Tuesday 10 February 2009

Enigma Variation

  This tatty looking sbletchley parkhed is Hut 6, at Bletchley Park. It is in a dreadful state of repair, as are many of the buildings on the site.

Bletchley Park was one of the key locations of British Intelligence work during the Second World War. The website says "Thousands of people worked at Bletchley Park during WW2 to decode messages that the German forces transmitted, most notably by Hitler to the German high command. The cracking of the codes used, the use of the intelligence gained and the subsequent related actions of the Allies is said to have shortened World War Two by two years possibly saving 22 million lives. The critical importance of Bletchley Park in world history cannot be denied.

Bletchley Park is also the birthplace of the computer. The world's first programmable, digital, electronic computer: Colossus was invented and built at Bletchley Park during World War Two to speed the reading of encrypted German messages.

Bletchley Park is unique. It combines a key role in modern history along with being the birthplace of the computer. Unless the Government supports the plan to save Bletchley Park, it will not be around for future generations to visit, appreciate and understand."

bletchley pk Here's the Big House - round which the Huts were sited.

There is an official petition on the PM's website,and I have just signed it [the No 10 Downing Street Site] I admit to a vested interest - my Mum worked as a Codebreaker there 65 years ago. She never ever talked about it  - because she had signed the Official Secrets Act for King and Country and as far as she was concerned that meant for life. But I am proud of her - and one day [if I ever have any] I should like to take my grandchildren to see where she worked.

How can the government waste money on other stuff, when it would take relatively little to preserve this piece of heritage?

1 comment:

  1. I hope that Bletchley is saved. My Dad is fascinated by the code breakers.

    ReplyDelete

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