Articles | The Secret County

Last Of The Many

THE HISTORY OF HURRICANES BUILT IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Buckinghamshire can be proud of its contribution to the WWII effort in so many ways: food and military equipment production, the secret war waged at some of Buckinghamshire’s stately homes, militar…

The Home Front

WOMEN AT WAR

In 1914 a large proportion of Britain’s men left their daily jobs to answer the call of war. This caused a big problem, as there were few men left to work in factories, post offices and many other…

The Firs, Whitchurch

WINSTON CHURCHILL’S TOYSHOP

When he was elected Prime Minister, Winston Churchill knew of the massive amount of red tape at the War Office and so to bypass this he appointed himself Minister of Defence and created department…

Hanslope Park

THE SECRET COMMUNICATIONS UNIT THAT RULED THE AIRWAVES

Tucked away on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, almost hidden from view by trees, sits Hanslope Park. The unassuming main building was built in 1692, the former home to the Watts family and site of…

Latimer House

LISTENING TO THE ENEMY

Latimer House is in a beautiful setting, clearly visible on the top of a hill from the Chesham to Rickmansworth road. It was the ancestral home of Lord Chesham. However, the Government requisitione…

Hughenden Manor

THE SECRET MAPMAKERS OF RAF BOMBER COMMAND

To most Buckinghamshire inhabitants, Hughenden Manor will usually invoke the link with its most famous incumbent, the Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. With passing generations, the house…

Operation Varsity

A PROUD DAY IN THE OX & BUCKS LIGHT INFANTRY’S HISTORY

At 02:30 on the 24th March 1945 the men of the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light Infantry were roused from their beds. They were given a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon
and beans. At 0…

Arnold Hargreaves

THE CAPTURE OF U-110 AND THE ENIGMA DECRYPTION BREAKTHROUGH

Arnold Hargreaves, age 99, is the last surviving member of a boarding party from HMS Bulldog that in 1941 captured an Enigma machine from a stricken German U-boat. The information discovered from a…

Bois Own

BUCKS’ VC NAVAL HERO

Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts was born at the family home in Chiltern Road, Chesham Bois in July 1917. After leaving school in 1935 he joined the Royal Navy and in 1936 was posted to HMS…

Roald Dahl

THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT OF THE RAF

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. After finishing school in 1934, Roald joined Shell Petroleum and after completing his training in the UK was transferred to Africa. His role in Tanganyika (now…

Heroine Of The French Resistance

THE STORY OF MARIE-FRANCE MacCARTHY

Marie-France MacCarthy was brought up in the most rarefied French circles, becoming a fine singer; yet it was in action during the Second World War that she especially distinguished herself. Her ex…

Decoding The Past

GCHQ HISTORIAN TONY COMER ON BLETCHLEY PARK’S LEGACY

Sat on the top floor of the Bletchley Park mansion, in the room next to where MI6 set up Station X at the start of World War II, we met with Tony Comer from GCHQ (Government Communication Headquart…