12 February 2025
IWM London
Adults
Talk only: £20
The Secret Listeners of Trent Park
My IWM offers you the opportunity to join iconic comedian and actress Helen Lederer on an exclusive evening tour of Imperial War Museum London, along with IWM's Head of Public History James Bulgin.
Helen will explore her family's connection with the British intelligence services during the Second World War, particularly the incredible story of Trent Park's 'secret listeners'.
About Trent Park
Trent Park, an English country house and gardens, was used in the Second World War to house high-ranking German prisoners of war.
Meanwhile, 'stool pigeons' German-speaking undercover operatives lived amongst them, posing as fellow prisoners or Nazi sympathisers and leading the German officers into conversations on sensitive topics, from weapons and tactics to the crimes committed by the Nazi state. Secret listeners, located in the basement of the house would listen in on these conversations via hidden microphones and record information.
It wasn't until long after the death of Helen's grandfather, Ernst Lederer, in 1959, that she discovered he had worked for MI9 both as a stool pigeon and secret listener in Trent Park. Hear Helen discuss the life and work of her grandfather, and other family members involved in the war in her My IWM tour and talk.
About Helen Lederer
A founding member of the 1980s alternative comedy scene, Helen Lederer established herself as one of Britain's best known faces in the field of comedy at the Comedy Store in London, and on our screens in The Young Ones, Naked Video and Girls on Top. She's perhaps best known for playing Catriona in the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous, but she is also an established writer, author and founder of the Comedy Women in Print prize.
Helen is the granddaughter of Ernst Lederer, who served as a Secret Listener at Trent Park where German General POWs were held during the Second World War. Today, as a Trustee of Trent Park House, she is campaigning to raise awareness of this significant site of wartime intelligence gathering, and to secure its future as a site open to the public. Join Helen to find out more about this extraordinary family connection, through IWM's captivating collection.
About James Bulgin
Helen will be joined on her tour by Dr James Bulgin, IWM's Head of Public History.
James was previously Head of Content for IWM's award-winning Holocaust Galleries. On behalf of IWM, he has acted as a consultant to a range of Holocaust organisations and has spoken at conferences in the UK, USA, Germany, Bosnia, Poland and Israel. In 2022 James delivered the David Cesarani Memorial Lecture for Royal Holloway’s Holocaust Research Centre.
About Sarah Paterson
Sarah Paterson joined IWM as a Librarian in 1988 and is currently a Curator for First World War and Early 20th Century. For many years she had responsibility for family history research at IWM.
Her areas of particular interest include prisoners of war, women and conflict, military families, and the British Occupation of Germany after both world wars. She recently wrote the introduction for the IWM publication Most Secret: MI9 and Evasion Devices.
About Your Ticket
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IWM London tour, talk and Q&A with Helen Lederer
Sold out
- Join Helen Lederer and curator James Bulgin at 6.30pm for a tour of IWM London's Second World War Galleries.
- Your ticket includes the opportunity to join Helen and James afterwards, for a conversation and Q&A with IWM Curator Sarah Paterson.
- Limited tickets available.
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Talk and Q&A only
£20
- Join Helen at IWM London from 7.30pm for a conversation and Q&A about her family's history in Trent Park and Bletchley Park, and about their lives in German-occupied Czechoslovakia.
- Joining you and Helen will be James Bulgin, IWM's Head of Public History, and IWM curator Sarah Paterson
- Following the talk, have your questions answered by Helen and James.
About the Venue
IWM London gives voice to the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people forced to live in a world torn apart by conflict. Explore our permanent galleries to learn about the impact of the First World War, Second World War and the Holocaust. View era-defining art and learn about the psychological impact of war with our temporary exhibition War and the Mind.
