National Treasures: Saving The Nation's Art in World War II

by Caroline Shenton

As Hitler prepared to invade Poland during the sweltering summer of 1939, men and women from across London's museums, galleries and archives formulated ingenious plans to send the nation's highest prized objects to safety. Using stately homes, tube tunnels, slate mines, castles, prisons, stone quarries and even their own homes, a dedicated bunch of unlikely misfits packed up the nation's greatest treasures and, in a race against time, dispatched them throughout the country on a series of top-secret wartime adventures.

National Treasures highlights a moment from our history when an unlikely coalition of mild-mannered civil servants, social oddballs and metropolitan aesthetes became the front line in the heritage war against Hitler. Caroline Shenton shares the interwoven lives of ordinary people who kept calm and carried on in the most extraordinary of circumstances in their efforts to save the Nation's historic identity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2021

About the author

Caroline is Director of the Parliamentary Archives in London, and author of The Day Parliament Burned Down (OUP, 2012).

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of us have heard of children being evacuated in WWII, but this is the story of a lesser known removal - that of the nation's artworks, jewels, priceless documents and museum, library and gallery collections to safety. As it became clear that war was coming, those in charge of such collections either accepted the inevitable and began to make plans or hoped that the worst would not happen and were left scouting around for safe havens when war was declared.

Author Caroline Shenton tells a fascinating tale, of how a group of academics and scholars were forced to emerge, blinking from the shadows, and transport, guard and protect the nation's treasures. Luckily, this was done with as much secrecy as possible, so nobody realised when a van was left unlocked containing (among other things) Guy Fawkes confessions, Shakespeare's will, the Doomsday Book and Magna Carta, while the men transporting such important documents decided to get a cup of tea. Meanwhile, despite the seriousness, there was still the ability to make fun of themselves and the situation. For example, whenn a man got caught up in material used to pack items, he was told not to emulate the German, 'Strength Through Joy,' programme by replacing it with, 'Rupture by Rapture...'

Most collections were moved to country houses, where those living there imagined that pictures would be preferable to evacuees. However, often the housing of expensive, delicate and - sometimes bulky - items, could be more difficult that expected. Huge wooden crates put rooms out of use, the threat of fire had to be considered, alongside damp and mould. Staff billeted to protect such items had to be given rooms, fed, no easy feat with rationing, and were often bored, as they had to stay close and guard the items hidden inside.

This then is the story of how the nation's treasures were hidden - in country houses, tunnels, underground bunkers and caves. These treasures were not just financially and artistically worthwhile. There was the fear that some items could be used as propaganda by the Germans and the Crown Jewels were among the items that had to be hidden. This is an interesting story, that often involves personal heroism, when those involved had to ensure the safety of the country's heritage safe for future years. The next time I visit the British Museum, British Library, National Gallery or any other of my favourite museums or galleries, I will not only appreciate the collections, but acknowledge the difficult tasks of those in wartime to keep those collections safe for later generations to enjoy.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

As WWII drew closer, those in charge of the London museums and galleries that held priceless paintings, sculptures, coins, medals, documents and other artefacts were working on a plan to keep these treasures safe from the upcoming conflict. This is the fascinating story of how they found suitable sites, packaged and transported their objects, and kept them safe and undamaged until 1945.

These artefacts were spread across the country from Underground tunnels and basements to slate mines and stately homes. Staff from the museums and galleries worked tirelessly on analysing the options available and organising this massive logistics exercise, and their findings on preserving the works helped to develop the way conservators work to this day.

Caroline Shenton has written a lively and entertaining account, full of quirky detail about the personalities involved. There is a useful ‘Cast’ list at the beginning which helps distinguish between the various Directors and Keepers of the institutions, and some wonderful photos (I would have welcomed more of these as they really convey the immensity of the task involved). The author balances her topics really well - from political machinations to scientific questions of temperature and humidity, and from petty squabbles between keepers and their aristocratic hosts to the tragic outcomes of the Blitz.

This was a great example of how thorough and painstaking research can be skilfully and creatively moulded into an immensely enjoyable read. One of the most engaging books I’ve read for some time, and a real eye opener on a lesser known aspect of WWII history.

[Jarvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout the 1930's, which always seem to read like a long prelude to the second world war, there had been profound fear of the consequences of aerial bombardment. As a result many of London's leading museums and galleries had made preparations to evacuate their most important holdings to places of greater safety. And as this rather charming, none too demanding read of a book makes clear in the end those arrangements more or less worked.
The success appears to have been driven by a range of more or less eccentric characters: the arty types typically running the galleries, the scientists trying to bring modern methods to curation, and the sometimes difficulty aristocrats who gave up their homes to store paintings and artefacts.
There is lovely detail throughout, but too things stand out for me. How galleries managed to stumble upon near perfect conditions for the preservation of paintings is abandoned mines and quarries. And secondly quite how much there was that needed saving. When I lived in London I ended up taking the museums and galleries for granted, but there really are quite something.

[Macey · Rating 3 out of 5]

would have been better if there weren't so many boring parts and background logistical information, but also some bits were really interesting and exciting? I dunno it was kinda plotless too

thankfully it had photos

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, packed with detail and amusing anecdotes, meticulously researched. Characters are revealed, and developed, with remarkable skill in a limited space. I found it difficult to keep track of the plethora of characters, although there is a helpful list of the “cast” on page ix.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most people of my generation, I was aware that many of our national art and museum collections had spent WWII in a former slate mine in Wales, or dispersed among many country houses. This book fleshes out this knowledge. It tells a tale of forward planning, serendipity, setbacks combined with good luck. Above all, it tells the tale of men and women - scholars, curators, often not 'people people', who found themselves thrust into the unlooked-for difficulties of finding a safe home for or national treasures, and coming up with a way of (a) transporting them safely, and (b) maintaining them in good condition in places which might be too cold, too hot, too damp, too insecure. It tells of staff who moved to live with their cultural-heritage charges for the duration, often with their families. And it shows a government whose main objective was the conduct of the war and the safety of its citizens, making time to take decisions about our National Treasures, finding the funds to facilitate the carrying out of the results of those deliberations. Remarkable.

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what happened to Britain's vast collections from the British Museum, the V&A, National Gallery, Wallace Collection, British Library, Tate (and many others besides) during World War II? If so, then this book is for you. There's not much else to add except that it's a fascinating account of where things went during the war and the number of different people who were happy to house them (albeit as long as their heating bills were paid). As ever, there are the usual tales of calamitous near misses - shout out to the delivery crew who left the doors to their van of irreplaceable treasures open while they popped off to lunch and then promptly crashed it soon after dropping the items off - but it all came good in the end.

[Robin Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. An insight into the colossal logistical effort to protect our cultural heritage (and our looted colonial treasures) at a time when invasion was a very real threat. I also learned a lot about the general vulnerability of art and manuscripts to the perils of environmental fluctuation.
Mostly the mind boggles at the resilience of a population of soldiers,historians,aesthetes,tradesmen and everyone else to maintain their humanity, identity and sense of self under the horror of the blitz, which is somehow made more real for us here with the matter of fact description of the scale of the horror raining down night after night on Londons homes, palaces, galleries and museums.

[Lisa of Hopewell]

I learned of this book via this post: https://shereadsnovels.com/2022/11/12...

[Zhi Zhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book assumed that the readers were educated on WWII, so it did not bother to explain many terms. Taking one star off because of that; otherwise, it's a very interesting read.

[skye]

the last line of the epilogue, Shenton you are a genius. love it

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent

Excellent story of the fate of our national treasures during the war. Very complex and involving so many people. We must be very grateful for the work they did.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

it screams sunday times book

[Ellie Cripps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly written and truly fascinating, this is a great read (and not just if you work at one of the institutions featured...)