Podcasts about bletchley park trust

Michael Smith, intelligence expert, talks to Oliver Webb-Carter, editor of Aspects of History, about Trump, Foreign Policy and Intelligence. Michael talks about how the re-election of Trump will effect the special relationship between British and American intelligence services. Oliver and Michael discuss the prospects for the Middle East, Ukraine and more, under the new Trump administration. Michael is is a British author who specializes in spies and espionage. He is also a former member of the board of the Bletchley Park Trust. Michael has written 16 books, and his most recent is The Real Special Relationship, The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work. Buy the book here Follow Michael here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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,

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 Lady Elisabeth 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,

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,

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,

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,

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,

June 2021  By late May 1940 the Germans have arrived at the French coast, cutting the Allied forces in two. Their risky invasion plan ‘Fall Gelb' (or ‘Case Yellow') has paid off.  For the Allies, things will only get worse - an evacuation of the British forces from Dunkirk, the capture of Paris and the ultimate humiliation at Compiègne. It also marked a turning point for Bletchley Park. The attack led the Germans to change their Enigma procedures which had been exploited so successfully by the Hut 6 team. It took a creative approach, as well as some lazy enemy operating procedures, to restore Bletchley Park's capability in reading German messages. In the second part of this special ‘It Happened Here' episode, Dr Thomas Cheetham guides us through the dramatic world events that could have seen Bletchley Park lose the ability to read Enigma for the rest of the war.  Special thanks go to Gus Munro and Dr Ben Thompson for voicing our archival documents. ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory,

September 2020    This is the last of three special episodes to mark what would have been our Annual Veterans Reunion.    It was due to COVID-19 restrictions and with huge regret that Bletchley Park Trust had to take the difficult decision not to hold this year’s reunion on-site. But here at the podcast we can still celebrate our Veterans with these special episodes.   At a reunion we like to capture as many Veterans stories as we can, but we also always remember that it is their special day and we try not to interrupt it too much for them. Some chats may just be a quick hello and how are you and some might end up with a short interview. But for some Veterans, it might be the first time they have been asked to talk about their vital war work and we are always honoured to be on hand to save their story for future generations.    In this, the last of these special episodes, we’re bringing you nearly 80 minutes from another 12 of our amazing Veterans, including a few of those longer interviews.   Featured in this episode, in order of appearance are:   Doris Moss Mollie Brewster Pamela Forbes Betty Webb Elizabeth Davies Marigold Angela Bostock-Wilson Diana Tyler Margaret Thomas Bartrum Robinson Edna Garbutt Pauline Lee Tom Howie   We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Veterans of Bletchley Park and its Outstations, for their service.   Special thanks to Katherine Lynch, Sarah Langston and Kerry Howard.    Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2020   #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

September 2020    As we explained in the last show, due to COVID-19 restrictions and with huge regret, Bletchley Park Trust had to take the difficult decision not to host our Annual Veterans Reunion onsite this year.   To continue to mark what would have been this year’s reunion, this is the second of three special episodes we will be bringing you this month, to still pay tribute to our Veterans.   Reunion is always the busiest day of the year for the podcast, catching up with old friends & rushing around trying to make sure that we can record as many Veterans as we can but it hasn’t just been our original co-host Katherine Lynch and producer Mark Cotton. We have also had help from a group of people we like to call our roving reporters. They are friends of the podcast who kindly give their time to help us allow the Veterans’, to tell their stories, in their own voices.    We want to thank everyone who has helped us at each reunion since 2012 but especially those featured in this episode, Sarah Langston, Kerry Howard, Astrid Specht, Helen Legh and of course Katherine Lynch.   The Veterans featured in this episode, in order of appearance are:   Flo Cole Cicely Anderson Mimi Gallilee Kay Wingate Nancy Clark Geoffrey Pidgeon Pat Davies Christine Brose Joan Smeaton Mary Heal Eric Dodd   We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Veterans of Bletchley Park and its Outstations, for their service.   Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2020   #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

September 2020    Each year, to mark the arrival of the Codebreakers to their war station in 1939, we hold our Veterans Reunion.    This is the highlight of our calendar year, and a really special occasion for all involved. Veterans can meet up with friends old and new and share stories of their vital and once top-secret wartime work. These events have taken on even more meaning in the past few years, for the Veterans, their families, and all those who work for Bletchley Park Trust today.   It is with huge regret that, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bletchley Park Trust has taken the difficult decision not to host our Reunion onsite this year.   To mark what would have been this year’s reunion, this is the first of three special episodes we will be bringing you this month, not just the highlights of the last 8 years that the Podcast has attended but also from the very first Reunion in 1991, the one that started the campaign to Save Bletchley Park.   The Veterans featured in this episode, in order of appearance are:   Joan Clarke Derek Taunt Raymond Goodman Rosamond Twinn Rosemary Davidson Peter Twinn Rolf Noskwith Betty Webb Mary Watkins Joyce Bigoni Stanley Clegg Eric Hume Jeff Hoare Fred Terretta Audrey Hodges Jane Fawcett We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Veterans of Bletchley Park and its Outstations, for their service.   Special thanks to Katherine Lynch, Sarah Langston and Mr Ben Thompson.     Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2020   #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

Coming up in this week's episode of the GDPR Weekly Show: Salesforce and Oracle to be sued over their involvement in contextual advertising tracking, South Wales Police facial recognition ruled unlawful by UK Court of Appeal, Ofqual investigated by ICO over algorithm used for calculation of Covid-19 affected exam grades, Elizabeth Denham in Canada during Covid19 raises concerns about UK ICO effectiveness, More-ish launches new Covid19 tracking app, OTC driver conduct hearing publicity puts it in conflict with GDPR, IBM Annual Cost of Data Breach Report, Instagram retaining data after deletion by user leaving it in breach of GDPR, Bletchley Park Trust affected by Blackbaud data breach, Walgreens Pharmacy data breach after stores hit by looting, 2020 - a bad year for everyone but especially for Canon,  Effect on transfer of genetic data following Schrems II ruling

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 2019    Each year, to mark the arrival of the first Codebreakers at Station X in 1939 we hold our Veterans Reunion. This year it was made more poignant as the date fell on the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland.    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, reminisce and tell stories of their time here.    This is the podcasts 8th reunion and this year we were lucky enough to sit down with four of these amazing people to have a chat. Many are accompanied by their families and for them it can be very emotional as for the first time they get to hear in detail what their relation did during World War Two.   Christine Brose set this year’s record for travelling to the reunion, coming with her two sons from Tasmania. She insists she “didn’t do anything important” but at age seventeen in 1941 she ended up working in Hut 8 Naval Section under Hugh Alexander. When Winston Churchill made his one war-time visit to the home of the codebreakers, it was Alexander who jumped to Christine’s defence.    The army originally wanted Arthur Maddocks to be a Tank Commander but he thinks the study of economic theory at Oxford University probably made him more suited to breaking codes in The Testery. Even though he was only at GC&CS for the last year of the war it would have an effect on the rest of his life as it led to him meeting his wife of 72 years.   Audrey Hodges is proud of her service and she feels she was “doing her bit to protect her country”. After leaving a factory job she hated in Newcastle she ended up in 1941 working for the Foreign Office at Bletchley Park. Her granddaughter Nicole tells us just how cool it is to have a ‘Nan’ who worked as a Codebreaker.   Finally, we join Eric Dodd and four generations of his very proud family. Eric was in the Royal Signals working as a Special Wireless Operator for our Y Service. On D-Day he could understand his German counterparts for the first time as under attack they broke with procedure.   Special thanks to our roving reporter Sarah Langston. Image: ©Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust 2019 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #80WW2

March 2019 In this It Happened Here episode we go back to the spring of 1944 when much of Europe, and indeed the world held its breath awaiting the ‘Second Front’ in Europe. This would be realised in June when Operation OVERLORD; the D-Day landings, began in France. During that spring, however British and Allied troops were involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the war, in Italy and in the Far East as the tide finally turned against the Japanese in Burma. The codebreakers at Bletchley Park continued to support these operations, and were able to achieve some of their most significant successes yet, against both German and Japanese codes and ciphers. As usual our guide to these events is Dr David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian. In memoriam, Stephen Freer (1920-2017) and Edward Simpson (1922-2019) Image: Original Japanese Section Archive material ©Bletchley Park Trust 2019 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

September 2017 There were so many memories shared at this year’s Veterans’ Reunion, that we’ve split this month’s episode into two parts. This time, we’ll hear some of the longer conversations, as people who spent part of their youth carrying out vital war work, tucked away in the Buckinghamshire countryside or at one of Bletchley Park’s equally secretive outstations. They went on to keep their lips sealed about what they’d done for at least another 30 years. Now, when the memories begin to flow, the best thing to do is sit back, listen and feel inspired by their incredible achievements. Image: © Will Amlot for the Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2, #History

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 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.

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 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 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. The Trust is inviting relatives of the Codebreakers to cement their family ties with the breath-taking achievements of the Bletchley Park operation during World War Two. Their names and the importance of what they did was once shrouded in secrecy, but can now be celebrated in perpetuity. For the next six months Veterans, their families and members of the Friends of Bletchley Park have the exclusive opportunity to buy engraved commemorative bricks that will be used to build a Codebreakers’ Wall around naval codebreaking Hut 8. The opportunity to buy a brick in the Codebreakers’ Wall will then be made widely available from spring 2016. Michael and Anthony de Grey have more family links than most to Bletchley Park, and indeed part of its World War One predecessor, Room 40. Their grandfather Nigel was a key figure in codebreaking in both world wars, and the family connections didn’t end there. In both these full interviews Michael and Anthony go into much more depth about their proud memories. Picture: ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #WW2, #History, #WW1

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

February 2015 Bursaries for disadvantaged schools have Been added to Bletchley Park’s expanding education programme Winton Global Investment Management is funding a pilot bursary scheme to allow free school trips to Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park welcomes more than 9,000 schoolchildren every year to its thriving education programme. The bursaries will be available to schools which might be most in need of financial support. Each bursary will cover the cost of coach hire and 40 children attending two workshops during their time at Bletchley Park. The first school to participate in the scheme was Greenleys Junior School in Milton Keynes. A group of year six students were given a Codes and Ciphers workshop, tried their hands at operating a real World War Two Enigma machine and toured the uniquely historic site. Victoria Worpole, the Bletchley Park Trust’s Director of Learning and Collections, says “These bursaries will help enormously by making exciting and engaging school trips to Bletchley Park available to children to whom it might have been out of reach. It’s vital that we inspire young minds. Encouraging children to put themselves in the Codebreakers’ shoes to solve seemingly impossible problems brings the STEM subjects to life.” The scheme forms part of a greatly improved education programme at Bletchley Park. Cyber Security Workshops are now available either as part of a school visit or at the school itself, since the appointment of the first Online Safety Officer. Schools, colleges, clubs or societies can book an Enigma Outreach visit, where Bletchley Park’s Education Officer demonstrates a real World War Two Enigma machine which participants can try using themselves. Picture: ©ShaunArmstrong/mubsta.com #Bletchleypark, #Enigma, #BPARK, #STEM

July 2014 On 26 and 27 July 1939 one of the most important events in the history of intelligence took place in the woods outside Warsaw. Just three weeks before the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) moved to its War Station at Bletchley Park, its Head, Alastair Denniston, and its Chief Cryptanalyst, Dilly Knox, travelled to Warsaw to meet their Polish and French equivalents to share all they knew about Enigma. At a commemorative ceremony in Warsaw held earlier this month, BBC Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera spoke to the GCHQ Departmental Historian, on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. Many thanks to the BBC for letting us share this interview. Gordon’s original article can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28167071 Picture: GC&CS Commander Alastair Denniston’s passport shows he travelled through Nazi Germany to the meeting in Poland and is on display in his office in the Mansion at Bletchley Park. ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma

June 2014 The importance of Bletchley Park’s role in the D-Day deception should not be underestimated. Messages decrypted at Bletchley Park showed that the feint had been swallowed whole, leading Germany to believe that the invasion would be at the Pas de Calais rather than Normandy. Katherine Lynch talked to Bletchley Park’s Senior Archivist, Richard Lewis, and historian and founding member of the Bletchley Park Trust, Peter Westcombe. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma, #DDay70, #WW2, #Overlord, #AudioMo,

May 2014 Bletchley Park CEO Iain Standen has told a new support hub for businesses how focusing on the fascinating story of World War Two Codebreaking helped transform Bletchley Park from a ramshackle, derelict site into a vibrant heritage attraction. Velocity, a new growth hub for ambitious small and medium-sized enterprises across the South East Midlands, was launched in the newly-restored Block C Visitor Centre at Bletchley Park on Friday 23 May. It will help businesses unlock their potential by helping them to find funding and support. Bletchley Park was the ideal launch location as it is in the final stages of completing an £8 million restoration programme; £5 million in Heritage Lottery Funding and £3 million match fund raised by the Bletchley Park Trust. Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #VelocityGrowth, #MK

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 This month, we learn about the doomed German plans to invade Britain in 1940 with Historian & founding member of the Bletchley Park Trust, Peter Wescombe as we join him in the Bletchley Park Archive. We also take you to the launch of the biography of one of Bletchley Park’s lesser known geniuses, Gordon Welchman. Joel Greenberg has been reading up on & researching Bletchley Park’s World War Two history since the 1970s. He is a Volunteer Tour Guide & works part time at Bletchley Park. His book, Gordon Welchman, Bletchley Park’s Architect of Ultra Intelligence, was launched in the Mansion in the presence of Welchman’s family, who formally handed over artefacts and documents, some of which had been in boxes in his son Nick’s loft for 25 years before Joel started his research. Get a taste of what’s to come at the Bletchley Park Presents series of Sunday afternoon talks & hear from three of the real women of Bletchley Park, Jean Valentine, Ruth Bourne & Betty Webb in a short interview with Bremont Watches founder Giles English. Finally we bring you a Wren’s memories of the absolute secrecy impressed upon her when she arrived. Elizabeth Marshall, nee Tatham, who lives in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, recalls “We were told your family and your friends must not know.’ We sat there absolutely agog, wondering what we had let ourselves in for.” Picture ©Bletchley Park Trust #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ww2veteran, #Bremont, #mcfontaine

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

March 2014 Captain Jerry Roberts MBE, one of Bletchley Park’s last Codebreakers, died this week at the age of 93. Jerry was one of the original members of The Testery working on cracking Tunny, the German High Commands code, used by Hitler & his top Generals. Their work warned the Russian’s of The Kursk Offensive, allowing them to defend until the Germans called off, what would be their last major offensive on the Eastern Front. Winston Churchill said “Stalingrad was the end of the beginning, but the Battle of Kursk was the beginning of the end”. In this Bletchley Park Podcast Extra, we bring you the interview we recorded at Jerry’s home, in February 2013 after being awarded an MBE. It is followed a short interview Katherine recorded on the day he received his MBE from Her Majesty The Queen. Sir John Scarlett KCMG OBE, Chairman, Bletchley Park Trust, paying tribute to Jerry said: “Captain Jerry Roberts MBE was a true gentleman and - to the last days of his long life - an outstanding ambassador for Bletchley Park. In World War 2 he was a key member of the team who deciphered the most secret communications of Hitler and his top commanders, work of incomparable importance for the outcome of the War. Unfailingly modest about his own achievements, he was committed to the end to achieving recognition for the work of his colleagues and the contribution of all those who worked at Bletchley Park. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his devoted wife, Mei." Picture: ©mubsta.com #bletchleypark, #bpark, #tunny, #ww2, #jerryroberts #wonder88

March 2014 Children’s TV presenters Dick & Dom came to Bletchley Park to film a programme about Alan Turing. Absolute Genius with Dick & Dom will be on CBBC on the 12th March. We caught a quick word with them between takes. Battlefield History TV is making a fascinating documentary about the Bletchley Park story which will soon be available on DVD. We bring you a taste of what will be in the finished programme with Iain Standen interviewing Veteran Bombe Wren Sue Winn & Bletchley Park Historian Joel Greenberg talking about his new biography of Gordon Welchman, Bletchley Park’s Architect of Ultra Intelligence. The official histories of Huts 3 & 6 were written shortly after the war was won by the actual people who worked in them during WW2. Historian & founding member of the Bletchley Park Trust, Peter Wescombe, gives an insight into the minds of ordinary men & women doing extraordinary jobs. We take you back to February 1941 as actors brought the mansion to life with The Living History Project. The actress playing the Wren had a personal connection to the Bletchley Park story as her grandfather was a Bombe maintainer at Eastcote & Stanmore. Eric Hume came all the way from Devon to see her in action & we interview a proud grandfather. Picture: ©mcfontaine #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #dickanddom, #livinghistory, #audiowrangler, #mcfontaine

January 2014 This month we take you exclusively behind the scenes during filming of The Bletchley Circle, hearing from the Producer, Standby Art Director & Bletchley Park Trust staff who were cast as supporting actors, to safeguard machines which belong to GCHQ. We hear from Veteran Audrey Wind, whose story is featured as a DVD extra, who was told when she was recruited: “You must not mention this conversation to any living person.” Years after the war, she was spotted by a fellow alumnus of Bletchley Park & the secrecy they shared caused all sorts of suspicion about their relationship. This month’s Podcast also lets you in on the plans for the fragile wooden huts being restored as part of the £8m, Heritage Lottery Funded restoration, with details of how their stories will be told. Hear about how actors will bring Bletchley Park to life with the Living History Project. Liv Spencer tells us what she will be looking for during the auditions. Picture ©mcfontaine #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ITV, #TheBletchleyCircle, #ladynerds, #audiowrangler, #mcfontaine

September 2013 Earlier in the year we interviewed some of the original members of The Bletchley Park Trust who gave us an insight into how they started to save Bletchley Park. In this episode we bring you an interview with Doreen Sawyer, the lady, that original trust member Peter Wescombe climbed through the fence to speak to, and that started the ball rolling. Doreen worked at Bletchley Park from 1955 for the CAA and she tells us some of the post war history of the park and about organising the very first Enigma Reunion. Special thanks to BBC 3 Counties Radio for use of their studios to record the interview. Image ©Elle Dunn - http://www.elledunn.com/ #Bletchleypark, #BPark, #Enigma, #CAA

July 2013 This month it’s all about Timely Visitors Milton Keynes South MP & long time Bletchley Park supporter, Iain Stewart goes on a Hard Hat Tour to see some of the Heritage Lottery Funded restoration with the trusts CEO Iain Standen. Then a few days later it was announced that former Bletchley Park Trust director Simon Greenish had been awarded an MBE for services to English heritage in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. We took Simon on his first tour of the restoration work that he had been fundamental in planning. We also give you a taste of the Black Tie, Bremont Codebreaker Watch Launch. We have interviews with two of our amazing Veterans, Jean Valentine and Ruth Bourne. Bremont founders Nick and Giles English tell us why they wanted to celebrate the home of the codebreakers and The Three Belles keep us swinging. For more information about Bremont go to http://www.bremont.com/ For more information about The Three Belles go to http://thethreebelles.com/ Picture: ©shaunarmstrong/mubsta.com #BPark, #Enigma, #BremontWatchCom, #codebreaker, #TheThreeBelles

January 2013 This month it’s all about reunions. 40 years ago a group of teenagers came to Bletchley Park as CAA Apprentices & they told Jessica Cooper of BBC 3 Counties Radio all about their time here when they came back last month. We interview some of the original members of the Bletchley Park Trust who talk about the early days of Saving Bletchley Park to celebrate 21 years of the Trust. Also BP CEO Iain Standen tells us all about Get Fit for 2013 & you can find out about some of the great events happening at Bletchley Park in 2013. #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #CAA, #BParkPodcast, #BBC3CountiesRadio