April 2022

Thursday 28th April 2022 sees Bletchley Park unveiling its largest exhibition to date, in the newly restored Block A. Its focus is the period from late 1942 to early 1945, when the demands of its crucial wartime work changed the Government Code and Cypher School from a ‘cottage industry’ into an industrial-scale intelligence operation. The name of the exhibition is, very aptly, ‘The Intelligence Factory’. 

Block A was the first of the purpose-built ‘Block’ buildings that marked the scaling up of the codebreaking operation. Therefore it is fitting that it houses this major new addition to Bletchley Park’s visitor experience. 

Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro will take listeners through the same corridors that were at the very heart of the expanding top secret site 80 years ago. Join us on an exclusive preview tour to uncover the stories, displays and activities that visitors can explore as they walk in the footsteps of our Veterans.

It took a huge team of people to create ‘The Intelligence Factory’ and for this special behind-the-scenes episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham will also be taking us through the rigorous historical research that underpins the entire exhibition. Tomatoes, oars and coal-fired boilers don’t normally spring to mind when thinking of WW2 codebreaking - find out what part they played in the story of the scaling up of Bletchley Park.

This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Rozanne Colchester

Sheila Willson

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #TheIntelligenceFactory

March 2022

Bletchley Park is synonymous with World War Two codebreaking, but the story is much bigger than just a country house in Buckinghamshire. Making, as well as breaking codes, was within the remit of the Government Code and Cypher School but is a much lesser known part of the story.

In this extended ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we not only find out about the British efforts to create codes of their own, but also German codebreaking successes and failures. 

Bletchley Park’s Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham, introduces us to the section of GC&CS creating Allied codes from the sleepy surroundings of a university college in Oxford. Whist Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, explores the numerous German ‘Bletchley Parks’ whose task it was to break those very codes.

British Codemakers and German Codebreakers, the two way traffic of the intelligence war. 

This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

June Coppock

Sergeant Bernard Morgan

Image: Mansfield College in the mid-20th century. © Mansfield College, Oxford

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February 2022 

In every theatre of war, early 1942 was a dark time for the Allies. Japan seemed unstoppable in the Pacific. The Germans were at the gates of Moscow, threatening Egypt and prowling the Atlantic lifeline at sea. But at Bletchley Park there were far reaching changes to both the leadership and organisation that had one clear objective - to support the ultimate Allied victory. 

In this It Happened Here episode, our research officer Dr Thomas Cheetham, guides us through the dramatic changes that would transform GC&CS into an ‘Intelligence Factory’. 

Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Harry Hinsley

Jimmy Thirsk

Stephen Freer

Image: © George C. Marshall Foundation, Lexington, VA, USA

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

January 2022 

The Podcast Team wish all our listeners a Very Happy New Year and how better to start it than with some great news. 

With over 13,500 names so far, The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour aims to list all those who worked in signals intelligence for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries during the Second World War. As no single list of the personnel of Bletchley Park and its outstations was ever produced, the Roll of Honour has been compiled from information in official sources, publications and, most importantly, that provided by the Veterans themselves, their former colleagues and families.

In this episode, Podcast Producer Mark Cotton sits down with Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne to talk about the online return of this vital research tool, what it contains and how Veterans and their families can help us to continue adding to it. He also updates us on the Oral History Project and shares some highlights from recordings made in 2021.

The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour can be found at:

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/roll-of-honour/ 

This episode features the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Sheila Wilson

Eric Coles

Lola Marsden

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2022

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #OralHistory

December 2021 

On the 7th of December 1941, Japanese invasion forces landed in Malaya. An hour and a half later Japanese aircraft attacked the US fleet, at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Simultaneous attacks were also made on Hong Kong, Guam, Wake Island and the Philippines.

Since that day controversy has raged over how much the British and US Governments knew in advance about these attacks, and why they came as such a surprise to both countries.

In this It Happened Here episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon examines the intelligence background to the ‘Day of Infamy’ and explores just what British and US codebreakers really knew about Japanese plans.

Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Stephen Freer

Edward Simpson

Image: US Army Green Books (Public Domain)

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #PearlHarbor80

November 2021 

Many visitors to Bletchley Park are familiar with the story of breaking Enigma and reading German and even Japanese codes. But equally important work was done on Italian ciphers.

Not only were the Codebreakers able to read Italian naval messages, before and during the war, but this information was used to decisive effect in the Battle for North Africa, and the ultimate defeat of Italy in 1943.

In this It Happened Here episode, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon reveals the secrets of one of Bletchley Park’s lesser-known decryption successes.

As always, grateful thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Mavis Batey

Rozanne Colchester

Image: HM Fulmine from the Private Archive of Burzagli Family (Public Domain)

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October 2021 

On the 21st of October 1941, four of Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers sent a plea for more staff and resources in a now notorious letter to the Prime Minister. Demand for Bletchley Park’s work was increasing, and the organisation was facing a crisis. 

Churchill was won over, adding the note ‘Action This Day’ to the document. But perhaps the changes that followed weren’t just the result of the Prime Minister’s influence.

In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Dr Thomas Cheetham explores the problems the Codebreakers were facing and how this letter was only part of the wider story.

Thanks as always for voicing our archival documents to Dr Ben Thomson, and to Geoffrey Welchman who recreates the letter co-authored by his grandfather.

Featuring the following contributors from our Oral History Archive:

Sir Arthur Bonsall

Elizabeth Marshall

Mimi Gallilee

Arnold Hargreaves

Gwendoline Herbert

Barbara Hart

Judith Wainer

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

September 2021 

After Britain’s failure at Dunkirk and the Fall of France, the Germans seemed unstoppable. An invasion of Britain by Germany seemed the next logical step.

In 1940, Britain and Bletchley Park prepared for war on the Home Front. As the German air campaign brought air combat with the Battle of Britain and bombs by night during the Blitz, the RAF - supported by intelligence from Bletchley Park - fought back.

In this It Happened Here episode, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham is our guide to Britain’s finest hour.

Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

In memoriam to the Veterans featured in this episode, Rolf Noskwith, Eileen Younghusband and Sir Arthur Bonsall.

Image: Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting members of Coventry's Warden Service. ©Mirrorpix

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August 2021 

Hindsight and the lifting of decades of secrecy, allows us to know that by 1945 Bletchley Park had become a ‘codebreaking factory’ supplying war winning intelligence to the Allies ultimate victory. 

But what was it like for the 185 members of staff on Monday the 4th of September 1939? And … who were they?

Supported by the UK government’s Culture Recovery Fund, our new exhibition ‘Early Days’ covers the events of 1938 to late 1939 and tells the story of the first Bletchley Park Codebreakers.

Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro guides us through the 5 scenes of the exhibition, the challenges of turning the start of the codebreaking story into a physical gallery and many of the highlights visitors will see. All of this, within one of the first rooms to be used by the Codebreakers in autumn 1939. 

As his first major project when start at the museum, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham, explains the painstaking work that has gone into the least documented period of Bletchley Park. This has led to being able to list every one of those 185 members of staff turning up for work on the second day of World War Two.

Special thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,

July 2021 

In late 2020 we asked on social media for any questions our listeners wanted the podcast team to answer. We had so many that we needed to record a second episode that originally we had planned for January 2021. Unfortunately due to COVID restrictions this wasn’t possible … but now, we are back.

In this episode, Exhibitions Manager Erica Munro, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon, Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham and podcast producer Mark Cotton, will be shining a light on some famous Bletchley Park myths and answering some fascinating questions from our brilliant listeners.

Many thanks to our listeners and followers for setting us these challenges.

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2021

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2,