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Reading 1 – “September 1939 was the blackest month in the history of the hotel business…” Click here to hear how the luxury hotels managed to pick themselves up shortly thereafter [6:30].

Reading 2 -The grand hotels in wartime were frequently compared to luxury liners on which “the remnants of London society have embarked in the midst of a storm”  Click here to hear how these behemoths and their inhabitants withstood the storm [5:47].

One of the most colourful characters to pass through London’s grand hotels during the war was Stella Lonsdale. Did the tales she brought back from occupied France contain a grain of truth, or was she an accomplished and self-serving liar intent on outwitting the British Secret Services? Click here to listen to Matthew Sweet’s take on a beguiling but ultimately sinister woman [5:12].

In this short extract, Matthew Sweet talks about the central place of oral history in researching West End Front. Click here to listen [2:25].

To listen to the complete interview with Matthew Sweet, click here.