E22 - A Very, Very Secret Place

Bletchley Park

History

4.8 • 177 Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2014

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

May 2014

This month, we learn about the doomed German plans to invade Britain in 1940 with Historian & founding member of the Bletchley Park Trust, Peter Wescombe as we join him in the Bletchley Park Archive.

We also take you to the launch of the biography of one of Bletchley Park’s lesser known geniuses, Gordon Welchman. Joel Greenberg has been reading up on & researching Bletchley Park’s World War Two history since the 1970s. He is a Volunteer Tour Guide & works part time at Bletchley Park. His book, Gordon Welchman, Bletchley Park’s Architect of Ultra Intelligence, was launched in the Mansion in the presence of Welchman’s family, who formally handed over artefacts and documents, some of which had been in boxes in his son Nick’s loft for 25 years before Joel started his research.

Get a taste of what’s to come at the Bletchley Park Presents series of Sunday afternoon talks & hear from three of the real women of Bletchley Park, Jean Valentine, Ruth Bourne & Betty Webb in a short interview with Bremont Watches founder Giles English.

Finally we bring you a Wren’s memories of the absolute secrecy impressed upon her when she arrived. Elizabeth Marshall, nee Tatham, who lives in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, recalls “We were told your family and your friends must not know.’ We sat there absolutely agog, wondering what we had let ourselves in for.”

Picture ©Bletchley Park Trust

#BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ww2veteran, #Bremont, #mcfontaine

Transcript

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0:00.0	The
0:07.0	The From the home of the co-breakers and the birthplace of modern computing, this is the Bletchley Park podcast.
0:37.1	Welcome to the May 2014 edition of the Bletchley Park podcast.
0:41.7	This month we learn about the doomed German plans to invade Britain in 1940.
0:46.6	We get a taste of what's to come at the Bletchley Park Presents series of Sunday afternoon talks.
0:51.5	We hear from the real women of Bletchley Park and we bring you Arend's
0:55.3	memories of the absolute secrecy impressed upon her when she first arrived. First, Joel Greenberg
1:01.9	has been reading up on and researching Bletchley Park's World War II history since the 70s. He's
1:07.6	a volunteer tour guide and works part-time at Bletchley Park and has recently become Gordon Welshman's biographer.
1:13.7	His book, Gordon Welshman Bletchley Park's architect of ultra-intelligence
1:17.4	was launched here with help from Welchman's family,
1:20.5	who formerly handed over artefacts and documents,
1:23.3	some of which had been in boxes in the loft
1:25.4	until Joel started his research.
1:34.7	Welcome to Bletchley Park and particularly to members of the Welshman family here to join us on this day
1:40.6	when we're launching Joel Greenberg's new book. Joel has been a guide here at
1:46.4	at Lecestershire Park for some years and a part-time member of the staff. And quietly in the
1:51.5	background, he's been working away on this book. I can see how much work has gone into it.
1:57.3	And I think it's a really vital book and it fills some important gaps. And there's
2:01.1	three reasons for that really. First of all, it covers the life and works of one of Bletchley
2:05.8	Parks, as in many cases unsung heroes. Secondly, it also covers Welshman's work both here,
2:12.1	but also after the war in almost equal measure. And the story of telling the story after the war is
	...

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