishing look into the occupants at some of the posh hotels in London during the war years. A bit fragmented as it discusses a number of anecdotal situations but most of it very amusing. I especially liked to lengthy coverage of the beautiful nymphomaniac/spy whom I looked up on my iPad where I found a few photos of her. To fully comprehend the text you have to have been born and living in London to understand the colloquialisms used. There were a lot of royals and other shady characters hiding out under luxurious conditions in London, read up on these goings-on, don't miss out on the fun!
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