By Emily Briffett

Published: Saturday, 19 February 2022 at 12:00 am


Caroline Shenton tells the story of the colourful cast of curators, museum directors and civil servants who embarked on a top-secret mission to protect Britain’s national art collections during the Second World War. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she explains how these dedicated men and women devised ingenious escape plans and concealed artworks and artefacts in the most unlikely of places in a race against time to save the nation’s heritage.

Caroline Shenton is the author of National Treasures: Saving the Nation’s Art in World War II (John Murray Press, 2021)

How to download the HistoryExtra podcast

Download as MP3