The West End Front: The Wartime Secrets of London’s Grand Hotels by Matthew Sweet, Faber, $39.99
It’s World War II, and across the globe they may be killing each other but in London’s luxurious hotels spies mix with traitors, communists rub shoulders with fascists, and prominent Jews dine alongside aristocratic anti-Semites.
Matthew Sweet brings alive those strange days with the stories of those who survived, telling their tales with wit and understanding.
One of the first people to know the war had finally come was the switchboard operator at The Ritz.
He received a call for hotel guest Randolph Churchill, son of Winston. Listening in, he discovered to his horror that Germany would invade Poland the next day, triggering war across Europe.
He quickly placed a call to a mate at the BBC, only to hear a voice on the line say “Operator, I’d be careful what you repeat”.
The West End Front is an unromantic but exciting account of fascinating people, opulent surroundings and difficult times.
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