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Elizabeth Nel
Elizabeth Nel
Elizabeth Nel
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Key Information

Elizabeth Shakespear Nel (née Layton; 14 June 1917 – 30 October 2007) was a personal secretary to Winston Churchill from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War.

Biography

[edit]

Elizabeth Layton was born on 14 June 1917 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Her father, a veteran of the First World War, suffered from tuberculosis. He was advised because of his health to emigrate to either British Columbia or Australia. The family moved to Canada and settled in Vernon, British Columbia.[1]

She attended a secretarial college in London, before working at an employment bureau. In the summer of 1939, she returned to Canada on holiday. After training in air raid precautions, she returned to London, where she obtained work with the Red Cross. It was from here she was sent to Downing Street.[1]

In late May 1941 at around 22:30, she first met Winston Churchill. She sat at a silent typewriter where she immediately fell foul of the Prime Minister by making a mistake. He liked his speeches typed in double-spaced lines as he dictated, but she used single spacing. She was ordered from the room as Churchill berated her, using the words "fool", "mug", and "idiot".[1]

She accompanied Churchill as he travelled abroad in the war years. Layton met President Franklin D. Roosevelt while in Washington D.C., with Churchill at the White House.[1] Another trip saw her as part of the British delegation to the Yalta Conference in the Crimea. Churchill proposed a toast to "Miss Layton" at a banquet during the conference. She was the only woman present.[2] Her last work in wartime was to take dictation of Churchill's VE-Day speech.[3]

She and Churchill wept in his room after his defeat in the 1945 general election. After the loss, Layton told the Churchills of her plans to marry Frans Nel. He was a South African soldier who had been released from a prisoner-of-war camp following his capture at Tobruk.[1][4] Churchill and his wife Clementine, upon hearing the news, advised them to have four children, reciting together, "One for Mother, one for Father, one for Accidents and one for Increase."[1] In 1946, her first child was born.[5]

In 1958, she released a memoir titled Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Churchill initially objected to the publication, sending a telegram. However, his views softened and he removed his objection when the matter was broached again.[1]

After the war, she emigrated with her husband to the Union of South Africa. In later years, she was invited back to London on several occasions, including in 1990 for the 50th anniversary of Churchill becoming prime minister.[6] She also returned in 2005 to join Queen Elizabeth II for the opening of the Churchill museum in the underground Cabinet War Rooms, beneath what is now the Treasury on Horse Guards Road.[3]

Family

[edit]

She had two siblings: a brother Michael and sister Alison. Her brother served as a pilot in the Second World War.[7]

After the war, she married South African soldier Frans Nel and settled in Port Elizabeth.[6] They had a son and two daughters.[1] Her husband died in 2000.[1]

Film depiction

[edit]

Nel is portrayed in the 2017 British film Darkest Hour by Lily James. She is portrayed as starting to work as Churchill's secretary on 10 May 1940 during the Battle of France. In reality, she did not become his secretary until a year later in May 1941. The movie also says her brother died during the retreat to Dunkirk, another fictional detail.[8][9]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Elizabeth Nel

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Elizabeth Shakespear Nel (née Layton; 14 June 1917 – 30 October 2007) was an English civil servant who served as personal secretary to Winston Churchill from 1941 to 1945, handling dictation, typing classified documents, and accompanying him on wartime travels including to the Yalta Conference. Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, she relocated with her family to Vernon, British Columbia, in 1924 due to her father's tuberculosis, later returning to England for secretarial training amid the Second World War. In her role, Nel endured Churchill's demanding schedule—often working until the early morning hours—and managed sensitive matters such as atomic project correspondence, earning his respect evidenced by a personal toast at the 1945 Yalta banquet where she was the sole woman present. Following the war, she married South African soldier Izaak Francois Nel, emigrated to South Africa, raised three children, and authored the 1958 memoir Mr. Churchill's Secretary, offering firsthand accounts of Churchill's leadership style, habits, and emotional responses to wartime events like naval losses. In 1990, she was honored with an invitation to 10 Downing Street for the 50th anniversary of Churchill's premiership and received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Nel died peacefully in her sleep at age 90 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Early Life

Childhood and Family Background

Elizabeth Shakespear Layton was born on 14 June 1917 in , , , the daughter of a veteran of the First World War. Her father had contracted , likely exacerbated by wartime service including exposure to gas, prompting medical advice for relocation to a drier climate to aid recovery. In 1924, when Elizabeth was seven, the family emigrated from to , , choosing the Okanagan Valley for its healthier environment over alternatives like . The Laytons settled in Vernon, where Elizabeth spent her childhood immersed in the rural Canadian setting, far removed from her English birthplace. This relocation underscored the postwar hardships for many veterans' families, driven by practical health imperatives rather than economic opportunity alone, as her father's condition necessitated immediate environmental change. The family's adaptation to life in shaped her early years, fostering resilience amid the transition from urban to the inland valleys of .

Education and Early Career

Elizabeth Layton, born in , , received her early education in after her family emigrated to , in 1924. She attended St. Michael's School for Girls in Vernon starting that year and later Vernon High School, where she was noted as a brilliant student by her teachers. At age 19 in 1936, Layton returned to to pursue secretarial training, enrolling at Mrs. Hoster's College in . Following her graduation from the college, she briefly worked in its City employment bureau before returning to on holiday. Upon returning to Vernon, Layton took on roles that prepared her for administrative work, including serving as secretary to the local Red Cross Corps and training as a volunteer air warden. By early 1941, back in , she had studied and typing to qualify as a senior and was employed in the Prisoners of War Department of the Red Cross in .

World War II Service

Recruitment and Initial Assignment

Elizabeth Layton, as she was then known, returned to from in 1939 shortly after the outbreak of and initially volunteered with the Red Cross. With secretarial training from Mrs. Hoster’s College in and references from a cousin who was a Navy commander, she secured a position as one of two shorthand-typists at in early 1941. Layton's recruitment to Winston Churchill's personal staff followed an advertisement from seeking a personal secretary, to which she responded successfully. She began her assignment on May 5, 1941, during the height of , and her first encounter with Churchill occurred that evening at . On her initial day, Layton faced immediate challenges when she used a single-spaced —unlike the double-spaced machines used by others—prompting Churchill to berate her harshly, calling her a "fool," "mug," and "idiot." Despite the risk of dismissal, her determination prevailed, and she was retained for dictation duties, speech transcription, and other secretarial tasks in the Cabinet Rooms, often working late into the night.

Role as Personal Secretary to Winston Churchill

Elizabeth Nel assumed the role of personal secretary to in May 1941, serving until November 1945 across locations including , the , the , and . Her primary duties involved taking dictation directly onto a without intermediate , a method Churchill demanded for efficiency, expecting secretaries to produce error-free drafts immediately for review and revision. This included transcribing his wartime speeches, often composed late into the night amid the stresses of air raids and strategic deliberations, with Nel notably handling the dictation of his VE Day address on 8 May 1945. The role entailed grueling hours in war-torn and beyond, where Nel endured Churchill's demanding temperament, irregular schedules, and impatience with delays, yet she adapted by maintaining composure and earning his trust through reliable performance. As part of a small team of stenographers, she managed confidential correspondence and documents, gaining access to highly sensitive information such as the "" project, Britain's early atomic research efforts. Churchill initially required secretaries to work in silence during dictation sessions, but Nel's proficiency allowed her to progress to more interactive responsibilities, reflecting the high-pressure environment that tested endurance amid blackout conditions, bomb threats, and the prime minister's nocturnal work habits. Nel's service highlighted the secretaries' critical yet behind-the-scenes contributions to Churchill's leadership, involving meticulous typing of double-spaced drafts for his iterative revisions and handling the administrative demands of wartime governance from sites like the and Cabinet War Rooms. Despite the physical and emotional toll—including and exposure to state secrets that demanded absolute discretion—she viewed the experience as a pivotal duty in Britain's resistance to , later recounting it as both challenging and rewarding in her postwar memoirs.

Key Experiences and Observations During the War

Elizabeth Nel began her service as one of Winston Churchill's personal secretaries on 5 May 1941, initially facing his impatience during her first dictation session when he criticized her single-spaced and demanded a more competent colleague, though she persisted and became a valued team member. She endured a punishing routine in war-torn , often working until 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. with minimal sleep, while Churchill dictated correspondence from his bath or while pacing in a silk dressing gown. Mornings typically found him breakfasting in bed until as late as 1 p.m., with a stationed nearby with a to capture his thoughts immediately. Nel witnessed Churchill's intense emotional engagement with the war effort, such as during a dictation at where he composed a 10,000-word report on naval losses, weeping over the casualties and growling invectives against . In one memorable incident in his bedroom, while on a phone call with General Sir Alan Brooke, Churchill kicked his cat Smokey under the bed in frustration, later retrieving and apologizing to the animal, revealing his occasional irascibility amid high-stakes decisions. She observed his perfectionism, demanding flawless work from secretaries whom he treated as colleagues rather than subordinates, and noted his exposure to state secrets, including the "" project for atomic bomb development. Accompanying Churchill on international travels from May 1941 to November 1945, Nel journeyed to the United States, Soviet Union, and Greece, crossing the Atlantic aboard the RMS Queen Mary and flying in the "Commando" Liberator bomber, providing firsthand exposure to wartime diplomacy and logistics. Her observations highlighted Churchill's sacrificial leadership and personal discipline, including his close, affectionate marriage to Clementine Churchill without any flirtatious behavior toward staff, underscoring a professional environment focused on national survival. These experiences, drawn from her diaries and letters to her mother, later informed her memoir, offering unvarnished insights into the human elements of Britain's wartime command.

Post-War Life and Career

Marriage and Relocation to

Following Winston Churchill's defeat in the general election, Elizabeth Layton married Lieutenant Izaak Francois Nel in later that year. Nel, who had joined the Allied war effort against his Boer family's reservations, was captured by German forces at in 1941 and held as a in Italian, German, and later British camps before repatriation to in 1945, where the couple met. The marriage prompted Layton's relocation from Britain to , marking the end of her professional association with Churchill's staff. Initially based in , the Nels later settled in Port Elizabeth, , where Frans Nel pursued a career as director of the local branch of the and rose to the rank of colonel in Prince Alfred's Guard. Elizabeth Nel resided there for over six decades until her death in 2007, adapting to life as a homemaker while maintaining occasional correspondence with her former employer.

Professional and Personal Activities

After marrying Izaak Francois Nel in in 1945, Elizabeth Nel relocated to and primarily devoted herself to homemaking and family life. She raised three children—a son, Francois, and two daughters, Andrea and Debbie—while residing in Port Elizabeth, where the family enjoyed a stable domestic existence spanning over five decades until her husband's death in 2000. Nel sustained personal ties to her wartime experiences through ongoing correspondence and visits with following her emigration. She remained particularly close to Churchill's daughter , maintaining contact until Sarah's death in 1982. These connections reflected her enduring loyalty to the Churchill circle, though she otherwise led a private life centered on her household and immediate family without documented involvement in public or professional pursuits beyond domestic responsibilities.

Family and Personal Relationships

Marriage to Frans Nel

Elizabeth Nel met Frans Nel, a in the South African Prince Alfred's Guard who had been repatriated to after release from a German , during the victory celebrations in on VE Day, 8 May 1945. Following the conclusion of her service with after his electoral defeat in July 1945, Nel married Nel later that year and relocated with him to Port Elizabeth, , where the couple established their family home. The Nels resided together in Port Elizabeth for over five decades, with Frans predeceasing Elizabeth in 2000 after 55 years of marriage. Their union was marked by Nel's adaptation to life in , where she raised their family while occasionally reflecting on her wartime experiences in correspondence and later writings, though the marriage itself drew little public commentary beyond its origins in postwar jubilation.

Children and Later Family Life

Elizabeth Nel and her husband, Izaak Frans Nel, had three children: two sons and a daughter. The family settled in Port Elizabeth, , , following their 1945 marriage. By 1958, their children were grown, and the couple had become grandparents. In her published that year, Nel described their life together as one in which they "lived happily ever after." Frans Nel died in 2000. Elizabeth Nel then returned to Britain, where she resided until her death in 2007 at age 90. During her years in , she engaged in community service as vice-president of the National Council of Women and gave frequent public talks on .

Writings and Memoirs

Publication of "Mr. Churchill's Secretary"

Mr. Churchill's Secretary, Elizabeth Nel's memoir detailing her tenure as Winston Churchill's personal secretary from 1941 to 1945, was first published in 1958 by in , with a simultaneous United States edition issued by Coward-McCann in New York. The volume spans 188 pages and draws directly from Nel's wartime diaries and observations, offering firsthand accounts of Churchill's daily routines, work habits, and interactions within the War Rooms. 's release followed Nel's post-war relocation to , marking her initial foray into public writing after years of private reflection on her experiences. The publication occurred amid Churchill's retirement from active politics, three years after his second term as ended in , allowing Nel to document events without ongoing governmental constraints. Initial reception highlighted the memoir's value as a rare intimate perspective from a junior staffer, with the International Churchill Society later characterizing it as a "charming" record of her service. No major commercial blockbuster status is recorded, but the book contributed to the growing body of personal testimonies on Churchill's leadership, predating many official histories and biographies. Subsequent reprints and translations extended its availability, though the edition remains the primary historical artifact of its release.

Content and Insights on Churchill's Leadership

Nel's memoir details Churchill's leadership as intensely personal and exacting, emphasizing his unconventional daily routine that prioritized sustained intellectual output over conventional hours. She recounts how Churchill often rose late, dictating from his bed until midday, then continued work while bathing, before resuming after a post-lunch and extending into the early morning. This regimen, while exhausting for staff required to remain perpetually available, exemplified his stamina and ability to compartmentalize rest for maximum productivity during crises, as observed during her tenure from May to 1945. A core insight into Churchill's process emerges from Nel's descriptions of his dictation style, which demanded secretaries transcribe mumbled, rapid verbatim before revisions—often formatting speeches in verse-like stanzas for rhythmic clarity. He rejected staples in favor of hole-punched pages secured by tags, insisting on precision in presentation that mirrored his intolerance for administrative sloppiness. These habits underscored a approach rooted in meticulous oversight of communications, ensuring directives conveyed strategic intent without ambiguity, even amid wartime pressures like or Quebec Conferences. Nel highlights Churchill's capacity to inspire through sheer force of example, noting initial gave way to as secretaries adapted to his idiosyncrasies, such as lighting cigars mid-dictation or pacing nude post-bath. His aversion to staff changes and preference for familiar routines fostered a tight-knit team dynamic, where personal rapport enabled frank exchanges once trust was earned—contrasting with more detached managerial styles. Yet, she conveys no illusions about his irascibility; early encounters involved sharp rebukes for errors, training aides to anticipate needs and uphold standards that propelled Britain's resolve. Ultimately, the portrays Churchill's leadership as one of unrelenting intellectual dominance, where eccentric methods sustained decisive action—evident in her accounts of wartime travels and cabinet interactions—prioritizing outcomes over protocol and extracting peak performance from subordinates through unyielding expectations. This firsthand perspective, drawn from diaries and letters, reveals a leader whose human frailties coexisted with visionary tenacity, free from the common in postwar accounts.

Media Depictions

Portrayals in Film and Television

Elizabeth Nel was portrayed by actress in the 2017 biographical film , directed by and starring as . In the film, her character—named Elizabeth Layton—is depicted as Churchill's personal secretary beginning on 10 May 1940, coinciding with the early days of his premiership and the crisis, where she assists with dictation, typing, and observes key wartime decisions in the Cabinet War Rooms. James prepared for the role by spending six weeks learning touch-typing on a vintage to authentically replicate secretarial work. No other major fictional film or television depictions of Nel have been produced, though she appeared as herself in historical documentaries such as the 2003 miniseries Churchill and the 1992 miniseries of the same name, recounting her wartime experiences. These appearances focused on her firsthand accounts rather than dramatized portrayals.

Accuracy and Reception of Depictions

In the 2017 film , directed by , Elizabeth Nel is portrayed by as Elizabeth Layton, depicted as Winston Churchill's personal secretary beginning on May 10, , during the critical early days of his premiership amid the . This timeline is inaccurate, as historical records confirm Nel did not join Churchill's staff until May 5, 1941, well after the events dramatized in the film, which focuses on May-June ; her role was thus composite and anachronistic to provide a lens on Churchill's dictations and personal demeanor. Additionally, the film invents a subplot of Nel receiving news of her brother Michael's death as a pilot, whereas Nel's Mr. Churchill's Secretary references her brother serving as a pilot but records no such wartime loss during this period. Nel's background also diverges from the portrayal: born in South Africa and raised partly in , she likely spoke with a non-standard English accent, contrasting Lily James's . While the film accurately captures elements of secretarial duties, such as typing voluminous correspondence—Nel later estimated Churchill's daily output at up to 10,000 words—these are generalized rather than specific to her 1941-1945 tenure. Historians note the character serves dramatic purposes, humanizing Churchill through interactions like dictation sessions and emotional support, but described Layton as a "created" figure blending multiple secretaries to streamline the narrative. Reception of the depiction has been generally positive within the film's acclaim—Darkest Hour earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, with praise for its evocation of wartime tension—but accuracy critiques highlight the fictional liberties taken with Nel's involvement. Reviewers and fact-checkers, such as those at History vs. Hollywood, commended the performance for illustrating Churchill's demanding yet considerate style toward staff, aligning with Nel's accounts of his courtesy despite pressures, yet faulted the timeline compression for misleading viewers on her historical presence. No major portrayals appear in other films or television series, rendering Darkest Hour the principal media representation, often cited in discussions of Churchill biopics' blend of fidelity and invention.

Legacy and Recognition

Contributions to Historical Understanding

Elizabeth Nel's memoir Mr. Churchill's Secretary, published in 1958, provides a firsthand account of her service as Winston Churchill's personal secretary from 1941 to 1945, offering unique insights into his daily routines and leadership during . The book details her experiences accompanying Churchill on wartime travels, including trips to Washington, aboard warships, and to summit conferences such as and , where she handled sensitive documents involving state secrets like atomic alloys and invasion plans. These narratives illuminate the operational environment of Churchill's decision-making, including his practice of dictating correspondence and speeches at irregular hours—often until 2:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., or later—demonstrating the intense work ethic that sustained Britain's war effort. Nel's recollections humanize Churchill by recounting his eccentricities, such as abrupt demands on staff, alongside traits that fostered loyalty, including his humor, respect for competent aides (treating her as a colleague rather than a subordinate), and ability to inspire devotion amid hardships. For instance, she describes perilous journeys, like the 1944 visit under gunfire and exposures in , which underscore the personal risks Churchill accepted and the resilience he projected to his inner circle. This testimony explains staff forgiveness of his trying demeanor, attributing it to his charismatic command and unwavering focus on victory, thereby contributing to a nuanced view of how interpersonal dynamics supported strategic leadership. Beyond Churchill's persona, Nel's work highlights the underappreciated contributions of women in wartime administration, noting their essential roles in managing and supporting high-level operations often overlooked in broader histories. She also emphasizes the stabilizing influence of , whose counsel aided his effectiveness, adding a layer to understandings of the domestic supports underpinning public leadership. As a written with Churchill's approval, the serves as prime evidence for historians examining the human factors in Britain's WWII resilience, distinct from macro-strategic analyses.

Honors and Posthumous Acknowledgment

Elizabeth Nel was appointed an Honorary Member of the International Churchill Society in recognition of her wartime service as Winston Churchill's personal secretary from 1941 to 1945. Following her death on 30 October 2007, Nel received posthumous acknowledgment in obituaries published by major British outlets, which described her as the last surviving member of Churchill's personal secretarial staff during and praised her Mr. Churchill's Secretary (1958) for its firsthand insights into his working habits and . The International Churchill Society noted her passing in its publication Finest Hour, emphasizing her enduring contributions to documenting Churchill's era as one of his few surviving secretaries. Her experiences have since been featured in regional historical narratives, such as those by the Vernon Museum, underscoring her role in preserving personal accounts of Churchill's administration.

References

  1. https://okanaganhistoricalsociety.org/images2/pdfs/OHS_article_Muhlert-2022.pdf
  2. https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-137/around-and-about-21/
  3. https://figures-of-speech.com/2018/02/nel.htm
  4. https://vernonmuseum.ca/elizabeth-nel/
  5. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1569501/Elizabeth-Nel.html
  6. https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/elizabeth-nel-2469179
  7. https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/elizabeth-nel-q6phmjw3nrm
  8. https://www.smh.com.au/national/churchills-devoted-secretary-20071124-gdro8n.html
  9. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80014660
  10. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/what-really-like-work-winston-11851910
  11. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/12/winston-churchills-eccentric-working-habits-revealed-in-rare-papers
  12. https://historicalsocietype.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Looking_Back_2007_Vol_46_1.pdf
  13. https://www.wevcom.ch/files/20180201_FoS_Elizabeth__Layton.pdf
  14. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/what-happened-real-life-people-12070591
  15. https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/annotated-bibliography/
  16. https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-134/uk-and-canada-news/
  17. https://richardlangworth.com/downingst-annexe
  18. https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2012-04-20/mr._churchill_s_secretary_and_me.html
  19. https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/darkest-hour/
  20. https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/war-rooms-annexe/
  21. https://www.film-news.co.uk/news/UK/51523/Lily-James-learned-to-touch-type-for-Darkest-Hour-role
  22. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2588475/
  23. https://screenrant.com/darkest-hour-true-story-every-change-movie/
  24. https://slate.com/culture/2017/12/whats-fact-and-whats-fiction-in-darkest-hour.html
  25. https://wghobartpublishers.com/darkest-hour-how-historically-accurate-is-it/
  26. https://www.politifact.com/article/2018/feb/26/fact-check-darkest-hour-movie-winston-churchill/
  27. https://winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Annotated-Bib.-Updated-5.3.2016.pdf
  28. https://richardlangworth.com/stelzer-working-winston
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