E52 - Everything but the work

Bletchley Park

History

4.8 • 177 Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2016

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

November 2016

Fun, food and friendships at 1940s Bletchley Park were among the most popular topics of conversation at the party that saved the site. Travel back 25 years for another dip into the memories shared by the Veterans that day in 1991, about everything but the work - from digs to dances.

It was quite a party, carefully timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the letter sent to Churchill, asking for more resources. Sent in 1941, the letter opened the door for Bletchley Park to expand at a rapid pace, to meet the increasing demand. Churchill’s response to that letter, ‘Action This Day: Give them all they need and report to me that this has been done’, was a real turning point. The party was sneakily planned, and those who organised it ended up feeling they’d got away with something.

Before we go back in time to that momentous day in October 1991, we spend more time with some of the hardy annuals who turned out to this year’s Veterans’ Reunion. It’s always a great day, and once they start sharing their memories, it’s amazing how much comes flooding back.

Image: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History

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.
0:43.4	Welcome to the November 2016 episode of the Bletchley Park podcast, everything but the work.
0:48.6	This month we take you back to the party that started the campaign to save the site where code breaking was carried out during World War II. It was quite a party. It was sneakily planned and those who organized it
0:56.1	ended up feeling they'd got away with something. We'll delve into memories shared by the veterans
1:01.6	that day of fun, food and friendships, as well as a few dances and dalliances. It's worth a reminder
1:08.5	here that that party was carefully timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary
1:13.3	of the letter sent to Churchill asking for more resources.
1:17.9	Sent in 1941, it opened the door for Bletchley Park to expand at a rapid pace to meet the
1:23.7	ever-increasing demand. It was a real turning point.
1:27.7	Before we go back in time to that momentous day in October 1991,
1:32.1	we can spend a bit longer with some of the hardy annuals
1:35.1	who turned out to this year's Veterans' Reunion.
1:38.0	It's always a great day,
1:39.7	and once people start sharing their memories,
1:42.1	it's amazing how much comes flooding back.
1:52.0	My much mistaken is that Dr David Kenyon, Bletchter Park's official research historian that I aspire,
1:57.2	weaving in among veterans. Have you been meeting lots of people today?
2:00.7	I have, yes, yes.
2:02.3	Is it a great opportunity or do you find that there's just too much sort of busy having a day out?
2:06.8	Do you grill people, drill them for information or just file away ideas for later?
2:12.1	Kind of file away stuff. I just spoke to a bomb operator just then and it's not the time really to start grilling her about her memories
	...

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