Bletchley Park

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Latest Episodes:

E155 - Veterans’ Reunion 2023 Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

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,

E154 - The Diplomatic Section Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

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,

E153 - Sicilian Deception Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

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,

E152 - Sinclair in Focus Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

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,

E151 - Stored Secrets May 22, 2023

Show notes

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,

E150 - Communication is Key Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

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,

E149 - Bletchley Park Poetry Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

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,

E148 - A New Look at Newman Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

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,

E147 – Oral History 2023 Jan 22, 2023

Show notes

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,

E146 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 3 Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

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,

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