Bletchley Park

April 2014 The biography of one of Bletchley Park’s lesser-celebrated geniuses, Gordon Welchman, has been launched with the handover of personal documents and possessions to the Bletchley Park Trust. They include letters and documents which had been in Welchman’s son Nick’s loft until he was approached by the author, Dr Joel Greenberg. Tickets are on sale now for Bletchley Park Presents Dr Joel Greenberg; a talk about Gordon Welchman, on Sunday 18 May. #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma, #Bombe

April 2014 Foundations believed to be of a house that predated the iconic Mansion have been found as part of the restoration of Bletchley Park. Water Hall was built in 1711 but by the late 18th century it had fallen into disrepair and was demolished by 1806. Bletchley Park's Media Relations Manager & Podcast Host, Katherine Lynch, spoke to Helen Legh on BBC Three Counties Radio Friday 18 April. Thanks to BBC3CR for use of this recording. Image: ©English Heritage Detail from the 1718 Estate Survey (reproduced with permission from the Centre for Bucks Studies, Ma299/1) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma, #BBC3CR

April 2014 Prof. Barry Cooper discussed Alan Turing’s life and work at last year’s sell-out day of talks, Codebreakers’ Legacy. Book now for Bletchley Park Presents Christy Campbell on Easter Sunday. https://bletchleypark.org.uk/calendar/d.rhtm/758932-Bletchley-Park-Presents---Christy-Campbell.html Book now - https://bletchleypark.org.uk/shop/p.rhtm/130872/762467-Ticket_20_April_Christy_Campbell_Talk.html Picture ©Mubsta.com #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #AlanTuring, #Turing, #ATY, #mcfontaine

April 2014 The Bletchley Circle makes a welcome return this weekend on America’s Public Broadcasting Service. Series two of the hit ITV drama attracted more than 4 million viewers per episode on ITV in January and from Sunday 13 April it will be shown on PBS. You can hear more from the cast as well as the series Writer and Creator, Guy Burt, and Executive Producer, Jake Lushington, in our special December episode. https://audioboo.fm/boos/1803303-bletchley-park-podcast-extra-the-bletchley-circle-returns Picture: ©ITV #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #enigma, #ladynerds

April 2014 This month, we take you inside the 1940s Boutique, a new event which helps you recreate wartime glamour. We hear from the daughter and granddaughters of a woman who may or may not have worked at Bletchley Park but who, family legend has it, knew her brother had been killed in action when the rest of her family could only be told he was missing. We take a sneak peek inside the soon to be opened Codebreaking Huts, taken back to their wartime glory as part of the £8 million restoration of Bletchley Park, meeting the volunteer actors who have become part of the way we tell this incredible story. We find out just how close we came to losing those wooden huts altogether. We also hear from a woman who, 70 years on, says her work in the Y service nearly drove her mad. Margaret Reardon (nee Chapman) recalls “Quite a few people broke down. There was a joke about one man who drew ducks on the blackboard and was feeding them - he had to be carried off. It really go

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

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 l

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 lif

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.”

February 2014 This month we join Bletchley Park Veteran Margaret Roland as she was asked to be the special guest at a ceremony to mark the completion of refurbishment work at White Spire School in Bletchley. We take you behind the scenes at rehearsals for February half term’s exciting Living History project, where Sorrel Meechan, one of the actors helping bring the buildings to life, tells us about her personal connection to the Bletchley Park having grown up knowing her grandfather worked as a Bombe Maintainer during World War Two. Hear the intriguing – and entirely coincidental – family connection Sarah Harding, the Director of the hit ITV drama, The Bletchley Circle had with the Home of the Codebreakers as her mother Dorothy Harding, nee Thompson, was a Wireless Operator & Morse slip reader at Bletchley Park. Michael Portillo, former Defence Secretary turned TV presenter came to Bletchley Park for an episode of Great British Railway Journeys. Between takes he

January 2014 In this episode we bring you the entire interview we recorded with Veteran Wren Bombe Operator, Audrey Wind, who recalls how she was plucked from filthy cleaning jobs in basic training & recruited to do a very, very secret job. Audrey was posted to Eastcote, an outstation of Bletchley Park, where she operated Bombe machines. She says “The pressure was enormous. It took me a long time after the war to get over it and I’m sure it did for everyone. It was terribly stressful.” Audrey’s story will be featured as a DVD extra, when the second series of the hit ITV drama, The Bletchley Circle is released. Image ®ITV #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ITV, #TheBletchleyCircle, #ladynerds, #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

December 2013 In this EXTRA episode we look back at what turned into another busy year at Bletchley Park, but also ahead to the return of the ITV drama The Bletchley Circle. The thrilling series based on the lives of four extraordinary & brilliant women who worked at Bletchley Park during WW2 returns to UK screens on ITV for a four-part series starting on Monday 6th of January 2014. Over the next few Podcasts & EXTRA episodes we will be bringing you exclusive interviews with the cast & crew, to give you a unique look behind the scenes that you will find nowhere else. To start us off we bring you interviews we recorded at the official Press Screening with three of the stars of the series, Rachael Stirling, Julie Graham & Hattie Morahan, who were joined by Executive Producer, Jake Lushington & series Writer & Creator, Guy Burt. Bletchley Circle image ®ITV #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #Enigma, #ITV, #TheBletchleyCircle, #ladynerds, #audiowrangler, #mcfontaine

December 2013 This month, we join Bletchley Park historian Dr Joel Greenberg & AS Level history students from Milton Keynes College as they discover hidden treasures under The Mansion car park. Footings of what the Bletchley Park Trust believes were the first few wooden huts built at the outbreak of World War Two were found when the tarmac was removed. We find out what happened at a specially set-up monitoring station in the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park, when AMSAT-UK launched FUNcube-1, a 10cm cubed satellite weighing less than a kilogram, over Russia. We have an exclusive interview with Professor’s Barry Cooper & Jack Copeland who spoke about some of the lesser known heroes of Bletchley Park at the day of sold-out talks, Codebreakers’ Legacy. They talk about the continuing interest in Alan Turing & what also what they think about the forthcoming film of his life. Yet again we have the honour of interviewing one of our Veterans. Cynthia Legge (nee Mou

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

November 2013 Mavis Batey, one of Bletchley Park’s leading female Codebreakers, died this week at the age of 92. Mavis’s work on Enigma was crucial to the Royal Navy’s victory at Matapan in 1941 and the success of the D-Day landings in 1944. She was part of Dilly Knox’s team, working on as-yet unbroken codes and ciphers. In this Bletchley Park Podcast Extra, we can hear her chatting with Bletchley Park historian and author Michael Smith. Many thanks to Michael Smith, Matt Rawlinson & The Open University for allowing us to share this with you. #bletchleypark, #bpark, #enigma, #ww2

November 2013 This month, with so much happening at Bletchley Park recently, we have to bring you an extended episode. First we grab Hard-Hats & Hi Viz Jackets to join Conservation Architect Janie Price & Site Manager Rob Davies to get an in-depth update on the HLF Restoration of Bletchley Park, from floorboards to granite floors, via the roof. In October Bletchley Park hosted Are You Listening? The event looked at the history of communications. We spoke to members of Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society, the British Vintage Wireless Society & the Vintage & Military Amateur Radio Society. Also in October Cyber Security Challenge UK & Raytheon held an event called Today, Then and 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. Katherine spoke to Natalie Black of the Cabinet Office, after we found out just what her job title was. We will bring you the rest of this fascinatin

October 2013 This month we talk to actor Simon Callow, who was filming in Alan Turing’s office in Hut 8 & we discover a secret about his university tutor. Architect Janie Price, brings us a short update on the HLF Restoration of Bletchley Park; where they are looking at floorboards … one by one. Then join Bombe Wrens as they are transported back in time when they see Hut 11 restored to its WW2 atmosphere. Veterans, Ruth Bourne & Joan Tolson tell us what it was like to work on a Bombe Machine & we luckily capture a short story from Bletchley Baby, Josephine Ross. Pictures ©mubsta.com & mcfontaine #BPark, #BletchleyPark, #SimonCallow, #Turing, #Enigma, #Bombe