A Village at War — 1944

African-American GIs in Britain. Image: The Conversation

At the outbreak of World War Two the village of Wellesbourne — just a few miles from Stratford-upon-Avon — seemed an insignificant village. But by the end of 1940 it was very much at the centre of things. Rumours flew around that Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a secret hideaway for himself and his cabinet, just outside the village, and that he — or his official look-alike — had been seen in the vicinity several times. Many said the Royal…