The West End Front: The Wartime Secrets of London's Grand Hotels - Hardcover

Sweet, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571234771 ISBN 13: 9780571234776

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2011

Synopsis

The Ritz, the Savoy, the Dorchester and Claridge's - during the Second World War they teemed with spies, con-artists, deposed royals and the exiled governments of Europe. And now, Matthew Sweet's West End Front is just as teeming with the incredible cast of characters from this unique period of London's history.

Meet the girl from MI5 who had the gravy browning licked from her legs by Dylan Thomas; the barman who was appointed the keeper of Winston Churchill's private bottle of whisky; the East End Communist who marched with his comrades into the air-raid shelter of the Savoy; the throneless prince born in a suite at Claridge's declared Yugoslav territory for one night only. Matthew Sweet has interviewed them all for this account of the extraordinary events that unfolded under the reinforced ceilings of London's grand hotels.

Using the memories of first-hand witnesses, the contents of newly declassified government files and a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs and photographs, he has reconstructed a lost world of scandal, intrigue and fortitude.

About this title

Review

'Matthew Sweet's curiosity and sense of fun pulls back the heavy baize curtains on what we thought we knew about the war. As intoxicating as a glass of champagne at the Cafe de Paris.' --Linda Grant

'A scandalously enjoyable account of lives, losses and inconsiderate love-making, 'The West End Front' boasts a visitors' book like no other. From the egregious con man Sir Curtis Lampson to the louche inhabitants of the 'Pink Sink' bar, Fifth columnists, communists, spies, spivs, charlatans and deposed monarchs, they're all here, somehow keeping their crumpets buttered and their dignity intact during the worst excesses of the Ritzkrieg. Delightfully gossipy and often moving, it shines an affectionate search-light on an entirely forgotten chapter of World War Two.' --Mark Gatiss

Book Description

In The West End Front, Matthew Sweet draws a sumptuous, witty and eye-opening history of the Ritz, the Savoy, the Dorchester and Claridge's - and the eccentrics, stars, aristocrats and criminals living in London's grand hotels during the Blitz.

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0571234771
• ISBN 13: 9780571234776
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384