Churchill required a vast staff to maintain the intense pace at which he worked, whether it was meeting with world leaders, politicians, or military personnel. Yet behind the scenes, whenever Churchill strode across the world stage, the secretarial and support staff that enabled him to succeed were inevitably filled by women. Though extraordinarily talented and valuable to Churchill and his work, these women remain unheralded. He was not an easy employer. He was intimidating, with never-ending demands who would impose his relentless and demanding schedules on those around him. And yet these women were devoted to him, though there were times in his political career in which he was decidedly unpopular. Many reflect upon their years working for him as the best years of their lives. Intelligent and hard-working, these women were far from sycophants. Just as Churchill was no ordinary Prime Minister, these women were not ordinary secretaries. Indeed, in today's terms, their titles would be much grander, as their work encompassed ultra-secret documents and decrypting and reading enemy codes.
