Last Thursday, for my World War II class, we took a trip to the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms. It was probably one of my favorite museums that I have been to London. Walking around with a headset to my ear, I learned the significance and importance of all the rooms in the underground headquarters. The Cabinet War rooms were used by Winston Churchill and his cabinet during World War II. The full-proof bunker was fortified by thick concrete and was called the slab. It was in this facility that Churchill and his advisors made key decisions during the war. In the museum, there were many rooms that were open for people to see. They included: the sleeping quarters of all Churchill’s advisers, the cabinet meeting rooms, the kitchen, the map rooms, rooms where coded messages were sent and received, and Mr. and Mrs. Churchill’s sleeping quarters and dining room. Though Churchill had a large bedroom at his disposal, other than his daily naps, he only spent three nights in the bunker throughout the course of the war. Churchill was a very dedicated man to his job, but he did not want to hide in the shelter while his countrymen were suffering at the hands of German bombs. One of the most interesting rooms, in my opinion was the “Transatlantic Telephone Room.” This is the room in which Churchill made secure phone calls to President Roosevelt. It allowed the two leaders to discuss important wartime strategy without having to worry about the Germans intercepting coded messages. Another interesting room in the facility was the map room, an expansive room containing maps of every part of the world. It was the most important room in the bunker because of its necessity in wartime strategy. It was the hub of most of the activity in the bunker and was a room that Churchill frequented often. A detail that I found interesting about the war rooms was that despite the terrible war that was going on around them, the British still clung to their class traditions. For example, in the bunker we looked at two rooms alongside each other. One belonged to an officer and then adjoining room was home to his secretary. You could clearly recognize the difference in elegance and design of the room. The officer’s room had more ornate furniture, a bigger bed, and a decorative rug covering the floor by the desk. The assistant’s room on the other hand was much simpler. It is interesting that despite all the troubles, the British still held on to their lifelong traditions. It was a great experience to be able to see where a lot of important decisions were made and where Winston Churchill changed the course of World War II for the better.