A Day with Churchill during the London Blitz, 1940
You Are There: A Graphic History Series
You Are There… Graphic History Series.
Historical Backdrop
On September 7, 1940 — a date forever known as “Black Saturday” — the German Luftwaffe shifted strategy and launched the first massive daylight bombing raid on London, beginning what became the Blitz. Nearly 1,000 aircraft attacked the docks and East End in waves, killing 436 civilians and wounding 1,600 on that first day alone. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only four months into office, was at his country residence Chequers when the raid began. He raced back to inspect the damage, walking among the burning ruins of working-class neighborhoods. Our subject is Detective Inspector Walter Henry Thompson of Scotland Yard’s Special Branch — Churchill’s personal bodyguard since 1921. Thompson, a tall and watchful former officer, was the silent shadow who saw everything. Through his eyes we observe the most dangerous day in modern English history.
September 7, 1940 — 7:42 AM — Chequers, Buckinghamshire, England
You wake up at your post outside the Cabinet Room, your revolver heavy under your jacket. You stand outside the breakfast room door, hands clasped behind your back, ears tuned to every footfall on the wooden floor. The Prime Minister is already up, robe half-tied, scattering papers across the table while he reads dispatches between bites of cold beef and mustard. A maid brings tea with too little sugar — rationing now. You smell pipe smoke, beeswax polish, and cut roses from the garden. Outside the leaded windows, doves coo. You note the time on your pocket watch, then check the safety on your revolver beneath your coat.
September 7, 1940 — 9:17 AM — A413 Road through the Chiltern Hills
You sit in the front passenger seat of the black Humber Pullman, swaying with the curves while the PM dictates a memo behind you. The driver, Bullock, takes the corners hard. You scan every hedgerow, every farm gate, every approaching vehicle. The smell of leather upholstery mixes with cigar smoke that the PM refuses to send out the window. You loosen your tie a fraction. A Spitfire passes overhead, climbing east. Your stomach tightens — they are scrambling early today.
September 7, 1940 — 10:48 AM — 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London
You step out first, scanning the street, before opening the rear door. The famous black door is propped slightly open, a young clerk waiting with an armful of files. You smell coal smoke and horse dung from a brewery dray turning the corner. A small knot of reporters calls out, but you wave them back. The PM growls “good morning” but does not stop. You follow him in, removing your hat as the door closes with that heavy, familiar thud.
September 7, 1940 — 11:30 AM — Cabinet War Rooms, beneath Storey’s Gate
You descend the iron staircase behind him, the air growing cooler and dryer with each step. Map Room officers stand as he enters. The walls are pinned with charts of the Channel, colored pins clustered around Pas-de-Calais. The room smells of cigarette smoke, ink, and wet wool. A naval officer points to RDF reports — large formations gathering over France. The PM grunts. You take your post by the door, where you can see every corner.
September 7, 1940 — 4:18 PM — Above Downing Street, looking up from the rear garden
