The Road to Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park

History

4.8 • 177 Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2015

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today Bletchley Park’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Kent, will officially open a major new exhibition telling the story of Codebreaking in World War One, The Road to Bletchley Park. The Duke will meet representatives of the exhibition’s sponsors, BAE Systems and Ultra Electronics, as well as visiting new displays and exhibitions updated since his last visit in 2009.

Timed to coincide with the exhibition opening, the Bletchley Park Trust is delighted to republish a unique parody of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice in ID25 poked fun at the wartime work of the Naval Intelligence Codebreaking section Room 40, which became known from 1917 as ID25.

Originally written by the Codebreakers Frank Birch and Dilly Knox at the end of WW1, it was performed privately as a pantomime in London in December 1918. The parody described life in Room 40 and the people who worked there, and remained under wraps for many decades afterwards.

Friends of Bletchley Park were first to see The Road to Bletchley Park exhibition, at an exclusive preview. The Bletchley Park Podcast was there to capture their first impressions of the fascinating, untold story which is brought to life by this exhibition.

Image courtesy of Churchill Archives Centre, Papers of Alexander Guthrie Denniston, DENN 3/2 and 3/3. Copyright unknown.

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW1, #WW1centenary

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello! Welcome to M.O5E. The room is not very big and there are still two or three more to fit in. Where were you before being recruited to this department?
0:13.1	I was up at Cambridge doing European languages, enjoying rowing rugby, beer and playing mahjong.
0:21.6	Here, let's hope you enjoy deciphering intercepted German wireless messages just as much.
0:28.6	But first things first, we must get you a cup of tea.
0:33.6	One of Britain's first actions of the war was a master stroke of communications sabotage.
0:40.3	On the night of the 4th of August 1914, five of Germany's six cables in the English Channel were cut.
0:48.3	The sixth cable was redirected to be used by the British to intercept German communications.
0:55.0	Britain had already recognised the importance of cable.
0:59.0	It encircled the world with lines and ran them only across its own red territories and under the ocean.
1:05.0	The all-red line was considered complete by 1911.
1:09.0	Not only were UK cables protected from interference, many foreign
1:13.9	powers were forced to use Britain's extensive network for their own messaging. Britain was in the
1:20.8	ideal position to intercept friends and foes alike. I think it was an excellent exhibition. I really love the period feel to the exhibition.
1:30.1	The documentation that's been shown is wonderful. From what I know of the story, it's very accurate
1:35.5	and the introductory film, I think, hit the nail on the head. It tells the critical points during the war,
1:42.8	the cable cutting, the Zimmerman Telegram,
1:45.0	and the visuals that accompany the story are stunning.
1:49.0	I'm really amazed with it and the rest of the exhibition as well.
1:53.0	And I like the bathtub.
1:55.0	It's a nice touch because that's the story that's been told in many of the Bletchley books as well.
2:00.0	Very unusual message. the story that's been told in many of the Bletchley books as well.
2:04.7	Very unusual message.
	...

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