In London, it is only a short walk from the houses of parliament to the Cabinet War Rooms. These underground facilities were constructed for the prime minister, key advisers, and support staff during the war. It was from these cramped quarters—conference room, map room, communications room, bunks, and washrooms—that the war was conducted seven days a week, 24 hours a day,from September 1939 to September 1945.
When touring these quarters today, an audiotape describes how each room was used and by whom. In addition, one hears firsthand accounts of what life was like in that underground world.
A Telling Exchange
The most fascinating account is one reenacting a conversation between Winston Churchill (Number 3) and Alan Brooke, his most trusted military adviser. Because the Cabinet War Rooms became a public museum only recently, long after both men had died, the dialogue is read by two professional actors.
Churchill is heard suggesting a military operation. Brooke says no. Churchill expands on it, as if he has been given a green light. Brooke says no. Churchill goes on, carried away by his own enthusiasm. This time Brooke says, quite firmly, “No, prime Minister.” Churchill catches on. “No, eh?”
The museum’s choice of this interchange represents the reality of the relationship between Brooke and Churchill. Throughout the war, every leader—Allied or Axis—had plenty of “yes” men surrounding him, telling him how wise and right he was.
Brooke, however, was one of the rare exceptions. He was a “no” man. Many times during the war, he had to listen patiently to a Churchill idea for some military operation and tell him point-blank that it would not work. When dealing with Churchill, whose experience, exuberance, and ego were unmatched, he had to be firm. More important, he had to have a thick skin, for Churchill did not take kindly to opposition. But the prime minister’s respect for Brooke was genuine; and, no matter how hard he may have fought for a project, he always bowed to the wisdom and will of Brooke and the general staff.
Churchill’s Top Aide
Brooke may be considered Churchill’s George Marshall (Number 5). The similarities in the careers of Brooke and Marshall are striking. Both men held the top military posts of their respective countries, and both enjoyed the absolute confidence of their respective bosses, Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt (Number 2). Both generals dreamed of field commands. Both had been promised the command of all Allied forces in the invasion of northern Europe. Both accepted the less dramatic, but far more important, roles of planning the strategy of worldwide war.
Fighting in Two World Wars
Alan Brooke, the son of an Ulster family, was born in France in 1883. Descended from distinguished military ancestry, he attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. In 1902 he joined the Royal Artillery. Throughout World War I, from 1914 to 1918, he fought in France.
At the outbreak of World War II, Brooke was given command of the Second Corps of the British Expeditionary Force in France. In 1940, when Hitler’s (Number l) panzers swept through France and trapped British forces at Dunkirk, it was Brooke who organized the defense and withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force. Some historians credit Brooke with rescuing 150,000 troops who might otherwise have been captured. He did this by rejecting a proposed maneuver by the prime minister.
With Britain bracing for a Nazi invasion, Brooke was put in charge of the British home forces. England would not go down without a bloody fight. It is said that Britain was ready to go all out to fight for its freedom, including the use of poison gas if necessary, although that has never been verified. In any case, Hitler called off the invasion.
The “No” Man
In 1941, Brooke was named chief of the Imperial General Staff. The following year, Brooke faced the same kind of decision that Marshall would make. Brooke was offered command of all British forces in the Middle East. Brooke considered it and then turned it down. There is no doubt that he felt the country needed him more right there along-side Churchill, saying no whenever it was necessary.
Both Brooke and Marshall had been promised overall command of Allied forces in the invasion of northern France. Brooke was denied the post when it became clear that an American would be in supreme command. Marshall, too, would fail to have that honor, when Roosevelt kept him in Washington and Eisenhower (Number 7) got the appointment instead.
Brooke’s role in World War II was enormously important for two reasons. During the war, it was well known that he was handling overall strategy for British and Commonwealth forces. Less well known was his handling of Churchill’s role as a self-styled strategist and tactician. It was no mean feat. Brooke’s diaries tell of Churchill’s “imperious nature, his gambler’s spirit, and his determination to follow his own selected path at all costs.”
After the war, Brooke was knighted the Viscount Alanbrooke. He died in 1963.
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