Podcasts about bletchley park podcast

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,

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 Thompson 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,

February 2020    In contrast to its roots as a top secret organisation, the name of Bletchley Park is now recognised around the world. Sharing Bletchley Park’s stories with our audiences through education is at the heart what we now do here. Since first opening the site as a museum in 1992, educational programming has been a crucial part of the work of Bletchley Park Trust.    Our Learning team of dedicated staff and volunteers now welcomes over 35,000 visitors to the site each year and reaches even more through their growing Outreach and Digital programmes. Their workshops, tours and events have won awards at the national School Travel Awards and a prestigious Sandford Award in 2019.   A recent project, Challenge HQ, has seen Bletchley Park open brand new learning spaces on site to complement the increasing work done by this busy team. This gives us a perfect opportunity for our listeners to meet the Learning team and find out more about this exciting new project.   For the Bletchley Park Podcast, we brought five local young people, who have taken part in the new project, back to the Park to meet a Veteran of BP’s Japanese Section, Betty Webb.   Image ©Bletchley Park Trust 2020   #BPark, #WW2, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma

September 2017 More than 110 Veterans returned to Bletchley Park for this year’s reunion - the highest number in recent years. They came back to the headquarters of the Government Code and Cipher School, where they, among thousands of men and women, carried out vital war work which made a huge difference, not only to the outcome of World War Two, but to the digital age in which we live today. Once in the tranquil grounds of the Victorian mansion, they met up with friends old and new, and took the opportunity to celebrate that this special place is not only still standing - which is, in itself, quite an achievement for wooden huts that were thrown up in haste some 80 years ago - but is also thriving, welcoming more than a quarter of a million visitors every year, to absorb the fascinating story of what happened here. The regular Bletchley Park Podcast team, Producer Mark Cotton and host Katherine White, were joined by special guest roving reporters Niki Arthur and Myra Brooks. Meet them and the fascinating Veterans they met on a glorious September afternoon in Buckinghamshire. We captured so many fascinating conversations that we’re bringing you two special episodes this month. This is part one of two. Image: © Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2, #History

August 2017 Hear some of the best bits from five packed years of this podcast, primarily from the Veterans themselves, but also a smattering of prestigious visitors down the years, from movie stars to heads of foreign security agencies. The highlight of the calendar at Bletchley Park is without doubt the annual Veterans’ Reunion, when people who worked at the Government Code and Cypher School and its outstations during World War Two return to revive and share their memories, helping to keep the story alive for future generations. The Bletchley Park Podcast has been capturing the Veterans’ trips down memory lane for five years now, not least on this wonderful day each year. To celebrate this podcast’s 5th anniversary, hear the best of the reunions so far with snippets of conversation, interviews and emotional reminiscences from the stars of this story, the Veterans themselves. Each year, they meet new friends among the thousands of people who were part of the Bletchley Park operation as, even if they worked in the same section, it was often at a different time or on an opposing shift pattern. Veterans’ families who attend either with, or to represent, their relative, also shine with pride when they learn more about their incredible achievements. Image: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2, #History

August 7, 2017 - This week, our time machine takes to the skies of Germany as war clouds gather on the horizon, to meet two very different women, united in history by their determination to soar in the brand new -- and male-dominated -- world of human flight.This week, our time machine takes to the skies of Germany as war clouds gather on the horizon, to meet two very different women, united in history by their determination to soar in the brand new -- and male-dominated -- world of human flight. Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg shared talent and courage, but held very different views on the Nazi state -- partly because Melitta had a Jewish grandfather, which led her to support the Valkyrie plot, which very nearly succeeded in killing Hitler. Clare Mulley joins us from the U.K. to introduce The Women Who Flew for Hitler: A True Story of Soaring Ambition and Searing Rivalry. Her previous books are The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb, which won the Daily Mail Biographers’ Club Prize -- and -- The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville. Granville was Britain's first female special agent of the Second World War. For more on our guest, visit ClareMulley.com, follow @ClareMulley on Twitter, or toss a like to Facebook.com/ClareMulleyAuthor. Special thanks to M.C. Fontaine of The Bletchley Park Podcast for connecting us with this accomplished author.      

Making an Episode about Work : Wave Radio - BusinessJazz Podcast - Audacity • Working for Wave Radio today • Wave Radio Work on Audacity (continued) • Wave Radio Work + ref to Bletchley Park Podcast on BusinessJazz • Can I upload Wave Radio episode to Anchor? • BusinessJazz Podcast for Wave Radio (part 1 of 3) : Storytelling Discusssed • BusinessJazz Podcast for Wave Radio (part 2 of 3) : More Storytelling • BusinessJazz Podcast for Wave Radio (The End)

Podcasting from Cork Ireland, for 43 minutes you'll hear Roger Overall & Paul O'Mahony riff off each other, playing "You can't do it alone" Topic: Attracting Staff, Partners & Funders INSERT CARTOON ________________ In Episode 13 of Season 3, we help you think about your staff & business partners. We want you to become more attractive in business today We discuss  What about the staff, employees, partners? [1.10] You need a partner [1.35] Why one-person businesses don't work [1.45] The squabble between Roger & Paul [4.05] With staff comes headaches [4.50] You need to find right people and able people [5.30] You have to make yourself an appealing employer [5.45] The flower shop story - Best of Buds in Cork [6.20] One of Paul's clients makes software for universities [7.30] Every business is always in competition for staff [8.40] Roger goes for water [9.07] We also discuss .... Republic of Work people & Partners  [10.00] The importance of signage & balloons for business [11.20] Solopreneurs [11.30] BusinessJazz has Lennon & McCartney [13.30] You need to attract great people to work with you [13.55] How can you afford to take on new staff? [14.25] One of the most important points about business [15.30] Funding the business [16.00] What about doing the work [16.35] The Vaynerchuk approach [16.05] Saving money - having reserves [17.35] The behaviour of banks [17.50] Raising money from investors [18.20] What potential investors look for [18.45] Never borrow from family? [19.10] Kickstarter - the Peter Cox story [19.50] How Peter Cox failed to hit his target  [22.10] Peter Cox needed to attract his "ideal" staff [24.30] Writing a 'person specification' [25.05] Selecting staff - avoiding 'bullshit' [26.00] Getting on (gelling) with people in the company [28.40] The company's angle - the employee's job [29.45] "How can I make myself genuinely attractive in business today?" [30.05] Treating an employer as a customer [30.20] Being 'irreplaceable' [31.00] Paul can't remember the point he was going to make [30.45] Best example of a company making its staff feel really valued [31.50] Roger's South Africa story [32.30] Providing employees with the right equipment [34.55] The right amount of pressure [35.20] Summary [37.15] We offer you our best advice: (1) You can't do it all on your own - you must find supporters (2) This podcast is relevant to you no matter what your business is. Appeal to our supporters -------------------- Please tell one other person about #BusinessJazzPodcast _______________________ We spoke fondly of John Lennon & Paul McCartney Mick Jagger & Keith Richards Simon & Garfunkel Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg,  Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz & Chris Hughes T S Eliot & Ezra Pound Prince Best of Buds (Cork) Akari Software Republic of Work, Bank of Ireland, Nespresso, Teamwork.com (Peter Coppinger & Dan Mackey) Sherlock Holmes Show&Tell Communications (Roger's company) Change Agents Branding  Jonathan Amm Gary Vaynerchuk  Dragons' Den Kickstarter Peter Cox Photography Michael Port  MS Word & Excel  ________________________ Let’s work together – fondly Roger Overall @rogeroverall Show&Tell Communications     (and  Stierkater.com - running & cartoons) Paul O'Mahony @omaniblog BusinessJazz Services @bizjazzpodcast Mark Cotton @mcfontaine. Www.audiowrangler.co.uk – for your audio requirements – Bletchley Park Podcast

In Episode 12 of Season 3, we discuss: We discuss fundamentals Strange start: Paul has nothing to say this week (0.05) There are times to reflect & live in silence (0.18) Mindful business (1.04) Mickey Mouse's ears "How much time have you been stressed? "Living in the Now" How much energy of business people gets diluted by not living in the Now? Living in fear of future & regrets about the past Worry: what does it have on your ability to pay attention to a client? How acute is it? How rested are you? Anxiety consumes too much energy - but not always (5.30) Do you have a mechanism for controlling the "barrier" Working with a business coach Insight You can live a better life We focus on focus Ever done a course on mindfulness? (6.45) Concentrating on a very small detail Meditation & Mindfulness [syllables matter in communication] - Use one-syllable words - like "love" Focus on something real that's experienced - not imagined Practise the art of focus (10.00) Feel your weight on the carpet Ummm... ummm...ummm... (is one way) 'Doing it' is the hard bit - especially if you're an impulsive (11.55) We can all imagine catastrophes (13.00) 'That's typical of me' - 'it's all my fault' Story of a waiter who had a lousy day Advice can be dismissed (15.00) Insight Control your imagination now We advocate Practice: If anyone thinks they can have a mindful approach to business without practice - they're bonkers Golfers & hurlers must practise (16.00) Business people better practise - if they want different results Let's not use the word 'idiot' (18.00) Physical health is recognised Mental health is starting to be recognised Tajikistan Business gurus are talking about meditation "I shall meditate for 5 minutes..." says Roger - No, do one minute - says Paul Perpetuating a fallacy (21.00) It's not difficult to practise, there's nothing technically complicated... Put down your resistance Mark Cotton knows "Keep on Running" 60s song "Keep On Running" is a song written and originally recorded by Jackie Edwards, which became a number one hit in the UK when recorded by The Spencer Davis Group (Wiki) Insight Everything is practice We advise you to get help to change Every day is the first day (23.00) Learned behaviour is difficult to change (24.00) - it takes work No one builds a business by themselves Google Larry Page & Sergey, Teamwork, Lennon & McCartney The business of developing yourself to be more attractive in business today (25.40) Automated text message that says "STOP" A mindful approach thanks to help of an external force (26.50) 'Accountability buddy' can help you Thinking ahead is not good - when you're dealing with a customer (28.00) "Let's make-up" birthday card Responding to a genuine need Where the clock? Paraphernalia we need for this podcast Michael Lynch AV3 productions arrives Paul sings "We'll meet again" Insight None -------------------- Appeal to you : Please tell one other person about #BusinessJazzPodcast _______________________ During this conversation We spoke fondly of Mickey Mouse's Ears Tajikistan Mark Cotton Larry Page & Sergey Teamwork.com Lennon & McCartney Michael Lynch AV3 productions ________________________ Let’s work together – fondly @rogeroverall Show&Tell Communications @omaniblog BusinessJazz Services @bizjazzpodcast @mcfontaine. Www.audiowrangler.co.uk - for your audio requirements - Bletchley Park Podcast

January 2017 The Zimmermann Telegram tells the story of how the US became embroiled in World War One. The threat from Germany came home to the United States 100 years ago this month, courtesy of an intercepted telegram sent by the German Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmermann. The tricky thing was, British intelligence didn’t want the US finding out they were reading what was coming over those cables. That made it rather difficult to warn the US, without giving the game away and thereby doing enormous diplomatic damage. We hear from the grandsons of two key figures in this story; Nigel de Grey played his part in decrypting this all-important message in Room 40, and went on to be crucial to codebreaking during World War Two. The other, Thomas Hohler, was our man in Mexico at the time. Last summer their grandsons met up at Bletchley Park, reflecting on the significance of the telegram and their ancestors’ involvement in bringing it to light. Also in this episode, you really never do know who you might meet at Bletchley Park. Eagle-eyed listeners may have spotted the TV historian, Dan Snow, waxing lyrical on social media recently, about the wonders of the Home of the Codebreakers. He came to visit and - like most people when they first see how brilliantly the story is now told - was moved and amazed. He stopped for a chat with Bletchley Park’s very own broadcast-friendly historian, Dr David Kenyon. Throughout this year, we’ll bring you more never-heard-before interviews with veterans of Bletchley Park and its outstations, celebrating the ongoing Oral History project, as well as freshly researched stories about what the Codebreakers achieved and the difference it made to the outcome of the war, in the Bletchley Park Podcast’s exclusive It Happened Here series. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2017 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW1, #History, #DanSnow

August 2016 Hear from a German Enigma operator for the first time in the August 2016 episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, Enigma from the other side. Sharing her unique story as part of Bletchley Park’s Oral History Project, Irmgard Enge, later Copley, tells how she was part of a secret operation to make sure the Allies did not find out how badly German aeroplanes and munitions factories were being damaged by bombs. She also recalls friendly - and less friendly - French people living near the air base where she was posted. Once the war had ended, Irmgard reluctantly agreed to go to a dance with her friend. She hadn’t wanted to go because there would be British soldiers there and she didn’t want to dance with the enemy. But her friend persuaded her and there she met her husband, an English soldier. Also in this month’s episode, we meet a man who grew up just beyond the boundary fence of Bletchley Park during World War Two. He joined a long queue in the rain to have treasures valued for the BBC antiques show, Flog It. The show’s host, Paul Martin, reveals which items he tries to persuade people to keep, going somewhat against the programme’s underlying principle. Last but not least, change is afoot at the hugely successful 1940s Boutique. The day long workshop and tutorial is opening its doors to customers who want a spot of pampering, without the DIY. As well as workshops on how to create the iconic looks of the 1940s and 1950s, the experts themselves will be styling customers’ hair and make-up; all in the tranquil surroundings of the Victorian mansion which became the site of some of WW2’s most secret work. Thanks to The Three Belles for the music in this episode, you can find them at www.thethreebelles.com Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Book now. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Retro, #FlogIt

August 5, 2016 – Today, we’re going to hear from author, journalist and producer Denise Kiernan. Her latest book is, The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II. Kiernan is the author of several history books, including Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence, and Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the United States Constitution. You can follow today's History in 5 Friday author on Twitter @DeniseKiernan, and visit her online at DeniseKiernan.com, or GirlsofAtomicCity.com. To meet the British counterparts to the Girls of Atomic City -- the code breaking WRENS who cracked the riddle of Hitler's Enigma machine -- visit Bletchley Park Trust online, and subscribe to the Bletchley Park Podcast on iTunes or Audioboom. And remember to subscribe to the History Author Show on iTunes, like our iHeartRadio page, or make us appointment listening on your Android device, so you don’t miss an installment of History in Five Friday. It’s the perfect way to kick off your modern weekend… with people from the past.

July 2016 Dive into stories of stolen intelligence treasures which helped turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic in the July 2016 episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, Pinches and Breaks. As part of the historic anniversary-based series, It Happened Here, we hear from Arnold Hargreaves, a seaman aboard HMS Bulldog, who boarded the captured German submarine, U110, and still has the spoils today. An Enigma machine, codebooks and other vital documents were among the haul taken from the U-boat before it sunk. Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon delves into the story of HMS Bulldog and other key pinches, which helped the Codebreakers at Bletchley Park glean vital naval intelligence. Genius alone was not enough. Pinches - in other words, stealing stuff from the enemy - were vital in breaking naval codes. Also in this month’s episode, Bletchley Park celebrated Armed Forces Weekend in style this year, with a themed weekend and a very special giveaway. Two thousand free tickets were given to military personnel and their families, bands played throughout the weekend and there were stalls and activities to entertain visitors of all ages. Hear from some of the families - military and civilian - enjoying the festivities. Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Book now. Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History

June 2016 No Sleep on VE Day, a brand new episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, is out now. Cynthia Humble was an intercept operator in the ATS from 1944 and was stationed at Forest Moor in the Yorkshire countryside. There she listened intently to enciphered Morse signals which were whisked off to a place she and her colleagues knew only as Station X. Her memories of the intense work, the somewhat rationed but sparkling social life and how she and her watch did not sleep a wink on VE Day, despite it falling between gruelling night shifts, are all in this month’s episode. Bletchley Park’s Oral History project has been running for five years, gathering more than three hundred rich and detailed interviews so far, with Veterans of the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park and its outstations all over the world. This rich archive is ever growing as the project continues apace. Born into an army family, Cynthia was keen to do her bit for the war effort, so she joined up at the grand old age of seventeen and a half. She went on to make memories which have lasted a lifetime. We take you to the opening of the second phase of the ground-breaking exhibition about codebreaking during World War One, The Road to Bletchley Park, which has been extended to tell stories of the impact this pioneering work had on the war at sea, on land and in the air. It also touches on the tribulations of effectively sharing intelligence without revealing its source. Phase one of The Road to Bletchley Park explores some of the people involved in WW1 codebreaking who went on to be crucial to the successes of the Government Code and Cypher School during World War Two. Now the second phase, which extends the exhibition in the Visitor Centre at Bletchley Park, explores stories including the largest naval battle of WW1 and the secret telegram which brought the USA into the conflict. Podcast producer Mark Cotton took a sneaky first peek alongside the Friends of Bletchley Park, at their exclusive preview evening. Also, we hear why another night of The Imitation Game has been laid on at the Open Air Cinema in September. The Oscar-winning film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Codebreaker, mathematician and all-round genius Alan Turing will be shown on the lawn at the uniquely historic site where a lot of the action is set, and key scenes were filmed. Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Book now. Image: ©Cynthia Humble, nee Grossman #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #WW1, #AudioMo, #AudioMo2016

May 2016 This month in the Bletchley Park Podcast’s It Happened Here series, we tell the story of The Bismarck. The iconic German battleship was sunk by the Royal Navy 75 years ago. While this clearly did not happen at Bletchley Park, but in the Atlantic Ocean, codebreaking and some of the pioneering techniques developed as part of it played a crucial role in locating the flagship of the German fleet. Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, explains how work going on in wooden huts in the Buckinghamshire countryside contributed to the ship’s destruction, which was vital for the Allies, both strategically and symbolically. Jane Fawcett worked in Hut 6 from 1940. She recalls “It may be the most important thing that any of us have ever done in our lives. We didn’t realise it at the time, but we do now.” Hear about the special Bletchley Park beer being launched at the Fathers’ Day BBQ next month, and there’s news of how the ever-popular 1940s Boutique is expanding. Also in this month’s episode, Dermot Turing opened up his family archive to give a rare insight into the man who’s become a figurehead for the breath-taking achievements of the Bletchley Park Codebreakers, his uncle, Alan Turing. Alan Turing died before Dermot was born but his legend looms large in the family and Dermot has written a book, debunking some of the myths that have grown up about this intriguing man, and giving a unique family perspective on his remarkable work and the tragic end to his life. We hear highlights of Dermot’s talk at Bletchley Park, sharing some of what’s in his book, Prof: Alan Turing Decoded. Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Book now. Image: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com In memory of Jane Fawcett, who passed away on 21 May 2016. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Turing, #Bismarck

April 2016 This episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, Punch Cards, Porridge and a Pittance, celebrates five years since Bletchley Park’s Oral History project began in earnest. This rich archive has grown to more than three hundred interviews and this month we begin to celebrate its fifth anniversary, by sharing the very first interview that was carried out under its auspices. Doris Marshall, nee Phillips, lived just outside the boundaries of Bletchley Park and her family welcomed a number of billetees who worked for the Government Code and Cypher School. They suggested to her when she was coming of age that she too might work at this highly interesting, top secret place. Throughout this year, the Bletchley Park Podcast will bring memories from more of these fascinating oral history interviews out of storage for the world to hear, watch and read. We still want to hear from anyone who worked as part of the Bletchley Park operation and has not yet been interviewed. If you know of someone, email info@bletchleypark.org.uk and mention the Oral History Project. This month we also bring you details of the exciting new open air cinema at Bletchley Park, which will show the Oscar-winning film, The Imitation Game as well as the World War Two classic, The Great Escape, over two nights in September. Last but not least, a heartfelt letter of thanks for the vital intelligence provided by Bletchley Park has been brought out of the shadows, 70 years after it was written. Eisenhower’s 1945 letter to Sir Stewart Menzies hung on the wall in the top secret Chief’s office at MI6 for several years, inspiring today’s Bletchley Park Trust Chairman Sir John Scarlett during his tenure. It is now on public display for the first time, at Bletchley Park, and we take you to the launch with Sir John, GCHQ Departmental Historian, Tony Comer, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon and the NSA’s Historian, David A Hatch. All this is waiting for your ears in this month’s episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, Punch Cards, Porridge and a Pittance. Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Book now. Image: Freeborn Machine Section Hollerith Punch Room, Block C ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Eisenhower

March 2016 In this month’s brand new episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, Bombe Girls, meet some of the trailblazing women who were assigned to Special Duties X or posted to HMS Pembroke 5 when they joined the Wrens (Women’s Royal Naval Service or WRNS). These women found themselves at Bletchley Park - or, in many cases - at one of its huge, industrial outstations on the fringes of London - operating state of the art machines created to speed up the process of finding the daily Enigma settings on many different networks. They’d never heard of Enigma and didn’t know how their work fit into the wider intelligence operation, but they understood how important it was - and how essential it was that they kept it secret. Hear from the inspirational Helen Legh, a BBC radio presenter who’s been undergoing treatment for brain tumours. She took time out to indulge in some vintage pampering at the ever-glamorous 1940s Boutique. A cracking Easter approaches at Bletchley Park and this month’s episode tells you what’s being laid on for children including trails, workshops and the chance to win a Suzuki Vitara. Visit Bletchley Park. It happened here. Open daily. Thanks to The Three Belles for the music featured in this episode. You can find them at http://www.thethreebelles.com/ Image: ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #AlanTuring

January 2016 Throughout 2016, the Bletchley Park Podcast will tell stories of the Codebreakers’ successes and agonies - all of which they kept completely secret. This month, it’s not German and it’s not Enigma. With help from Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, we look into the high level Italian ciphers being broken by Bletchley Park, which impacted significantly on the war in North Africa. There was a continuing dance of difficulty between the codebreaking operation in Cairo and HQ at Bletchley Park. Listen now to delve into this little known story. We meet the nephew of a man who died capturing Enigma codebooks from a sinking U-Boat, a seizure which made a huge difference to the Battle of the Atlantic, but his family were told he’d perished in an unsuccessful mission. Now, the dramatic story of The Petard Pinch is beautifully told in a mini exhibition in naval codebreaking Hut 8. We take you behind the scenes at the exclusive preview. Hear from vintage stylist Sarah Dunn of Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos about why the 1940s Boutique has struck such a chord. This highly glamorous day out is back in 2016 and Sarah tells us what’s in store. Finally this month, Veteran Betty Webb MBE gives us a sneak peek inside her Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Betty has been honoured for remembering and promoting Bletchley Park. At 92, she still regularly gives talks to schoolchildren as well as helping with fundraising and media appearances. Image: Frederick Jacob, Director, CBME in Cairo ©Kenneth Jacob You can learn more about Frederick Jacob at the family website http://www.myjacobfamily.com/favershamjacobs/frederickarthurjacob.htm #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Churchill

December 2015 Veterans’ families encouraged to join community and buy a brick Pride burns bright in relatives of the men and women whose secret work at Bletchley Park and its outstations helped shorten World War Two. The Bletchley Park Trust is in touch with more than 1,500 Veterans of the clandestine codebreaking organisation, the Government Code and Cypher School. Many more are no longer with us. Now, for the first time, the Trust is reaching out to its Veterans’ families to join a global community, celebrating their connection to this remarkable piece of history. “I find it spine-tingling to walk into the Mansion knowing I’m walking where my father and my grandfather walked and never could tell anyone.” This was Anthony De Grey’s reaction to entering the Mansion when he visited Bletchley Park, the place where not only his father, John De Grey, and grandfather, Nigel De Grey, worked but also his aunt, Barbara De Grey, and her future husband, Patrick Vans. Anthony was touched to discover two photographs of his father in the guidebook. He said, “I find it difficult to hold back the tears at a time like that. Thank you for giving me the opportunity because I’m just delighted to contribute to this place, which is still far too secret.” Candy Connolly is the granddaughter of Commander Alastair Denniston, the first Operational Director of the Government Code and Cypher School. Denniston welcomed new recruits to Bletchley Park in his office in the Mansion, which has been returned to its World War Two appearance. Candy said, “I’m very proud and amazingly fortunate to be sitting in this office of his. When you see Bletchley Park become so strong in our modern history and in modern life, and bring us the technology that we use every day, that connection is amazing.” Michael De Grey is proud to be part of the Bletchley Park community. His grandfather, father, aunt and uncle all worked here during World War Two. Michael’s grandfather, Nigel De Grey, started out as a Codebreaker during World War One . He decoded the Zimmerman telegram, which was an important factor in drawing America into WW1. Michael said, “My grandfather is reputed to have said at a meeting in the office a few days later, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, the toast is America because now we are going to win the war.’ My grandfather did something life saving for our country. What would have happened if they hadn’t decoded that telegram?” Sarah Harding’s mother, Dorothy Harding, recalls her time at Bletchley Park with fond memories. Sarah said, “Recently she was reminiscing about her time there and she fell into a reverie. An hour later she said to me, “I can see the hut clearly. It’s all in front of my eyes. I can’t leave Bletchley.” “Is it a happy place,” I asked. “Oh yes,” she said.” Her mother’s World War Two work as a wireless operator and Morse slip reader means that Sarah is keen to be a part of the 21st century Bletchley Park. Hear more from Candy, Michael, Anthony and Sarah in the Bletchley Park Podcast. If you are related to someone who worked at Bletchley Park or one of its outstations, please email friends@bletchleypark.org.uk to join this unique community. Image: ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History,

November 2015 In the throes of war, difficult decisions have to be made. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was fully aware that Bletchley Park was breaking German codes, and even received regular digests of the intelligence gleaned, known as Hut 3 Headlines. However, a myth was born in the mid-1970s that remains in circulation even now. The theory was that messages decoded by Bletchley Park warned Churchill that the Luftwaffe was heading for Coventry on 14 November 1940, and that he allowed the bombing go ahead in order to protect his secret source of vital information. It has since been debunked, however, and in this month’s episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, you can find out how. Here is an extract of this month’s episode, The Coventry Myth. Image: Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting members of Coventry's Warden Service in Broadgate during his visit to Coventry in September 1941. ©Mirrorpix #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Churchill

November 2015 Hindsight can be cruel. The conspiracy theory that Churchill allowed Coventry to be bombed beyond recognition, killing hundreds of civilians, in order to protect the Ultra secret - that Bletchley Park was breaking German codes - is a myth. In this episode we bring you memories of the devastating air raid on Coventry, which took place 75 years ago, on 14 November 1940. Hear from Sir Arthur Bonsall, who worked in the German Air Section, debunking the myth. And Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, explains how the theory came about and has since been disproved. Also this month, the Bletchley Park Trust is reaching out to Veterans’ families, to create a worldwide community of people with a special link to this unique piece of British history. Dilly Knox was instrumental in codebreaking in both world wars. He was working to break into Enigma before World War Two even broke out, but died in 1943, so never knew how the war ended and never shared what he’d done with his family. They can now celebrate his achievements and did just that on a visit to Bletchley Park, during which they shared their pride with the Bletchley Park Podcast. And we hear from Professor Jack Copeland, Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing, celebrating another forgotten hero of Bletchley Park, Max Newman. In August, his talk ‘How Computers Were Used Against Hitler’, was a huge success. This episode features an extract of that talk as well as a rare interview with Jack. Image: Prime Minister Winston Churchill accompanied by the Mayor and Alderman JA Mosely, inspects a large scale Civil Defence parade in Broadgate, Coventry in September 1941. ©Mirrorpix #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #Churchill

October 2015 In Forgotten Genius, the October 2015 episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, we take you to the opening of a brand new, fascinating exhibition about Gordon Welchman, Bletchley Park’s Architect of Ultra Intelligence. Hear from Welchman’s granddaughter, Jennifer, who flew in specially to be at the launch and from his Hut 6 colleague, Jimmy Thirsk, who at the age of 101 is one of the last few of his kind left. Also featured is the grandson of a man who was involved in Codebreaking in both world wars, Nigel De Grey. His grandson Anthony is clearly proud of his roots - and his grandfather was not the only member of his family who worked at Bletchley Park. And on 18 October the BBC’s Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera will give a talk as part of the Bletchley Park Presents lecture series. Gordon will speak about his new book which traces the intertwined history of computing and espionage; Intercept - The Secret History of Computers and Spies. He tells the Bletchley Park Podcast how a book about technology turned out to be a book about people. You can also hear about the Family Maths Workshops designed for 5 to 12 year-olds - and their grown-ups - happening at Bletchley Park every Saturday throughout October and November. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #BBC

September 2015 On 29 July Bletchley Park’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Kent, officially opened the major new exhibition, The Road to Bletchley Park, telling the story of codebreaking during World War One. Many of those World War One Codebreakers went on to work at Bletchley Park during World War Two. Among them was Alastair Denniston the first operational head of the Government Code and Cypher School. The August episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast featured an edited version of an interview with two of Commander Denniston’s granddaughters, Candy Connolly and Judith Finch. In this Extra we bring you the full interview as they talk with pride about the man they call AGD. Before that we hear from author and historian on Bletchley Park, Dr Joel Greenberg, for an overview of the Commander’s secret work. This episode was released on 30 September to mark International Podcast Day. Extra episodes follow up an earlier story with more content, allowing listeners to delve deeper into the subject. The Bletchley Park Podcast is released on 10th of each month, featuring stories told by Veteran Codebreakers themselves, world-renowned authors and historians, paid and volunteer staff and, occasionally, the odd Hollywood A-Lister. This exclusive content keeps up to date on all the events, exhibitions and lectures and of course the progress of the development of Bletchley Park. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #PodcastDay, #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #WW1

September 2015 Chatbots have yet to fool the judges of the Loebner Prize into believing they’re human at the Loebner Prize. The 25th annual Artificial Intelligence competition, which puts the Turing test into practice, has ended without any of the judges being duped. The BBC’s Technology Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, was one of the four judges. He says it was easy to tell which of the conversations were with humans and which were with bots. When he started talking about keeping slugs off his vegetable garden and his dog, called Cabbage, Rory says they were soon stumped. After the judging, when Rose had been declared this year’s most human bot, he stopped for a chat with the Bletchley Park Podcast. Picture: ©Katherine Lynch #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #ruskin147, #LoebnerPrize, #AI

September 2015 On 18 October the BBC’s Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera, will give a talk at Bletchley Park about his new book which traces the intertwined history of computing and espionage, Intercept – The Secret History of Computers and Spies. The computer was born to spy. Under the intense pressure of the Second World War and in the confines of Bletchley Park, the work of men like Alan Turing and Tommy Flowers led to the birth of the computing age. It was a breakthrough that helped win the war and which cemented the importance of signals intelligence and also a close alliance between the US and UK. In the following decades, computers transformed espionage from Cold War spy hunting and providing advance warning of nuclear war through to today’s data driven pursuit of terrorists and industrial scale cyber-espionage against corporations. Gordon Corera reveals for the first time how – beginning at Bletchley - the history of computers has been shaped by spying and in turn how spying has been changed by computers. He will look at the legacy of Bletchley and how it matters for us all. He told the Bletchley Park Podcast how a book about technology turned out to be a book about people. Tickets are available from the Bletchley Park online shop https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/shop/p.rhtm/130872/908465-Bletchley_Park_Presents__Gordon_Corera_Sunday_18_October.html #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #History

September 2015 Nearly ninety Veterans of the Government Code and Cypher School and its many outstations gathered at Bletchley Park on Sunday 6 September, to reminisce and meet old friends and new. After a summer of 70th anniversary commemorations, it was a chance for people who worked in secret at both Bletchley Park and its outstations to remember their contribution. They took the opportunity to bring their friends and families to soak up the atmosphere back in the very buildings where they did their vital war work. There were also plenty of chances to share memories with people who worked in different sections. The Veterans are now free from the obligations of the Official Secrets Act and can discuss the details of their work, in stark contrast to the strict rules to which they all adhered during the dark days of World War Two. Listen in as we speak to five Veterans making their first appearance on the Bletchley Park Podcast, some speaking publicly for the very first time. Japanese Naval Section Wren Margaret Thomas, Dennis Underwood of the 14th Army, Hollerith Operator & decoder Joan Joslin, Hanslope Park Engineer Bartram Robinson and finally Florence Cole, a WAAF Teleprinter Operator based at Chicksands from 1943 to 1944. She said "All these years, I 've never considered myself important enough to talk about it. I 've never felt I was very special but I can look back now and think maybe I did contribute a little bit. " Many thanks to roving reporters Sarah Langston and Kerry Howard. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com Margaret Wilson was a WAAF Morse Slip Reader at Bletchley Park from 1944 to 1946. She attended the Veterans’ Reunion with her daughter Kay Tonks (left), granddaughter Amy Brennan (right) and great grandson, Caelan Brennan (on Margaret’s lap). #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History, #WW270

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

April 2015 This month we take you into our new Hut 12 Exhibit; Rescued and Restored, showcasing historical treasures found during the transformation of the Huts and Blocks. When conservation specialists were brought in to rescue fragile, derelict buildings as part of the much needed first phase of restoration, little could they know what they might find. In the cracks between roof beams in Hut 6 they discovered folded pieces of what appear to be scrap paper, with mysterious notes scribbled on them. Among them were the only known examples of used Banbury Sheets ever found. The system invented by Alan Turing was used to help deduce the daily Enigma settings, before the process was mechanised by the development of the Turing Welchman Bombe. Maths comes to life at Bletchley Park and that’s why the 2015 Milton Keynes Maths Challenge final was held there. Students from secondary schools pitted their wits against each other in a series of timed challenges. At the sound of an air raid siren, the groups dashed from one puzzle to the next, winning prizes including chocolate eggs, scientific calculators and shopping vouchers. The podcast takes you inside the minds of the competitors with members of Bletchley Park’s Education team. Pat Davies joined the Wrens in 1942 at the age of 19, in a bid to avoid being sent to join a ‘crowd of jolly girls’ from the Foreign Office at a place in Buckinghamshire called Bletchley Park, where her mother thought she should go. Pat wanted to go to sea, but it wasn’t to be as she was given the task of intercepting naval messages from a key vantage point on the south coast. Pat stopped for a chat with the Bletchley Park Podcast in the Block C cafe when she brought some old friends for a visit. Pat talk’s about her wartime service and her post war career working as a television producer. Picture: ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #AlanTuring, #Enigma, #WW2Veteran, #History

December 2014 Bletchley Park Podcast – 2014 Christmas Special. 2014 has been a landmark year at Bletchley Park. It’s seen the transformation of the site, returning it to its wartime glory with phase one of the restorations. Royalty returned with not one but two Veterans in the family this time, and the stranger than fiction story of Alan Turing hit the silver screen. Join podcast host Katherine and producer Mark as they take you on a virtual trip around the park and back through the year to hear Royalty, Hollywood Stars and of course lots of our wonderful Veterans. Many thanks to The Three Belles for the use of their music. Their charity single for The Royal British Legion can be purchased here: http://thethreebelles.com/christmas-single Thanks to everyone who took part in our show this year and thank you to our listeners. We will be back in the New Year with more stories from The Home of The Code Breakers and wish you all, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Picture: ©mcfontaine #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #AlanTuring, #ImitationGameUK, #TheThreeBelles

September 2014 This month we bring you a special episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, from the Annual Veterans' Reunion. 2014 is a landmark year for Bletchley Park, marking not only 75th anniversary of the Government Code and Cypher School getting its vital war work underway, but also the completion of £8 million worth of much-needed restoration, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. At this year’s reunion many of the Veterans saw those renovations for the first time. Bletchley Park's CEO, Iain Standen, brings the Veterans up to date on the work that's been carried out in phase one of the restoration of Bletchley Park and answers their questions about the future of the place that's so precious to them. We also talk to the official Bletchley Park photographer, Shaun Armstrong, about capturing history in the making. He's documented the entire restoration, Project Neptune, over the last two years and photographed one or two members of the Royal family along the way. Podcast Producer Mark Cotton and Roving Reporters Kerry Howard and Astrid Specht were also at large at this year's Reunion, talking to visitors as well as the most important guests, the Veterans themselves. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com See more about Shaun's experience of photographing the Duchess of Cambridge and work at Bletchley Park at https://mubstablog.com/2014/06/24/hrh-the-duchess-of-cambridge-bletchley-park/ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #ww2veteran, #enigma, #Turing

May 2014 When Elizabeth Marshall, nee Tatham, was recruited to Bletchley Park in 1944, she was told “This is a very, very secret place. You must never breathe a word of what you do here.” Every one of the ten thousand or so men and women who worked for the Government Code and Cypher School, a mixture of military and civilians, was sworn to lifelong secrecy. During a visit to Bletchley Park, Elizabeth recalled “We were told ‘your family and your friends must not know.’ We sat there absolutely agog, wondering what we had let ourselves in for.” Her parents died soon before the veil of secrecy was lifted in 1974. She says “I was absolutely horrified, I don’t mind telling you. My great friend rang me up and said ‘Have you heard, they’re talking all about Bletchley. It’s all over the papers.’ I said ‘What! We were told never to talk about it.’ I still find it extremely hard to take in that everything that was locked in my head for so long is now common knowledge.” You can hear the full interview with Elizabeth in the May episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast https://audioboo.fm/boos/2149628-the-bletchley-park-podcast-e22-a-very-very-secret-place The Bletchley Park Trust is dependent on Veterans themselves and their relatives to register for their rightful place on the Roll of Honour. The Trust is also in a race against time to gather Veterans’ memories first hand in its Oral Archive. http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/news/v.rhtm/Find_a_Codebreaker-719559.html Picture: ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #ww2veteran, #enigma

May 2014 As the 70th anniversary of D-Day approaches, original Bletchley Park Trust member & Historian Peter Westcombe, compares the meticulous planning which preceded the Normandy landings with the doomed German plot to invade Britain much earlier in World War Two, Operation SEALION. You can hear more of this interview with Peter in the next episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast, out on the 10th of May. ©Crown. Reproduced by kind permission, Director, GCHQ #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma, #DDay

April 2014 Volunteer actors from the local community will help bring Codebreaking Huts 3 & 6 to life through their projected images & voices, created by Elbow Productions. You can hear more about this project in the next episode of The Bletchley Park Podcast, out on the 10th of April. Picture: ©Elbow Productions #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #ww2veteran, #enigma

April 2014 Margaret Reardon, ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service), Royal Signals, recalls her time listening to enemy radio messages on the Isle of Man during World War Two. You can hear more from Margaret in the next episode of The Bletchley Park Podcast, out on the 10th of April. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #ww2veteran, #enigma

February 2014 This is the full length version* of our exclusive interview with Sarah Harding, Director of the second two-part story in series two of the hit ITV drama, The Bletchley Circle. In this month’s Bletchley Park Podcast & the first part of this EXTRA Sarah tells us about her mother, Dorothy Harding (nee Thompson) who was a Wireless Operator / Morse slip reader at Bletchley Park 1943-1945. It was a happy coincidence that Sarah had that personal connection to Bletchley Park when The Bletchley Circle script landed on her desk. Sarah has had a long and distinguished career directing theatre, film & TV dramas including Coronation Street, Queer as Folk and Agatha Christie’s Marple & Poirot, to list just a few. We talk about her life behind the camera & how the service given by Veterans such as her mother led to her generation having the freedom to pursue such careers. Now, her mother has enjoyed the series & hopes “she will smile, feel recognised and proud.” * If you have already listen to this month's main Podcast, then the new material starts at 15:48 into this episode. Image ®ITV #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ITV, #TheBletchleyCircle, #ladynerds, #audiowrangler, #mcfontaine

December 2013 In this month’s Bletchley Park Podcast we brought you some highlights of the day we spent with two amazing Veterans, Norah Boswell, a Wren Bombe Operator who was stationed at Stanmore & Joyce Roberts, a WAAF Teleprinter Operator at Bletchley Park. In this extended version join tour guide Mike Chapman as we roll back 70 years for these two amazing ladies & listen in as Norah gets her revenge on The Bombe & Joyce finds a dear old friend in the Hut she worked in. It is times like this that make producing the Bletchley Park Podcast such an honour. #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Bombe, #Enigma, #Veterans, #audiowrangler, #mcfontaine

November 2013 In October Cyber Security Challenge UK & Raytheon held an event called Today, Then & Tomorrow. It looked at the role of women in cyber security, celebrating the Bletchley Park Veterans, leading figures of today & a look into the future. Here is a flavour of the day featuring Natalie Black, Stephanie Daman, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, Dr Brooke Hoskins, Clare McBrearty, Lucy Robson & Bletchley Park Podcast’s, very own, Kerry Howard. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #cybersecurity, #thentodaytomorrow, #Raytheon, #CyberChallenge, #mcfontaine

March 2013 In this episode we bring you the longer versions of some of the interviews featured in the last episode of The Bletchley Park Podcast. They were recorded by mcfontaine and our new roving reporter Kerry Howard, after the visit of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Featuring Aileen Hasdell, Gwen Flavell, Peggy Dorrington & Alba Whiteman. #bpark, #enigma, #bombe, #bletchleypark

December 2012 This is an X-Mas Special looking back on the first 6 months of the Bletchley Park Podcast. #BPark, #Turing, #Christmas2012

August 2012 Chris Vallance was kind enough to feature The Bletchley Park Podcast in this episode of Outriders. We produced a 3 minute edit of the podcast a a teaser for his listeners. Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/outriders/ for more information.

August 2012 Katherine Lynch. Bletchley Park Podcast presenter, on BBC Three Counties Breakfast 10-08-12

August 2012 The 1st Bletchley Park Podcast, including an interview with CEO Ian Standen, selections from the first Family Fun Day of 2012 & an excerpt from Capt. Jerry Roberts annual Turing Lecture. #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #WW2, #Spitfire, #Turing, #AlanTuringYear #Wonder88

August 2012 Ident for The Bletchley Park Podcast, created from some of the machines on display at Bletchley Park & The National Museum of Computing. #BPark, #TNMOC, #BletchleyPark

August 2012 The official monthly Bletchley Park Podcast will be here on 10/08/12. Here's a little teaser. #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #BParkPodcast #bletchleypark #bpark #bparkpodcast