Description
Object description
British civilian worked for Foreign Office at Bletchley Park in GB, 1943-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1922-1943: movement of family around Britain; education in Leicester; reason for spending summer in Hamburg; story of frightened Jewish couple; contact with pro-Nazi civilian; departure from Germany, 1/9/1939; relationship with German civilians; impressions of army; knowledge of German treatment of Jews; lack of concern about approaching war; newspaper translation work; attendance at parade; visit to Kiel Canal; entrance into university; knowledge of inter-war pacifism; details of education at Royal Holloway College; anti-aircraft fire from Windsor Castle; rationing; news of war; war work during holidays; scenes in Coventry following an air raid; desire to join war effort; contact with Free French; visits to London; application to work for Foreign Office; posting to Bletchley Park. Aspects of period as civilian worked for Foreign Office at Bletchley Park, GB, 1943-1945: description of Bletchley Park including Hut 6; reception from Harold Fletcher; use of intercepted German communications in sinking of Bismarck.
REEL 2 Continues: secrecy of work; surprise at lack of air raids; details of work undertaken by Bagnall and others in Hut 6; work with dud messages including description of Enigma machines and opinion of Royal Army Signal Corps working at Chicksands; German communications received on D-Day; success rates in decoding duds; story of Hut 6 missing of German tanks at Arnhem.
REEL 3 Continues: story of decoded message read; knowledge of content of messages received; discussion of message sent to General Montgomery; messages received during Battle of the Bulge; background to leaving Hut 6; working shifts in Hut 6; background and memories of colleagues; canteen; journey to work; leisure activities; memories of Americans at Bletchley Park; contact with local civilians; recognisable codes; knowledge of Colossus; patterns looked for in messages; German changing and use of codes; details of Japanese Sections.
REEL 4 Continues: learning of Japanese; description of work undertaken in RAF Japanese Section; end of war; work in main building; reasons for leaving Foreign Office for East Midlands Conservative Party; resignation; secrecy of war service; question of sexist attitudes at Bletchley Park.