Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt

An item on the radio programme "Today" held my attention this morning.  Alison Skilbeck was interviewed about her One Woman show about Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the former president of the United States.  The actress talked of Mrs. Roosevelt's visit to London in 1942.

During the Second World War, I worked as a Clerical Officer on shift duties in a small room in the basement of the Home Office in Whitehall.  This was the hub of Civil Defence for the U.K.  There were seven people on each shift, three C.O.s and a shorthand-typist (all girls) and three male Officers of the Watch.

We had many important visitors.  King George VI, Winston Churchill, John Winant, the U.S. ambassador and Chiefs of Staff, who came to discuss the bombing with the O.O.W.s.  I particularly remember Mrs. Roosevelt as she made a point of coming round to talk to me and to the other girls to ask us about our work and how we travelled to work in the air raids. Nobody had asked us this before. We were just expected to turn up regardless. I thought she was a most kind and gracious lady.