Bletchley Park

July 2013 In February this year Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to Bletchley Park to have afternoon tea with around 60 of our lady Veterans. One of those Veterans that I had the pleasure to interview at the time was former WRN Betty Flavell. Her son Tony, who was with her on the day, has recently been in touch to tell us the sad news that Betty unfortunately passed away in...

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 t...

June 2013 This is the second & final part of BBC Radio Gloucestershire recent series of short programs on both Bletchley Park & GCHQ. This part deals more with the personal lives of some of our great Veterans. Many thanks again to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Anna King & Manpreet Mellhi, for letting us share these programs with our listeners. #BPark, #BBCGlos, #GCHQ, #BletchleyPark

June 2013 Bletchley Park as you know was the home of code breaking during WW2, its official title being the Government Code and Cypher School. After the war this became, as it’s still known now, GCHQ. First based in Eastcote, but in 1951 moving to its current home of Cheltenham. BBC Radio Gloucestershire recently ran a series of short programs in Anna Kings daily show about both establishments and...

June 2013 This month, we have an update on the work to restore Bletchley Park from Site Manager Rob Davies. We give you a taste of the Forties Family Festival which was held in May. Miss Luna Nightingale serenades us, we find out about Auxiliary Units from The British Resistance Archive & Dodging The Doodlebugs keep us laughing during WW2. We also have fascinating interview with WW2 Veteran Ma...

May 2013 Martin Davidson’s mother told him a family secret shortly after the death of his German Grandfather. This sent him on a quest to discover the true story of Bruno Langbehn – The Perfect Nazi. In this 2nd & final part, Martin looks deeper into the history of his German Grandfather Bruno Langbehn – The Perfect Nazi. It includes a Q&A session held after the talk. #BPark, #MartinDavids...

May 2013 Martin Davidson’s mother told him a family secret shortly after the death of his German Grandfather. This sent him on a quest to discover the true story of Bruno Langbehn – The Perfect Nazi. This is the first part of a talk given by Martin at Bletchley Park as part of our recent Winter Lecture Season. #BPark, #MartinDavidson, #Bletchleypark

May 2013 This month, Jean Wallace tells us about the Fashion Show at the 40’s Family Festival & showing the Prime Minister her bloomers … Our new Education Officer, Tom Briggs, has Enigma … will travel. In 1926, at the age of twenty, a trainee dentist called Bruno Langbehn joined the Nazi party and as the party rose to power, he was there every step of the way. For fifty years after the end of...

April 2013 This is the second and final part of Nick Coffers BBC 3 Counties Show, which was broadcast from Block B at Bletchley Park during the 3rd Enigma Challenge. It starts with Nick being taken on a tour by Bletchley Park guide and historian Joel Greenberg. Thanks again to The BBC 3 Counties OB Team, Emma Smith & Gareth Lloyd, Nick Coffer of course, Joel Greenberg, The Bombe Rebuild Team &...

April 2013 In the last episode of Podcast we gave you just a small flavour of The Third Enigma Challenge that was held in March. For 4 days GCHQ’s Historical Section were based at The Big Bang Fair at London’s ExCel Centre were sending Enigma Coded Messages for the Bombe Rebuild Team to try and crack back at Bletchley Park. On the Friday Nick Coffer of BBC 3 Counties Radio presented his afternoon...

April 2013 This month, BBC 3 Counties Radio covered the 3rd Enigma Challenge. Bletchley Park Event’s Manager, Claire Urwin, tells us about some of the forthcoming Summer Events. Author Michael Smith tells us all about his new book, Bletchley Park, the Codebreakers of Station X which had just been released. Project Neptune, the HLF restoration of Bletchley Park is about to start. We take you inside...

March 2013 In this episode we bring you the longer versions of some of the interviews featured in the last episode of The Bletchley Park Podcast. They were recorded by mcfontaine and our new roving reporter Kerry Howard, after the visit of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Featuring Aileen Hasdell, Gwen Flavell, Peggy Dorrington & Alba Whiteman. #bpark, #enigma, #bombe, #bletchleypark

March 2013 This month, we hear from some of the veterans* who met Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, when she came to Bletchley Park to learn about the contribution women here made to the war effort. Thanks to Jessica Cooper of BBC 3 Counties Radio for some audio clips. We’ll bring you reaction from senior cryptographer Captain Jerry Roberts after he met Her Majesty The Queen for the seco...

February 2013 In this episode we have the full interview with Captain Jerry Roberts, who was today (28/02/13) awarded an MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in honour of his 4 year campaign for more recognition for Alan Turing, Bill Tutte and Tommy Flowers. Jerry shares with us what it was like to work in The Testery breaking coded messages from Hitler, his memories of “a great man” Bill Tutte, working a...

February 2013 This month we talk to Captain Jerry Roberts about being awarded an MBE and his 4 year campaign for more recognition for Alan Turing, Bill Tutte and Tommy Flowers.  We have an update from CEO Iain Standen on the Heritage Lottery Funded restoration programme. Also, an exclusive interview with another Bletchley Park Veteran Nancy Jackson, who worked in the Newmanry, the section led by A...

January 2013 This week we have the concluding part of Bob Horner’s talk Malta George Cross 1940-42 - The Battle for Survival. During World War II, Malta played an important role owing to its proximity to Axis shipping lanes. The bravery of the Maltese people during the second Siege of Malta moved King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta on a collective basis on 15 April 1942 "to bear witn...

January 2013 This week we have the first of a two part talk, as part of Bletchley Park Winter Lecture Series, given by Bob Horner called Malta GC 1940-42 - The Battle for Survival. During World War II, Malta played an important role owing to its proximity to Axis shipping lanes. The bravery of the Maltese people during the second Siege of Malta moved King George VI to award the George Cross to Mal...

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. A...

December 2012 This is an X-Mas Special looking back on the first 6 months of the Bletchley Park Podcast. #BPark, #Turing, #Christmas2012

December 2012 This week we bring you a final talk from the Turing Education Day event that was held at Bletchley Park in June 2012. Professor Kevin Warwick and Huma Shah explained The Turing Test in a talk called Turing and Artificial Intelligence. #Bpark, #AlanTuringYear, #Turing, #KevinWarwick, #HumaShah

December 2012 This month we take a look at 2012 The Alan Turing Centenary. William Newman & Sir John Dermot Turing talk about The Alan Turing Limited Edition Monopoly Set & Turing in 2012. Barry Cooper, of the Turing Centenary Committee, updates us on some of the worldwide celebrations. Turing expert, Jack Copeland, gives an exclusive reading from his soon to be published book & The LG...

November 2012 This week we have another talk from the Turing Education Day event that was held at Bletchley Park in June 2012. Baroness Susan Greenfield presents a lecture called, How Brainpower Goes Beyond Computer Power. #Bpark, #AlanTuringYear, #Turing, #SusanGreenfield

November 2012 This week we have a talk recorded at this year’s Veterans Day. WAAF Veteran & author Eileen Younghusband gives a first-hand account of The Vital Role of the Secret Filter Room in Air Defence in WW2. Hear about the part they played in the Battle of Britain & later as the tide of war turned, against the V1 & V2 attacks. Eileen sadly passed away on the 2nd of September 2016....

November 2012 This week we have more content from the Mythbusters event held at Bletchley Park. Organised by bestselling author Michael Smith (Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Britain's Spies - the Real James Bonds) who was joined by the official GCHQ historian and, in a rare public appearance, veteran Bletchley Park Code Breaker & former Director of GCHQ, Sir Arthur Bonsall #BPa...

November 2012 Recording of Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph on Whitehall from 2010. #BPark, #RBL, #RemembranceDay