Bletchley Park

March 2025 In 1943 there seemed to be few mysteries left unsolved for Bletchley Park. But by the middle of that year, whispers would be heard of new threats: the V-1 ‘flying bomb’ and V-2 rocket. What began with hints of secret trials on the Baltic would grow into an investigation which would strain Allied scientific intelligence to the utmost, as well as revealing serious flaws in the operation at Bletchley Park. But by the time ‘vengeance-weapon’ attacks against the United Kingdom began in 1944, the Allies knew what they were facing; enabling countermeasures to be put in place which, despite the immense destruction the weapons caused, likely saved thousands of lives. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Head of Audiences and Programmes Vicki Pipe is joined by Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham to discuss the secret weapons which represented Nazi Germany’s last-gasp attempt to turn the tide of World War Two. This episode features Oral History recordings of WAAF Filter Officer Eileen Younghusband. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-1880 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2025

February 2025 Here at Bletchley Park - one of the birthplaces of modern computing – our latest temporary exhibition ‘The Age of AI’ has just opened. This new gallery explores the power and potential of AI in our everyday lives. From the 1930s origins of what we now call ‘artificial intelligence’, to the incredible (or alarming?) potential it might bring, the exhibition explores the benefits and risks of AI in our world today. In this episode, Head of Content Erica Munro meets the team behind the exhibition’s creation. Come with us on a gallery tour with Exhibitions and Interpretation Manager Tilly Davis, and hear from experts and visitors on their impressions of what AI means to them. There’s also a deeper dive into the research and exhibition’s case studies with Content Curator Steve Swaby. Many thanks to our contributors Dame Wendy Hall, Dr Ed Pyzer-Knapp, Professor David Leslie and our Friends of Bletchley Park exhibition preview visitors. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2025 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2025

January 2025 The 27th of January 2025 is the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau - an event marked annually by Holocaust Memorial Day. In order to perpetrate the mass killings and other crimes of the Holocaust, the Nazi regime needed to coordinate and communicate about its activities. This included wireless communications which were intercepted and decoded at Bletchley Park. In this episode we take a look at what the Government Code and Cypher School (Bletchley Park) knew about these Nazi crimes, how and when this information was obtained, and how western governments responded to the news. Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon is joined by journalist, author and Holocaust historian Christian Jennings to discuss his work on the role of codebreaking in these terrible events. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2025 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Holocaust,

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2025

December 2024 For this year’s festive episode, we once again put the word out to our listeners: what baffles you about Bletchley Park, and what myths and misconceptions would you like our resident Historians to investigate and interrogate? Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, is asking the questions, with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham fielding queries on uncracked ciphers, captured codes, cribbing, declassification … and, of course, Christmas. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024. Children’s Christmas party hosted by US 6813 Signals Security Detachment at the Manor House, Little Brickhill, from the photograph album of Francis Hayward Stanton. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2024

December 2024 On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway. Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill christened ‘The Beast’. Despite Tirpitz having never fired its guns in anger at Allied warships, its presence was threat enough. Intelligence experts continued the difficult work of tracking its location and state of readiness. The analysts of Bletchley Park’s Naval Section followed the ship for nearly three years, and played a key part in her final destruction. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we are joined by Dr David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian and author of ‘Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas’. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: Australian War Memorial (Public Domain) Accession Number SUK11808 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Tirpitz,

Transcribed - Published: 6 December 2024

November 2024 On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway. Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill christened ‘The Beast’. Despite Tirpitz having never fired its guns in anger at Allied warships, its presence was threat enough. Intelligence experts continued the difficult work of tracking its location and state of readiness. The analysts of Bletchley Park’s Naval Section followed the ship for nearly three years, and played a key part in her final destruction. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we are joined by Dr David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian and author of ‘Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas’. Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: Naval History and Heritage Command Catalog #: NH 71318 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Tirpitz,

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

November 2024 The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.  Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communications revealed priceless insights into the German defensive system – and how it could be evaded, outwitted and ultimately manipulated. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham tells us about one of Bletchley Park’s most important contributions to Britain’s total war against Nazi Germany. Many thanks to Mr Lindsay Spence for voicing our archival documents. Image: Herbert Olivier, Operations Room: Bomber Command Conference. Oil on canvas, 1944. From the Collection: Air Historical Branch, MOD, on long loan to the RAF Museum as part of the Second World War Official War Artists’ collection. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #BomberCommand,

Transcribed - Published: 8 November 2024

October 2024 The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters. Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communications revealed priceless insights into the German defensive system – and how it could be evaded, outwitted and ultimately manipulated. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham tells us about one of Bletchley Park’s most important contributions to Britain’s total war against Nazi Germany. This episode features the following Veteran from our Oral History archive: Sir Arthur Bonsall Many thanks to Dean Annison & Mr Lindsay Spence for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024. Staff of Bletchley Park night fighter section in 1943. L-R standing: Pat Smith, Edith Davidson, Janet Smith, Florence Brooke, Vincent Chapman. Seated: Molly Blakeley, Catherine Payne, Brenda Gough. Front: Joy Parker, Jeanne Phillips. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #BomberCommand,

Transcribed - Published: 25 October 2024

September 2024 The Government Code and Cypher School employed thousands of people during the war. These varied from Cambridge dons who had broken codes in World War One to machine workers with very specific skills, to female conscripts from the three armed services. How did all these people know what to do? As usual at BP, the answer is a complex one: a mix of training courses (some well organised, others less so) developed as the organisation grew exponentially as the war progressed. In this month’s ‘It Happened Here’ episode we are joined by Bletchley Park Historian Dr David Kenyon to explore the varied experiences of new recruits finding out how to do their job – sometimes on an organised course, sometimes learning on the job, and sometimes literally making it up themselves. This episode features the following Veterans from our Oral History archive: Betty Webb Iris King Joan Joslin Many thanks to Sarah Langston for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Transcribed - Published: 20 September 2024

August 2024 Hut 6 was the section at Bletchley Park which broke the German army and air force Enigma ciphers. Historical accounts usually focus on the early part of the war, when a small and inexperienced team was established in a newly-built wooden hut. But by 1944 Hut 6 looked very different. It was a hardened unit of several hundred people, supported by cutting-edge technology. Hut 6 personnel had honed their methods through bitter experience against Enigma ciphers which continued to increase in both number and security. Recent research into Bletchley Park’s unique collections has revealed more about how this vital section worked. We have discovered how they kept the intelligence production line running despite fighting a daily battle not just against the ciphers, but against the dangers of inefficiency, poor morale and organisational friction. For this episode Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham is joined by Bletchley Park digitisation volunteer (and all-round brainbox) Craig Heath to take a detailed look inside Hut 6. Many thanks to Sarah Langston and Joel Desborough for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©The Registration Room in Hut 6, Block D. Reproduced by kind permission, Director GCHQ. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2024

July 2024  In early 1942 one of the most disastrous defeats of the war saw British forces pushed out of Burma, now known as Myanmar. Two years later, the multi-national Fourteenth Army, the ‘Forgotten Army’, had learned to fight and beat the Japanese, inflicting their largest defeat of the war at Imphal and Kohima, and was poised to begin the reconquest of Burma. This turnaround had much to do with bitter experience gained in close combat, and superb logistics, but an important element was detailed intelligence, which allowed the Allies to seize control of the skies and control the battle below.  In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham leads us through the transformations at Bletchley Park, at signals intelligence centres in South-East Asia, and on the front lines, which turned defeat into victory. This episode features the following from our Oral History archive: Pat Johnston Stephen Freer Edward Simpson Mary Every Eric Rhodes Image: © The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2024

June 2024    To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we are releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This third part is a brand new episode looking beyond the beaches. Bletchley Park made a vital contribution to the planning and preparation of D-Day, but the landings were only the beginning. There would be another three months of hard fighting in Normandy before the German forces finally cracked, and France could be liberated. Ultra intelligence from Bletchley Park gave crucial support to Allied commanders throughout the battle. But knowledge rarely translated directly into action. Those generals and airmen faced with the mammoth task of orchestrating a modern all-arms battle had to balance numerous competing priorities, of which intelligence was rarely the most important. In this episode, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham has delved into the detail of five turning points, to explore exactly how – and how far – Bletchley Park contributed to Allied victory in the Battle of Normandy. Many thanks to Joel Desborough for playing the part of our RAF SLU Officer. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #D-Day80,

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2024

June 2024    To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This second part is a complete remastering of our original Overlord episode with the addition of much new content. 80 years ago today, more than 150,000 Allied troops were boarding planes, gliders and landing craft as they prepared to invade Fortress Europe in Operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion. Meanwhile, 200 miles away in the Buckinghamshire countryside the Codebreakers of GC&CS were also ready and waiting.  Naval Section spent the day decrypting German messages and forwarding that vital intelligence to Allied commanders, in many cases only two and a half hours after the German operators had sent them.   Today at Bletchley Park our Archive holds hundreds of these handwritten decrypts and using a selection of these we tell the story of The Longest Day. Our Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham & Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon will be your guides, with the help of 12 of our Veterans’ memories from that eventful day. This episode features the following from our Oral History archive: Margaret Bryant Colette Cook Jean Tocher Pat Davies Norah Brierley Eric Dodd Stanley Clegg Kenneth Case Gordon Rosenberg Jimmy Thirsk Aileen Hasdell Pam Harding Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #D-Day80,

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2024

May 2024    Over the next 6 weeks, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This first part is a complete remastering of our original Tide of Victory episode with the addition of much new content. This first episode takes us to the south coast of Britain which, in May 1944, resembled one huge army camp as over 2 million men waited for D-Day. In the Buckinghamshire countryside the staff at GC&CS carried on feeding detailed and crucial intelligence to the Allied forces that would play an integral part in the success of the upcoming Operation Overlord. The Western Front Committee was established at Bletchley Park in October 1942 and for the next 18 months built up a comprehensive picture of German forces in the West, recording every unit, its location and its strength.  From February 1943 the committee began to produce reports of which over 450 pages are now held in our archives. Head of Content, Erica Munro and our Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon use these to illustrate how the various departments, using multiple sources, came together to create the vital information that the D-Day planners needed, in some cases even leading to last minute changes. Meanwhile our Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham brings us the full story of a temporary Y Station set up at Bletchley Park just for D-Day. This episode features the following from our Oral History archive: Vera Bartram Pat Davies Edna Garbutt Enid Wenban Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #D-Day80,

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2024

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 Elisabeth, Lady 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,

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2024

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,

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2024

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,

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2024

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,

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2024

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,

Transcribed - Published: 18 January 2024

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,

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 17 November 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 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,

Transcribed - Published: 12 September 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2023

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, 

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 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,

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2023

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,

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2022

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,

Transcribed - Published: 29 November 2022

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,

Transcribed - Published: 21 October 2022

September 2022  Earlier this year in April 2022, Bletchley Park opened a new temporary exhibition in a brand new gallery. The Art of Data explores how data can be visualised to reveal patterns and stories, helping us understand the world around us. The exhibition includes WW2 visualisations alongside a whole variety of striking contemporary examples, shown in objects, pictures, films and interactive displays. Visitors are invited to question the data they encounter, and take part in building their own visualisations in the gallery.  In this episode, you are invited to join me, Bletchley Park’s Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro, on a tour through the gallery. You’ll also hear from two experts who worked on the exhibition, Elin Simonsson and Andy Kirk. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022   #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 30 September 2022

September 2022  Each year, to mark the arrival of the first Codebreakers at GC&CS in 1939 we hold our Veterans’ Reunion. The Reunion is always a very special day for us at Bletchley Park as it gives us the chance to thank our Veterans for their service. For the Veterans it is a chance to meet old friends, make new ones, reminisce and tell stories of their time here. This year it was made more poignant as because of the global pandemic, this was the first we have been able to hold since 2019. It meant that we were not sure just how many would be able to make it, but twenty Veterans and over one hundred of their family and friends managed to join us for this special day. Podcast Producer Mark Cotton will bring you a flavour of the day and interviews with the following Veterans: Kay Wingate Pat Field Anne Chetwynd-Stapylton Miriam Myland Jean Cheshire (wartime resident)  Betty Webb Pat Davies Many thanks to Alex McFadyen, editor of the official Bletchley Park magazine, Ultra, for assisting on the day.  Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2022  #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2022

August 2022  This month instead of commemorating a World War 2 Anniversary, we have decided to do something a little different as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Bletchley Park Podcast.  So after 10 years and more than 170 hours of content, we decided to answer our most frequently asked question, “How was Bletchley Park kept secret?”. Such a ‘big question’ would be too much for just one historian to answer, so this month we have three. Our Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon & Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham are joined by GCHQ’s former Departmental Historian, Tony Comer as they delve into Bletchley Park’s wartime Security & Insecurity.  Special thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. This episode features Wyn Ribchester from our Oral History Archive. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022   Producers Note: We would like to thank everyone who has helped to create the show over the last decade. The list is far too long for here, but I’ve included many of them in the middle of this show.  Finally, the biggest thank you has to go out to our loyal listeners; we have so much fun making these shows for you. Thanks for sticking with us and here’s to the next 10 years.  #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Spys,

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2022

July 2022  Eighty years ago, in July 1942 the Allies suffered one of their most notorious losses of World War 2. The Merchant ship convoy PQ 17, carrying supplies to Russia was attacked in the Arctic seas by German aircraft and submarines. Out of 34 merchant ships in the convoy only 11 made it safely to Russia.  The incident has become symbolic of the suffering and endurance of those involved in the Arctic convoys. In this episode we revisit the events of July 1942 as well as the wider naval war in the Arctic, in order to put PQ17 in context. How typical were the losses to PQ17? Just how effective was the German campaign against the convoys to Russia? And what part did intelligence from Bletchley Park play in these events? As usual we are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon to tell us more. Very special thanks go to Owen Moogan for voicing our archival documents. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Alan Strip Harry Hinsley Image: HMS Victorious on escort duty. Mick Chalkley (Fleet Air Arm 1939-45)    #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #PQ17 

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2022

June 2022  In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode we return to South Asia and the Pacific, and the war against the Japanese. After the disasters of Pearl Harbor, the Philippines and Singapore, and near disaster in Colombo in the first few months of 1942, the summer months would bring the Allies better fortune on the fighting fronts. 1942 would also see many changes for Britain’s Codebreakers in South and East Asia as they rushed to adapt to the changing situation – a situation requiring the service of men and women from surprisingly diverse backgrounds and communities. As usual we are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon to tell us more. Grateful thanks to Sarah Langston and Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Edward Simpson Pat Johnston Image: US Navy, Naval Photographic Centre (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Midway80

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2022

May 2022 The way in which the secrets of Bletchley Park were finally revealed to the world, bit by bit and now over the course of nearly four decades have meant that many myths and misunderstandings have become embedded in the story. One of our goals with these podcasts is to tell the full story of the Codebreakers and along the way hopefully correct some of those errors.    So in this ‘It Happened Here’ episode we will take a deep dive into Traffic Analysis, a topic that we have mentioned in many episodes and for years has been thought of as just another step in the ‘path of breaking a message’.  Our research officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham, will argue that in fact it was a fully-fledged source of intelligence in its own right. He will guide us through not only the history and processes of Traffic Analysis but also those of SIXTA, the section at Bletchley Park most famously known for producing it. Very special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson and Owen Moogan for voicing our archival documents. This episode features recordings of SIXTA Veteran, Jimmy Thirsk, from both our Podcast and Oral History Archives. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #TheIntelligenceFactory

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2022

May 2022 Bletchley Park held a number of events to celebrate the opening of The Intelligence Factory and in this special episode we will take you to those events to hear from VIP guests, supporters and some of the people who helped to create our largest exhibition to date. From the ‘Friends of Bletchley Park’ Preview we will hear from some of the first people who got to follow in the footsteps of our Veterans, in the newly restored Block A. Dr Emily Scott-Dearing, the Interpretation Lead for The Intelligence Factory, explains how you tell the complex story of thousands of people working for the Government Code and Cypher School during the latter half of WW2. At our VIP Opening we will be joined by broadcaster and History Hit star, Dan Snow, to hear how the new exhibition expands the codebreaking story and what it can teach us today. Then Dan is joined by Research Historian Dr David Kenyon, GCHQ Departmental Historian Dr David Abrutat and Intelligence Historian Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall for a panel discussion. To find out how you can become a ‘Friend of Bletchley Park’ please go to https://bletchleypark.org.uk/friends/  Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #TheIntelligenceFactory

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2022

April 2022 Thursday 28th April 2022 sees Bletchley Park unveiling its largest exhibition to date, in the newly restored Block A. Its focus is the period from late 1942 to early 1945, when the demands of its crucial wartime work changed the Government Code and Cypher School from a ‘cottage industry’ into an industrial-scale intelligence operation. The name of the exhibition is, very aptly, ‘The Intelligence Factory’.  Block A was the first of the purpose-built ‘Block’ buildings that marked the scaling up of the codebreaking operation. Therefore it is fitting that it houses this major new addition to Bletchley Park’s visitor experience.  Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro will take listeners through the same corridors that were at the very heart of the expanding top secret site 80 years ago. Join us on an exclusive preview tour to uncover the stories, displays and activities that visitors can explore as they walk in the footsteps of our Veterans. It took a huge team of people to create ‘The Intelligence Factory’ and for this special behind-the-scenes episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham will also be taking us through the rigorous historical research that underpins the entire exhibition. Tomatoes, oars and coal-fired boilers don’t normally spring to mind when thinking of WW2 codebreaking - find out what part they played in the story of the scaling up of Bletchley Park. This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Rozanne Colchester Sheila Willson Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #TheIntelligenceFactory

Transcribed - Published: 26 April 2022

March 2022 Bletchley Park is synonymous with World War Two codebreaking, but the story is much bigger than just a country house in Buckinghamshire. Making, as well as breaking codes, was within the remit of the Government Code and Cypher School but is a much lesser known part of the story. In this extended ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we not only find out about the British efforts to create codes of their own, but also German codebreaking successes and failures.  Bletchley Park’s Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham, introduces us to the section of GC&CS creating Allied codes from the sleepy surroundings of a university college in Oxford. Whist Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, explores the numerous German ‘Bletchley Parks’ whose task it was to break those very codes. British Codemakers and German Codebreakers, the two way traffic of the intelligence war.  This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: June Coppock Sergeant Bernard Morgan Image: Mansfield College in the mid-20th century. © Mansfield College, Oxford #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2022

February 2022  In every theatre of war, early 1942 was a dark time for the Allies. Japan seemed unstoppable in the Pacific. The Germans were at the gates of Moscow, threatening Egypt and prowling the Atlantic lifeline at sea. But at Bletchley Park there were far reaching changes to both the leadership and organisation that had one clear objective - to support the ultimate Allied victory.  In this It Happened Here episode, our research officer Dr Thomas Cheetham, guides us through the dramatic changes that would transform GC&CS into an ‘Intelligence Factory’.  Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Harry Hinsley Jimmy Thirsk Stephen Freer Image: © George C. Marshall Foundation, Lexington, VA, USA #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2022

January 2022  The Podcast Team wish all our listeners a Very Happy New Year and how better to start it than with some great news.  With over 13,500 names so far, The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour aims to list all those who worked in signals intelligence for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries during the Second World War. As no single list of the personnel of Bletchley Park and its outstations was ever produced, the Roll of Honour has been compiled from information in official sources, publications and, most importantly, that provided by the Veterans themselves, their former colleagues and families. In this episode, Podcast Producer Mark Cotton sits down with Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne to talk about the online return of this vital research tool, what it contains and how Veterans and their families can help us to continue adding to it. He also updates us on the Oral History Project and shares some highlights from recordings made in 2021. The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour can be found at: https://bletchleypark.org.uk/roll-of-honour/  This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Sheila Wilson Eric Coles Lola Marsden Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2022

December 2021  On the 7th of December 1941, Japanese invasion forces landed in Malaya. An hour and a half later Japanese aircraft attacked the US fleet, at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Simultaneous attacks were also made on Hong Kong, Guam, Wake Island and the Philippines. Since that day controversy has raged over how much the British and US Governments knew in advance about these attacks, and why they came as such a surprise to both countries. In this It Happened Here episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon examines the intelligence background to the ‘Day of Infamy’ and explores just what British and US codebreakers really knew about Japanese plans. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Stephen Freer Edward Simpson Image: US Army Green Books (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #PearlHarbor80

Transcribed - Published: 7 December 2021

November 2021  Many visitors to Bletchley Park are familiar with the story of breaking Enigma and reading German and even Japanese codes. But equally important work was done on Italian ciphers. Not only were the Codebreakers able to read Italian naval messages, before and during the war, but this information was used to decisive effect in the Battle for North Africa, and the ultimate defeat of Italy in 1943. In this It Happened Here episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon reveals the secrets of one of Bletchley Park’s lesser-known decryption successes. As always, grateful thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Mavis Batey Rozanne Colchester Image: HM Fulmine from the Private Archive of Burzagli Family (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 15 November 2021

October 2021  On the 21st of October 1941, four of Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers sent a plea for more staff and resources in a now notorious letter to the Prime Minister. Demand for Bletchley Park’s work was increasing, and the organisation was facing a crisis.  Churchill was won over, adding the note ‘Action This Day’ to the document. But perhaps the changes that followed weren’t just the result of the Prime Minister’s influence. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Dr Thomas Cheetham explores the problems the Codebreakers were facing and how this letter was only part of the wider story. Thanks as always for voicing our archival documents to Dr Ben Thomson, and to Geoffrey Welchman who recreates the letter co-authored by his grandfather. Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive: Sir Arthur Bonsall Elizabeth Marshall Mimi Gallilee Arnold Hargreaves Gwendoline Herbert Barbara Hart Judith Wainer Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 21 October 2021

September 2021  After Britain’s failure at Dunkirk and the Fall of France, the Germans seemed unstoppable. An invasion of Britain by Germany seemed the next logical step. In 1940, Britain and Bletchley Park prepared for war on the Home Front. As the German air campaign brought air combat with the Battle of Britain and bombs by night during the Blitz, the RAF - supported by intelligence from Bletchley Park - fought back. In this It Happened Here episode, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham is our guide to Britain’s finest hour. Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. In memoriam to the Veterans featured in this episode, Rolf Noskwith, Eileen Younghusband and Sir Arthur Bonsall. Image: Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting members of Coventry's Warden Service. ©Mirrorpix #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #BOB80,

Transcribed - Published: 27 September 2021

August 2021  Hindsight and the lifting of decades of secrecy, allows us to know that by 1945 Bletchley Park had become a ‘codebreaking factory’ supplying war winning intelligence to the Allies ultimate victory.  But what was it like for the 185 members of staff on Monday the 4th of September 1939? And … who were they? Supported by the UK government’s Culture Recovery Fund, our new exhibition ‘Early Days’ covers the events of 1938 to late 1939 and tells the story of the first Bletchley Park Codebreakers. Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro guides us through the 5 scenes of the exhibition, the challenges of turning the start of the codebreaking story into a physical gallery and many of the highlights visitors will see. All of this, within one of the first rooms to be used by the Codebreakers in autumn 1939.  As his first major project when start at the museum, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham, explains the painstaking work that has gone into the least documented period of Bletchley Park. This has led to being able to list every one of those 185 members of staff turning up for work on the second day of World War Two. Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Transcribed - Published: 31 August 2021