On 7 February 1941, Combined Operations moved to Derby House at Exchange Flags in Liverpool because German aircraft and U-boats were attacking ships travelling in from the continent.
The department became known as Western Approaches Command as it monitored Western Approaches, the rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of the British Isles. Liverpool subsequently became an important strategic position in the Second World War.
You were once required to sign the Official Secrets Act to enter the building, now Western Approaches HQ is open for visitors to freely explore the immense bunker.
The labyrinth of rooms and offices is a precious time capsule and although the 300 war time staff have long gone, a visit to the museum will transport you back to that time and make you ask questions about the people who once worked there.
Walk through hidden rooms and discover the stories locked in the WWII bunker that protected the tactics of the British Armed Forces plotting to bulwark the Western Approaches and aid the Allied victory.
Glimpse the documents and tools the Forces used to monitor enemy convoys and inform the British government of their findings, whilst keeping their intelligence secret from the enemy, including one of only two surviving wartime phones which had a direct connection to the London War Cabinet.
See where Commanders, WRNS and WAAF personnel worked day and night in the Operations Room, the nerve centre of the Battle of the Atlantic. Here they monitored convoy routes and vital shipping lines, pin-pointing enemy locations on a huge map wall, where total accuracy was necessary to enable the Royal Navy to contact and destroy the enemy.
The Operations Room has remained exactly how as it was left when the doors were closed on 15 August 1945.
Tue 2 Dec 2025 - Sun 4 Jan 2026
Mon 9 - Sat 21 Jun 2025
Tue 15 - Sun 20 Jul 2025
