Bletchley Park
The Bletchley Park Podcast shares stories from the historic site where British codebreakers worked during World War Two. It features interviews with veterans, staff, and volunteers, exploring the significance of the codebreaking efforts and their impact on modern computing. The podcast highlights the ongoing relevance of Bletchley Park as a museum and heritage attraction. Listeners can expect insights into the secret intelligence work that influenced the outcome of the war and the legacy of the site today.
Episodes
E196 - Fond Memories
October 2026After exploring Bletchley Park Trust’s official Oral History collection in last month's episode, we found ourselves reflecting on another remarkable archive: the conversations we've recorded over more than a decade of podcasting.Since 2012, the Bletchley Park Podcast team has had the privilege of meeting and interviewing more than 160 Veterans at reunions, book launches, exhibition op
E195 - Bed and Board
September 2026Most of the wartime staff at Bletchley Park were serving away from their homes and loved ones. But almost nobody actually lived on site. So where were they housed, and how were they fed? Billets - assigned living quarters - had to be found in the local area. These could vary enormously in quality, and the many different reminiscences of Bletchley Park's Veterans reflect this.In this
E194 - Polish Stories
August 2026Bletchley Park Trust was proud to celebrate our first 'Polish Codebreaking Festival' in July 2026 with over 2,000 members of the public, musicians and Polish community groups on site. We also welcomed a group of experts whose works bring attention to tales of Polish wartime heroism and intelligence achievements. Of course, Team Podcast took the opportunity to speak to some of them! Thi
E193 - Focus On: Asa Briggs
July 2026Lord Asa Briggs – the Keighley-born historian of the Victorian age and of broadcasting, served most prominently as vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex and later Chancellor of the Open University. He was one of Britain’s most influential public intellectuals of the 20th Century. Less well known, however, is the formative period he spent at Bletchley Park between 1943 and 1945.Arri
E192 - From Warsaw to Hemel Hempstead
June 2026The story of the vital contribution of Polish codebreakers to the cracking of Enigma before World War Two is well known, but what happened to those codebreakers after the invasion of Poland in 1939?In this episode we follow the long and winding path of the Polish cryptanalysts from Warsaw to London. We also look more widely at the work done by the Polish Government in Exile in the UK to
E191 - Music at Bletchley Park
May 2026Against the backdrop of war and secrecy, the Codebreakers of Bletchley Park were often able to enjoy comfort in music. From choirs to orchestras, gramophone evenings to opera, music appears again and again as a recurring motif in the social lives of those working at the Government Code & Cypher School. This episode delves into several different aspects of a topic that we are often ask
E190 - Focus On: Josh Cooper
April 2026Thriving in the world of wartime codebreaking took more than just smarts and skill.Tact, diplomacy and organisational talent were needed to achieve results and navigate the fractious politics of the intelligence community.In these circumstances even the most shining of lights could be overshadowed by events. The achievements of outstanding talents could be almost lost to history, as the
E189 - Dilly and his Girls
March 2026The 28th of March 2026 will be the 85th anniversary of the naval Battle of Cape Matapan, fought by the Royal Navy against the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. The battle was a significant victory for the Allies and cast a shadow over the Italian navy, making them reluctant to challenge British superiority at sea in the Mediterranean for the remainder of the war.In part, the battle c
E188 - Focus On: Emily Anderson
February 2026Even amongst the distinguished ranks of WW2 codebreakers, Emily Anderson stood out. Recruited into military intelligence during WWI, her stellar career in diplomatic codebreaking lasted into the 1950s. Her greatest achievement came with the breaking of high-level Italian ciphers during the East African Campaign of 1940-41. It was called 'the perfect example of the cryptographers' war
E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds
January 2026Rome: the 1930s, and the Italian secret services were having extraordinary success in reading the messages sent by rival countries’ diplomats from their embassies in the ‘Eternal City’. With the road to World War Two still ahead, it was a time of significant geo-political tension. The Italian government was learning the secrets of countries such as Britain and France in order to gain
E186 - Top Secret Misinformation - Part 5
December 2025This is the fifth instalment of our annual episode where we celebrate the oncoming festivities of the snowy season - religious or secular - with a surfeit not of turkey and roasties but of questions! Questions sent in by our listeners, gifted to us through the medium of social media.A selection of these holiday treats, where we bust myths and reveal hidden histories, has been made by
E185 - Reaping the Whirlwind
November 2025During the second half of World War 2, the Allied air forces launched a large-scale heavy bomber offensive against German cities and war industries. This was designed to damage Germany's ability and will to continue the war. It also represented a way for Britain and the USA to support the Soviet Union before the D-Day invasion. The whole campaign was guided by intelligence, to identif
E184 - The SIS at BP
October 2025Today GCHQ is an independent British intelligence organisation. However during World War 2, GC&CS, as it was then called, continued to be subordinate to the British Secret Intelligence Service, known as SIS or MI6. The Chief of SIS was also the Director of GC&CS.In this episode, we explore the relationship between the two organisations, the part that SIS played in supporting GC
E183 - 'Ladies & gentlemen, go your ways!'
September 2025In 1945, Britain celebrated VE Day in May and VJ Day in August, as the war - first in Europe and then the Far East - came to an end. For the staff of GC&CS and its larger worldwide network, this meant that the vital and exhausting work they'd been doing suddenly stopped. The lives of all of them had been changed forever, but each person's experience was different.Bletchley Park's
E182 - "… and Peace at Last"
August 2025On 15 August 2025 the UK commemorated the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, the day on which the surrender of Japan and the end of World War Two was announced.This was a significant moment at Bletchley Park as it meant the end of almost six years of non-stop codebreaking and intelligence work.For many it also brought an abrupt halt to years of training to learn Japanese and long journeys to r
E181 - Blitzkrieg in Burma
July 2025By late 1944, the tide had turned against the Japanese in south-east Asia, with the repulse of their attempted invasion of India. However, the multi-national Allied forces in Burma still faced enormous challenges if they were to retain the initiative, and push the enemy out of the country.Every mile travelled from their supply bases, across barely-navigable expanses of jungle and mountain
E180 - Dire Straits
June 2025In May 1945 the Royal Navy fought its last surface action against the Japanese fleet, sinking the cruiser Haguro in the Mallaca Strait, off the coast of Malaya.The successful location of the enemy ship was the result of signals intelligence. It was also a product of the sophisticated network built up by Britain, the USA and Australia after 1943 to intercept, decipher and distribute intell
E179 - Dollis Hill Days
May 2025During World War Two, Bletchley Park collaborated with several external engineering institutions in developing the famous codebreaking machines, such as the Bombes and Colossus.One such institution was the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill in London. In 2022, the previously secret war diary of the Research Station were released online to the public by BT, the successor to GPO Tel
E178 - VE Day 80: Objects and Memories
April 2025To mark 80 years since the end of the war in Europe, this episode takes a closer look at four intriguing items from Bletchley Park’s collections. The team digs deeper into the stories that lie behind a mysterious message, a misunderstood photograph, a moving memo and audio of a Veteran’s memories of VE Day.Head of Content Erica Munro meets up with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon, Rese
E177 - Vengeance from the Skies
March 2025In 1943 there seemed to be few mysteries left unsolved for Bletchley Park. But by the middle of that year, whispers would be heard of new threats: the V-1 ‘flying bomb’ and V-2 rocket.What began with hints of secret trials on the Baltic would grow into an investigation which would strain Allied scientific intelligence to the utmost, as well as revealing serious flaws in the operation at
E176 - The Age of AI
February 2025Here at Bletchley Park - one of the birthplaces of modern computing – our latest temporary exhibition ‘The Age of AI’ has just opened. This new gallery explores the power and potential of AI in our everyday lives. From the 1930s origins of what we now call ‘artificial intelligence’, to the incredible (or alarming?) potential it might bring, the exhibition explores the benefits and ris
E175 - Decoding the Holocaust
January 2025The 27th of January 2025 is the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau - an event marked annually by Holocaust Memorial Day.In order to perpetrate the mass killings and other crimes of the Holocaust, the Nazi regime needed to coordinate and communicate about its activities. This included wireless communications which were intercepted and
E174 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 4
December 2024For this year’s festive episode, we once again put the word out to our listeners: what baffles you about Bletchley Park, and what myths and misconceptions would you like our resident Historians to investigate and interrogate?Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, is asking the questions, with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham fielding q
E173 - Hunting the Beast Part 2
December 2024On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Chu
E172 - Hunting the Beast Part 1
November 2024On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Chu
E171 - Bletchley Park & Bomber Command Part 2
November 2024The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters. Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ c
E170 – Bletchley Park & Bomber Command Part 1
October 2024The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ com
E169 - Learning the Ropes
September 2024The 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,
E168 - Inside Hut 6
August 2024Hut 6 was the section at Bletchley Park which broke the German army and air force Enigma ciphers. Historical accounts usually focus on the early part of the war, when a small and inexperienced team was established in a newly-built wooden hut.But by 1944 Hut 6 looked very different. It was a hardened unit of several hundred people, supported by cutting-edge technology. Hut 6 personnel ha
E167 - The Forgotten Army
July 2024 In early 1942 one of the most disastrous defeats of the war saw British forces pushed out of Burma, now known as Myanmar. Two years later, the multi-national Fourteenth Army, the ‘Forgotten Army’, had learned to fight and beat the Japanese, inflicting their largest defeat of the war at Imphal and Kohima, and was poised to begin the reconquest of Burma.This turnaround had much to do with
E166 - D-Day80 Part 3 Block D to Bocage
June 2024 To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we are releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This third part is a brand new episode looking beyond the beaches.Bletchley Park made a vital contribution to the planning and preparation of D-Day, but the landings were only the beginning. There would be another three months of hard fighting in Normandy before t
E165 - D-Day80 Part 2 Overlord
June 2024 To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This second part is a complete remastering of our original Overlord episode with the addition of much new content.80 years ago today, more than 150,000 Allied troops were boarding planes, gliders and landing craft as they prepared to invade Fortress Europe in
E164 - D-Day80 Part 1 Tide of Victory
May 2024 Over the next 6 weeks, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This first part is a complete remastering of our original Tide of Victory episode with the addition of much new content.This first episode takes us to the south coast of Britain which, in May 1944, resembled one huge army camp as over 2 m
E163 - The Women of Newnham College
April 2024Women 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 Oxfo
E162 - Before the Codebreakers
March 2024Bletchley Park is famous as the home of World War 2 codebreaking. But what was there before the Government Code and Cypher School moved in? Who built Bletchley Park, and what remains of the pre-war country estate?In this episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Head of Content Erica Munro examine the people who made Bletchley Park their home prior to World War 2. Sir Herbert Leon
E161 - Learning: Past, Present and Future
February 2024In 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 a
E160 - Colossus in Context Part 2
January 2024Eighty years ago, in January 1944, the first Colossus computer was delivered to Bletchley Park. This machine and the nine that followed it have acquired legendary status within the story of World War Two codebreaking. The machines have also been described as the world’s first large-scale electronic digital computers – direct precursors of the digital world in which we live today.But in
E159 - Colossus in Context Part 1
January 2024 Eighty years ago, in January 1944, the first Colossus computer was delivered to Bletchley Park. This machine and the nine that followed it have acquired legendary status within the story of World War Two codebreaking. The machines have also been described as the world’s first large-scale electronic digital computers – direct precursors of the digital world in which we live today. But
E158 - We Shall Fight to the Last Shell
December 2023Eighty years ago this month Britain was marking its fifth Christmas of the war with still no end in sight. D-Day still lay in the future and the campaigns in Italy and on the Eastern Front ground on.However on Boxing Day 1943 the Royal Navy achieved a significant, if grim success over the German Navy, sinking the Scharnhorst, one of the few last remaining large warships in the enemy f
E157 - Security & Insecurity Part 2
November 2023For our tenth anniversary episode, E141 “Security & Insecurity”, we discussed one of the most important factors in wartime codebreaking – secrecy. We looked at its effects on operations at Bletchley Park and the lives of those who worked there. We had so much to talk about on that occasion that we didn’t have the chance to explore beyond the bounds of Bletchley Park. However, as s
E156 - Italian Tiebreaker
October 2023The fight up the Italian peninsula involved some of the most arduous battles of the war for Allied soldiers, but they were being supported at every stage by intelligence from Bletchley Park. Ultra intelligence helped inform Allied strategy in Italy, kept commanders constantly up-to-date about enemy forces, and sometimes proved the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefiel
E155 - Veterans’ Reunion 2023
September 2023The 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,
E154 - The Diplomatic Section
August 2023This month we examine the often-overlooked story of GC&CS’s work on diplomatic codes and ciphers. This vital work predated work on military codes, beginning when CG&CS was created in 1919. Work continued throughout World War Two, with some staff eventually leaving Bletchley Park to carry on as the Government Communications Bureau in Berkeley Street London.In this special episode
E153 - Sicilian Deception
July 2023In 1943, when the guns fell silent in Tunisia, a lull fell over the war in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the work of the intelligence services continued unabated. An Allied amphibious assault somewhere in the Mediterranean was inevitable. The question for the Germans was “where?” – and the Allies were eager to supply the answers. But how much could the Allies mislead the enemy, and how fa
E152 - Sinclair in Focus
June 2023Who chose Bletchley Park – a vacant estate in Buckinghamshire – as the wartime home of the Codebreakers? That decision was made by the man in charge of the Secret Intelligence Service, known as ‘C’ – Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair. A very public man with a very secretive profession, Sinclair was widely-known and well-respected. He passed away just a couple of months after World War Two began i
E151 - Stored Secrets
May 2023Like 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
E150 - Communication is Key
April 2023 80 years ago, Bletchley Park’s communications centre opened in Block E. Employing hundreds of staff, mainly young women, this block was vital to BP’s smooth running.Most messages and reports coming into and out of Bletchley Park went through Block E. But as we’ll hear in this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, its wartime importance doesn’t necessarily mean its value has been fully recognised
E149 - Bletchley Park Poetry
March 2023 To celebrate World Poetry Day on the 21st of March, we have been looking into the poets and poetry of Bletchley Park.We have chosen nine poems to feature in this episode; they are read by staff, volunteers and Bletchley Park Veterans.Exhibitions Manager, Erica Munro and Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham have been digging into the archives to give us more information as we listen.Than
E148 - A New Look at Newman
February 2023 The breaking of the German Lorenz cipher system was one of BP's most complex technical achievements. This work is often associated with Tommy Flowers from the GPO, however Flowers' work, and the wider mechanisation of the breaking of TUNNY was overseen by a Cambridge mathematician who came to BP only reluctantly in 1942; Professor Max Newman. To mark the 80th anniversary of the openi
E147 – Oral History 2023
January 2023 The Podcast Team wish all our listeners a Very Happy New Year. To start the 2023 season of the podcast, producer Mark Cotton sits down with Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne to catch-up on both our Roll of Honour and our continuing Oral History Project. For the rest of the episode we have highlights of 3 selections from our Oral History Archive. As with previous years we have a them
E146 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 3
December 2022 Since the first two Top Secret Misinformation podcasts in 2020 & 2021, our listeners have been asking us to record another one. Maybe it’s because the secrecy surrounding Bletchley Park is the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of myths and misunderstandings. Or maybe it’s because it lets our Historians off the leash to set the record straight once and for all.We asked our lis
E145 - Torch to Tunis
November 2022 The Allied victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942 proved to be the beginning of the end of the war in North Africa. But many months of hard fighting, and the opening of a whole new front in northwest Africa, would be needed before the Allies were finally able to kick Axis forces off that continent for good.Though often forgotten about today, the Operation Torch l
E144 - Shark Attack
October 2022 In February 1942 the worst fears of the teams working on Enigma in Hut 8 and Naval Section were realised. The German navy introduced a new, more complex Enigma machine for use by its U-boats in the Atlantic. At a stroke, Bletchley Park was no longer able to read messages sent by the German submarines hunting the vital Atlantic convoys. By the end of the year, however, the new code had
E143 - The Art of Data
September 2022 Earlier this year in April 2022, Bletchley Park opened a new temporary exhibition in a brand new gallery. The Art of Data explores how data can be visualised to reveal patterns and stories, helping us understand the world around us. The exhibition includes WW2 visualisations alongside a whole variety of striking contemporary examples, shown in objects, pictures, films and interactiv
E142 - Veterans’ Reunion 2022
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 po
E141 - Security & Insecurity
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 hist
E140 - Intelligence in the Arctic
July 2022 Eighty years ago, in July 1942 the Allies suffered one of their most notorious losses of World War 2. The Merchant ship convoy PQ 17, carrying supplies to Russia was attacked in the Arctic seas by German aircraft and submarines. Out of 34 merchant ships in the convoy only 11 made it safely to Russia. The incident has become symbolic of the suffering and endurance of those involved in the
E139 - The Pacific Turns
June 2022 In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode we return to South Asia and the Pacific, and the war against the Japanese.After the disasters of Pearl Harbor, the Philippines and Singapore, and near disaster in Colombo in the first few months of 1942, the summer months would bring the Allies better fortune on the fighting fronts.1942 would also see many changes for Britain’s Codebreakers in South and
E138 - SIXTA
May 2022The way in which the secrets of Bletchley Park were finally revealed to the world, bit by bit and now over the course of nearly four decades have meant that many myths and misunderstandings have become embedded in the story. One of our goals with these podcasts is to tell the full story of the Codebreakers and along the way hopefully correct some of those errors. So in this ‘It Happened
E137 - The Intelligence Factory
May 2022Bletchley Park held a number of events to celebrate the opening of The Intelligence Factory and in this special episode we will take you to those events to hear from VIP guests, supporters and some of the people who helped to create our largest exhibition to date.From the ‘Friends of Bletchley Park’ Preview we will hear from some of the first people who got to follow in the footsteps of ou
E136 - Scaling Up
April 2022Thursday 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 Inte
E135 - Two Way Traffic
March 2022Bletchley 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
E134 - Jumbo Takes Charge
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
E133 - Honouring Our Veterans
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 outstati
E132 - Easterly Wind, Rain
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 wh
E131 - Secrets of the Supermarina
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
E130 – Action This Day
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
E129 - Target England
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 Bletchle
E128 - Whitehall 7947 - The Early Days Exhibition
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 D
E127 - Top Secret Misinformation Part 2
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
E126 - Barbarossa
June 2021 Eighty years ago in June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in what Hitler hoped would be a lightning campaign to destroy Bolshevism and provide ‘living space’ for his empire in the east. The result was four years of brutal conflict which shaped the world we live in today.What did the codebreakers at Bletchley Park know about the Germans’ plans of attack? Was Stalin warned? And
E125 - Fall Gelb Part Two
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 l
E124 - Fall Gelb Part One
June 2021 In May 1940, the much-anticipated German attack on France brings the Phoney War to an end. The French have the largest land army in the world, the Maginot Line giving them hundreds of miles of defences and they know the route the Germans will take. But in the space of only a few weeks, the entire strategic course of World War Two is turned on its head. The Germans have gambled on a new i
E123 - Oral History Special No. 6
April 2021 Patricia Johnston’s idyllic childhood in Rangoon came to an abrupt end on the 7th of December 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbour. In early 1942 with the Japanese invasion getting ever closer she was flown out with her siblings and arrived in India, without her parents. After settling her two brothers in boarding school Patricia’s war really began. She realised after completing h
E122 - Never Alone
April 2021 Bletchley Park’s latest temporary exhibition is called ‘Never Alone’ and asks ‘what happens when everything is connected?’ Based on an exhibition developed and designed by the National Science and Media Museum, ‘Never Alone’ explores the popularity and power of smart devices. There are now more devices connected to the internet than people on the planet. ‘Smart’ gadgets are becoming pa
E121 - Oral History Special No. 5
April 2021 Our Veterans who served in one of the three women’s auxiliary services during World War Two are always proud of their particular branch and WAAF Daphne Canning is no exception. When Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne interviewed her in 2017 she was still proud to have worn her ‘Sparks’ badge; the insignia of a Royal Air Force Wireless Operator. These Oral History Specials allow us to
E120 - Oral History Special No. 4
March 2021 In our last Oral History Special we brought you the first part of a 2017 interview with former WREN, Mary Sherrard. From 1942 until the end of the war, Mary served at Bletchley Park and then at the Eastcote Bombe Outstation. This helped shaped the rest of her life because it was at Eastcote where she met her future husband John. After originally servicing Spitfires in 1940, an intervi
E119 - Forging a Special Relationship
March 2021 In March 1946, as an ‘Iron Curtain’ was descending across Europe, in post-war London a document was signed that to this day is the basis of the most important and longest intelligence relationship that the UK has. But that Special Relationship with the USA didn’t suddenly begin 75 years ago; it was the culmination of five years of wartime collaboration.In this episode Podcast Producer,
E118 - Oral History Special No. 3
February 2021 To keep you going during the lockdown, the podcast team will be bringing you a new episode every two weeks. Last year we featured short clips from dozens of our Veterans telling us what they did on VE Day & VJ Day. Now in these Oral History Specials we can bring you the longer versions of those interviews, allowing our Veterans to tell their full story, in their own voices and i
E117 - Oral History Special No. 2
February 2021 As we did last year we have decided to release extra content again during the current lockdown and so for at least the next couple of months we will be bringing you a new show every two weeks. These will be a mixture of Oral History Specials and also our regular content as and when COVID restrictions allow us. Last year we featured short clips from dozens of our Veterans telling us
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