Liverpool: The UK’s Number One City for Second World War History
Liverpool is the UK’s number one city for learning about the Second World War and Western Approaches is the perfect place to begin.
Located right at the heart of the wartime command centre, this building tells the story of resilience, sacrifice and community spirit of Liverpool vividly.
The headquarters of the Battle of Atlantic tells the story of how Liverpool was crucial to Britain’s war effort.
Serving as Britain’s main port for convoys, Liverpool became a lifeline connecting UK, US and Canada and supporting the Allied campaign and contributing to eventual victory.
The city’s location also made Liverpool a prime target for attacks by the Luftwaffe. Today this legacy from wartime can still be explored throughout the city region. At the heart of this story is Derby House inside Exchange Buildings where the Royal Navy set up top secret headquarters for Western Approaches Command.
The underground bunker was built with thick reinforced concrete walls and ceiling covers about 55,000 square feet and housed nearly 1,000 personnel from both the Royal Navy and RAF.
Western Approaches Command moved from Plymouth to Liverpool in February 1941 under leadership of Admiral Sir Percy Noble and continued operations until August 1945.
Today, visitors can walk through hidden rooms and learn stories behind strategies that protected important convoys from German U boats, aircraft and surface warships as well as harsh conditions in the North Atlantic.
Western Approaches is open every day and is conveniently located near stations at Moorfields and James Street, making it perfect to start a day of exploring wartime heritage in Liverpool.
Beyond Western Approaches there is much more to discover about the Second World War in Liverpool.
Outside London, Liverpool suffered the heaviest bombing of any British city and still has powerful reminders of those war years. St Luke’s Church that was bombed in May 1941 has been restored and now hosts cultural events. St John’s Gardens is a place of remembrance for military personnel from Merseyside who died in conflict.
Across the water, Cammell Laird Shipyard in Birkenhead played a very important role in repairing and building ships during the Battle of the Atlantic.
This further adds to our very own Battle of the Atlantic Museum which showcases the U-534 Submarine, located at Woodside Ferry Terminal. The museum is currently under construction and will open in 2027.
So, whether you plan a heritage outing or a bigger break in Liverpool, the first place to start is at Western Approaches, open seven days a week.
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