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Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

Patricia Owtram - war hero and centenarian

Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth / Plain Jaine Media

Society & Culture, Unknown

4.81.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this second of the special Rosebud Christmas Cracker episodes, Gyles talks to Patricia Owtram: the first Rosebud centenarian. Pat tells Gyles about her fascinating and long life: from her childhood in 1920s Lancashire where she was taught to speak German by the family's Austrian cook, to her schooldays and her war years. Pat did critical work as part of the Y Service, listening in on the goings-on of the German fleet. She also tells Gyles about meeting George VI and about her later career as a journalist and TV producer. This conversation gives a fascinating glimpse of life as it was at the start of the 20th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Sitting quietly once you've made the house all shiny.

0:04.0

Down time can be just fine playing bangers from the 90s.

0:08.0

Tea break.

0:09.0

Lunt break.

0:10.0

Maybe listen to the outbreak.

0:12.0

Sometimes it's not time for some tombola, right?

0:15.0

It's enjoying lasagna time, chilling with a book time, or time to visit your nan time go on play some other time put your phone down

0:23.9

tombole open for fun terms apply 18 plus gambleaware.org

0:29.4

welcome it's time for the second of our Rosebud Christmas Crackers. These are two special surprise shows in the run-up to our Christmas special program that's released on Friday. Let's get ready to pull the second Christmas Cracker. All held hands now, make sure you give it a really good, and let's find out who's inside.

0:59.0

Oh, it's someone very special.

1:07.7

Our guest is Patricia Outram. You may not know the name, but you'll want to hear the story.

1:14.3

She's a centenarian who was involved in critical code-breaking work during World War II.

1:19.1

Every now and then on Rosebud, we're going to introduce you to a guest who isn't famous in the obvious celebrity sense of the word, but who is interesting because they've led a fascinating

1:24.6

life.

1:25.5

Patricia Outram is the first of these people. She was born

1:29.2

literally 100 years ago. She grew up in Lancashire. She learned German from the family's

1:35.6

Austrian cook, and it was this skill which led her to get a job as part of the White Service run out

1:41.1

of Bletchley Park when the Second World War started back in 1939.

1:45.6

She signed the Official Secrets Act and didn't even tell her family the nature of her work.

1:51.0

Her main job was interception, listening into the shipping broadcasts of the German fleet.

1:57.3

In recognition of her services, Pat won the Léjean d'Ares, the highest French award of merit.

2:03.6

She now lives in Chiswick, West London, and very kindly invited me into her home for this conversation, which I begin, I must say the first thing I noticed when I came into your room on the mantelpiece was a card featuring the king and the queen. It really happens. People when

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