Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park is the home of British codebreaking and a birthplace of modern information technology. It played a major role in World War Two, producing secret intelligence which had a direct and profound influence on the outcome of the conflict. The site is now a museum and heritage attraction, open daily. The Bletchley Park Podcast brings you fascinating stories from Veterans, staff and volunteers on the significance and continued relevance of this site today. read less

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E163 - The Women of Newnham College

E163 - The Women of Newnham College

April 2024 Women were the backbone of Bletchley Park during World War Two. At its peak in January 1945, the workforce was 75% female, but even at the start of the war, women comprised a significant portion of GC&CS’s numbers. Women were recruited in a variety of ways, but a significant quantity of them, particularly early in the war, were selected direct from prominent universities such as Oxford, St Andrews and Cambridge. Over the last few years, a team of members of Newnham College Cambridge have been researching the women from their college who worked at Bletchley Park and in other wartime roles. They have discovered, astonishingly, more than 70 students and alumnae were recruited to BP. After close collaboration with the team at Bletchley Park Trust, a new exhibition presents their findings and reveals some hidden histories. In this episode, recorded at Newnham College, Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, meets the three women behind this new research and we visit the exhibition to find out more about their discoveries. Dr Sally Waugh, Dr Gill Sutherland and Newnham College Archivist Frieda Midgley share what they’ve uncovered, and what surprised them, about the Newnham women who worked at Bletchley Park. This episode features our Oral History recordings of three of those Newnham women: Sister St. Paul Lady Elisabeth Reed Mrs Brenda Lang Image: Reproduced with the permission of Dr John Clarke via Kerry Howard from her research into the life of Joan Clarke. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Newnham,

Episodes

E163 - The Women of Newnham College

E163 - The Women of Newnham College

April 2024 Women were the backbone of Bletchley Park during World War Two. At its peak in January 1945, the workforce was 75% female, but even at the start of the war, women comprised a significant portion of GC&CS’s numbers. Women were recruited in a variety of ways, but a significant quantity of them, particularly early in the war, were selected direct from prominent universities such as Oxford, St Andrews and Cambridge. Over the last few years, a team of members of Newnham College Cambridge have been researching the women from their college who worked at Bletchley Park and in other wartime roles. They have discovered, astonishingly, more than 70 students and alumnae were recruited to BP. After close collaboration with the team at Bletchley Park Trust, a new exhibition presents their findings and reveals some hidden histories. In this episode, recorded at Newnham College, Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, meets the three women behind this new research and we visit the exhibition to find out more about their discoveries. Dr Sally Waugh, Dr Gill Sutherland and Newnham College Archivist Frieda Midgley share what they’ve uncovered, and what surprised them, about the Newnham women who worked at Bletchley Park. This episode features our Oral History recordings of three of those Newnham women: Sister St. Paul Lady Elisabeth Reed Mrs Brenda Lang Image: Reproduced with the permission of Dr John Clarke via Kerry Howard from her research into the life of Joan Clarke. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Newnham,

E162 - Before the Codebreakers

E162 - Before the Codebreakers

March 2024 Bletchley Park is famous as the home of World War 2 codebreaking. But what was there before the Government Code and Cypher School moved in? Who built Bletchley Park, and what remains of the pre-war country estate? In this episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Head of Content Erica Munro examine the people who made Bletchley Park their home prior to World War 2. Sir Herbert Leon and his family bought, expanded and lived in the now-familiar Mansion, stamping their individual style on the design of the building and the estate. Surviving historical records shed an intriguing light on the Leons, their philanthropy, interests and impact on the local community. We also hear from Professor Abigail Green of Brasenose College, Oxford University, an expert on Jewish Country Houses, to discover more about the social context of the family who ‘made’ Bletchley Park. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

E161 - Learning: Past, Present and Future

E161 - Learning: Past, Present and Future

February 2024 In 2023, Bletchley Park Trust completed its biggest refurbishment project to date – a £13 million, three-phase project, to open up wartime buildings at the heart of the site for the very first time. The final phase saw Block E, once the wartime Communications hub of Bletchley Park, transformed into two new resources – the Block E Learning Centre – which includes eight learning spaces able to accommodate learners from primary school pupils to students in higher education – and the Fellowship Auditorium, a state-of-the-art, 250-seat, presentation and event space. In this special episode, we join Lily Dean, Learning Manager, and Vicki Pipe, Head of Audiences and Programmes, as they give us tour of the new spaces, and reveal the inspiring activities learners can enjoy as part of our award-winning learning programme. Dr David Kenyon, Research Historian, and Dr Thomas Cheetham, Research Officer, also bring to life the wartime and post-war history of this once closed off building. Image: Learners in Block E ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

E160 - Colossus in Context Part 2

E160 - Colossus in Context Part 2

January 2024 Eighty years ago, in January 1944, the first Colossus computer was delivered to Bletchley Park. This machine and the nine that followed it have acquired legendary status within the story of World War Two codebreaking. The machines have also been described as the world’s first large-scale electronic digital computers – direct precursors of the digital world in which we live today. But in 1944 the computer age still lay far in the future. These machines were built for a specific and vital purpose, to assist with the breaking of the wireless messages of Germany’s senior commanders, enciphered using the Lorenz cipher machine and known at BP as ‘Tunny’. What role did Colossus actually play in the breaking of Tunny? The Colossus machines were members of a wider family of machines, and the Newmanry – the department in which they operated - was only one of several teams at Bletchley Park, all of whom were crucial to the successful breaking of the cipher. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park historians Dr Tom Cheetham and Dr David Kenyon are here to place ’Colossus in Context’ and examine where exactly these machines fitted into the effort to break Tunny. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Colossus80,

E159 - Colossus in Context Part 1

E159 - Colossus in Context Part 1

January 2024 Eighty years ago, in January 1944, the first Colossus computer was delivered to Bletchley Park. This machine and the nine that followed it have acquired legendary status within the story of World War Two codebreaking. The machines have also been described as the world’s first large-scale electronic digital computers – direct precursors of the digital world in which we live today. But in 1944 the computer age still lay far in the future. These machines were built for a specific and vital purpose, to assist with the breaking of the wireless messages of Germany’s senior commanders, enciphered using the Lorenz cipher machine and known at BP as ‘Tunny’. What role did Colossus actually play in the breaking of Tunny? The Colossus machines were members of a wider family of machines, and the Newmanry – the department in which they operated - was only one of several teams at Bletchley Park, all of whom were crucial to the successful breaking of the cipher. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park historians Dr Tom Cheetham and Dr David Kenyon are here to place ’Colossus in Context’ and examine where exactly these machines fitted into the effort to break Tunny. This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Jerry Roberts Betty Webb Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Colossus80,

E158 - We Shall Fight to the Last Shell

E158 - We Shall Fight to the Last Shell

December 2023 Eighty years ago this month Britain was marking its fifth Christmas of the war with still no end in sight. D-Day still lay in the future and the campaigns in Italy and on the Eastern Front ground on. However on Boxing Day 1943 the Royal Navy achieved a significant, if grim success over the German Navy, sinking the Scharnhorst, one of the few last remaining large warships in the enemy fleet. This victory would help to secure the safety of Allied convoys to Russia for the remaining 18 months of the war. The codebreakers of Bletchley Park played a key role in helping the navy to locate Scharnhorst and were spectators on the final battle via German messages read in Naval Section at BP. For this It Happened Here episode we are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon who’s recently published a book on the subject entitled, Arctic Convoys; Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson & Sarah Langston for voicing our archival documents. Image: © Bundesarchiv, DVM 10 Bild-23-63-46 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E157 - Security & Insecurity Part 2

E157 - Security & Insecurity Part 2

November 2023 For our tenth anniversary episode, E141 “Security & Insecurity”, we discussed one of the most important factors in wartime codebreaking – secrecy. We looked at its effects on operations at Bletchley Park and the lives of those who worked there. We had so much to talk about on that occasion that we didn’t have the chance to explore beyond the bounds of Bletchley Park. However, as signals intelligence travelled to the battlefronts where commanders made life-and-death decisions on a daily basis, security was a bigger problem than anywhere else. In this follow-up episode, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham is again joined by a special guest, former GCHQ Departmental Historian Tony Comer, to discuss the problems of security in the field. We’ll hear how the safe use of Ultra intelligence required good planning, flexibility and, most of all, trust. Many thanks to Owen Moogan & Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2023 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #GCHQ,

E156 - Italian Tiebreaker

E156 - Italian Tiebreaker

October 2023 The fight up the Italian peninsula involved some of the most arduous battles of the war for Allied soldiers, but they were being supported at every stage by intelligence from Bletchley Park. Ultra intelligence helped inform Allied strategy in Italy, kept commanders constantly up-to-date about enemy forces, and sometimes proved the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefield. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham will tell us how this difficult and inconclusive campaign can also be seen as one of the most successful of the war for Bletchley Park. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Very special thanks to Lowden Jim for his recording of The D-Day Dodgers. His work can be found at www.youtube.com/Lowdenjim Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2023 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E155 - Veterans’ Reunion 2023

E155 - Veterans’ Reunion 2023

September 2023 The annual Bletchley Park Veterans’ Reunion is one of the highlights of our year. A chance to welcome back those who worked for Bletchley Park during World War Two, and thank them for their service. This year’s reunion saw 17 Veterans return to enjoy a very special afternoon tea in the Mansion. In this episode, we bring you highlights from the day as we caught up with Jean Cheshire, who lived at Bletchley Park with her parents and siblings during the war, as well as Veterans: Carol Broughton Alice Wolynskyj Ruth Bourne Charlotte ‘Betty’ Webb 2023 marks 10 years of the online Bletchley Park Roll of Honour, and we also bring you a short interview with our Oral history Officer, Jonathan Byrne about its ongoing significance. You can also enjoy an interview with Sue Litchfield, Database & Membership Manager, who has been involved with reunions since 2005, and Iain Standen, CEO of Bletchley Park Trust, who talks about why these events are so special. Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2023 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E154 - The Diplomatic Section

E154 - The Diplomatic Section

August 2023 This month we examine the often-overlooked story of GC&CS’s work on diplomatic codes and ciphers. This vital work predated work on military codes, beginning when CG&CS was created in 1919. Work continued throughout World War Two, with some staff eventually leaving Bletchley Park to carry on as the Government Communications Bureau in Berkeley Street London. In this special episode our Research Historian Dr David Kenyon is joined by GCHQ’s Departmental Historian Dr David Abrutat, to discuss all things diplomatic and beyond. This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Sir Arthur Bonsall Stephen Freer Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #GCHQ,

E153 - Sicilian Deception

E153 - Sicilian Deception

July 2023 In 1943, when the guns fell silent in Tunisia, a lull fell over the war in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the work of the intelligence services continued unabated. An Allied amphibious assault somewhere in the Mediterranean was inevitable. The question for the Germans was “where?” – and the Allies were eager to supply the answers. But how much could the Allies mislead the enemy, and how far could Bletchley Park prove those deceptions were working? When they came, the landings in Sicily in July 1943 marked the opening of a new front against the Axis in Italy, with far-reaching strategic consequences. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham leads us through Operation Husky, and Bletchley Park’s role in its execution and success. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: © US Army Green Books (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E152 - Sinclair in Focus

E152 - Sinclair in Focus

June 2023 Who chose Bletchley Park – a vacant estate in Buckinghamshire – as the wartime home of the Codebreakers? That decision was made by the man in charge of the Secret Intelligence Service, known as ‘C’ – Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair. A very public man with a very secretive profession, Sinclair was widely-known and well-respected. He passed away just a couple of months after World War Two began in 1939, but his influence was far-reaching. Bletchley Park Trust is proud to be displaying, for the first time, a collection of medals awarded to Sinclair throughout his life. This recent generous donation, from members of his family, forms this year’s ‘Object in Focus’ exhibition. The display is an opportunity to reveal a lesser-known character in Bletchley Park’s story, and a chance to honour this important and charismatic individual. In this episode, we will be speaking to Bletchley Park’s Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham and award-winning author Mick Smith to find out more about ‘C’. We’ll also hear from Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro about the new exhibition, and meet members of Sinclair’s family to uncover more about the collection of medals on display and the family history. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by kind permission, Director GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E151 - Stored Secrets

E151 - Stored Secrets

May 2023 Like many heritage organisations, Bletchley Park Trust holds a collection within its storerooms. And we are always seeking to improve how it’s managed and taken care of. Now, due to the support of foundations, trusts and generous individuals, we’ve created a new Collection Centre. Once the building had been refurbished and kitted out, the curatorial team had the mammoth task of moving and rehousing the collection of over 400,000 items: from intelligence reports to teleprinter components, clothing to coded messages. The new Collection Centre was completed in October 2022 and boasts first class storage and preservation facilities. There’s also a brand new Reading Room, allowing researchers and academics to access our archives and objects for their publications or teaching work. The Bletchley Park Podcast went for a behind-the-scenes tour with Head of Programmes Nicola Ayrton, and sat down with Museum Archivist Dean Annison in the new Reading Room to explore some of the collections treasures from the stores. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2023. Dean Annison, Bletchley Park's Archivist, in the Christopher Moore Reading Room. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E150 - Communication is Key

E150 - Communication is Key

April 2023 80 years ago, Bletchley Park’s communications centre opened in Block E. Employing hundreds of staff, mainly young women, this block was vital to BP’s smooth running. Most messages and reports coming into and out of Bletchley Park went through Block E. But as we’ll hear in this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, its wartime importance doesn’t necessarily mean its value has been fully recognised today. Block E is still standing, and is due to open to the public later this year, 2023, as Bletchley Park’s brand new Learning Centre. Here to help us set the record straight and rediscover the value of Block E is our Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham, who has been researching the building and its various departments. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thompson, Sarah Langston and Maria Turnbull for voicing our archival documents. Image: Block E Cypher Office showing Mr Alfred Sidney White (wearing glasses). © Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E149 - Bletchley Park Poetry

E149 - Bletchley Park Poetry

March 2023 To celebrate World Poetry Day on the 21st of March, we have been looking into the poets and poetry of Bletchley Park. We have chosen nine poems to feature in this episode; they are read by staff, volunteers and Bletchley Park Veterans. Exhibitions Manager, Erica Munro and Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham have been digging into the archives to give us more information as we listen. Thanks to all our readers for their time and fantastic performances. A special thank you to the Watkins family for the wonderful recording of their mother, Gwen Watkins. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2023 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #WorldPoetryDay,

E148 - A New Look at Newman

E148 - A New Look at Newman

February 2023 The breaking of the German Lorenz cipher system was one of BP's most complex technical achievements. This work is often associated with Tommy Flowers from the GPO, however Flowers' work, and the wider mechanisation of the breaking of TUNNY was overseen by a Cambridge mathematician who came to BP only reluctantly in 1942; Professor Max Newman. To mark the 80th anniversary of the opening of Bletchley Park’s 'Newmanry' in February 1943, in this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we examine the story of Newman and his crucial role in the breaking of Lorenz. We are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon to tell us more. Special thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, # Colossus,

E147 – Oral History 2023

E147 – Oral History 2023

January 2023 The Podcast Team wish all our listeners a Very Happy New Year. To start the 2023 season of the podcast, producer Mark Cotton sits down with Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne to catch-up on both our Roll of Honour and our continuing Oral History Project. For the rest of the episode we have highlights of 3 selections from our Oral History Archive. As with previous years we have a theme … but this year the theme is unusual, they are all from people who didn’t work at either GC&CS or its Outstations. We hear from the 14 year old girl who made vital deliveries to the Codebreakers, a member of S.O.E., the Special Operations Executive and finally a Luftwaffe Radio Operator. This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Jean Barratt Lois Barefield Rudi Schoberl The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour can be found at: https://bletchleypark.org.uk/roll-of-honour/ Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2023 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E146 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 3

E146 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 3

December 2022 Since the first two Top Secret Misinformation podcasts in 2020 & 2021, our listeners have been asking us to record another one. Maybe it’s because the secrecy surrounding Bletchley Park is the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of myths and misunderstandings. Or maybe it’s because it lets our Historians off the leash to set the record straight once and for all. We asked our listeners, via social media, what history mysteries they wanted solved by our resident representatives of research and rigour, Dr David Kenyon and Dr Thomas Cheetham. In this episode they are joined by Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro and podcast producer Mark Cotton, to try and get to the bottom of some of Bletchley Park’s most puzzling conundrums. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Betty Webb Shaun Wylie Mavis Batey Peggy Huntingdon Joan Joslin Producers Note: Many thanks to our listeners and followers for setting us these challenges. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E145 - Torch to Tunis

E145 - Torch to Tunis

November 2022 The Allied victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942 proved to be the beginning of the end of the war in North Africa. But many months of hard fighting, and the opening of a whole new front in northwest Africa, would be needed before the Allies were finally able to kick Axis forces off that continent for good. Though often forgotten about today, the Operation Torch landings were a pivotal event which led to the first battles between German and American forces. These troops, and the intelligence personnel who supported them, had to learn their trade quickly in the toughest of circumstances. In this 'It Happened Here' episode, Bletchley Park's Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham reveals how these lessons would prove fundamental to the Allied use of intelligence later in the war This episode is hosted by Exhibitions Manager, Erica Munro. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson and Owen Moogan for voicing our archival documents. Image: © US Army Green Books (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

E144 - Shark Attack

E144 - Shark Attack

October 2022 In February 1942 the worst fears of the teams working on Enigma in Hut 8 and Naval Section were realised. The German navy introduced a new, more complex Enigma machine for use by its U-boats in the Atlantic. At a stroke, Bletchley Park was no longer able to read messages sent by the German submarines hunting the vital Atlantic convoys. By the end of the year, however, the new code had been broken, and BP was once again able to divine the secrets of the Atlantic U-boats. Just what was ‘SHARK’ and how was it broken by the team at BP? Once again we are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon to find the answers. Special thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Arnold Hargreaves Tommy Flowers Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,