Talk: Monty Halls - Churchill's Killing House

Monty Halls's new book Churchill's Killing House (Penguin 2025) tells the story of the birth of the commandos as part of the British military during World War II.

This is an event for anyone curious as to where the Commandos spring from, revealing the real story of the birth of modern special forces. A tale of heroism, intrigue, and eccentricity, it reveals the extraordinary cast of characters who forged legends: Lovat, Fairbairn and Sykes, Stirling, MacPherson, Mayne. These were the original rogue heroes, the men that created a legacy that would turn the tide of the war, and create the customs and traditions that define the modern Royal Marines.

In the summer of 1940, Britain was under siege. Poland, Belgium, Holland, Norway and France had already fallen, and the British army had been routed on the continent, leading to the chaotic evacuation at Dunkirk.

In the rubble of the Allie’s crumbled defence, Inverailort House was established as a new symbol of defiance. Signed off by Churchill himself, this austere building became an academy for the brightest and best of all Allied volunteers, where they were transformed from ordinary foot soldiers into a new breed of warrior – the commando. The list of instructors, advisors, and trainees that passed through the house included some of the greatest fighting men of World War II: Lord Lovat, “Mad Mike” Calvert, Freddy Spencer Chapman, Tommy Macpherson, Fairbairn and Sykes, and both David and Bill Stirling, who would go on to form the SAS.

Churchill’s Killing House tells, for the first time, the remarkable human story of those who created a new type of soldier, forged new techniques in battle, and ultimately led the way to Allied victory over fascism.