Bletchley Park

[Jan Rosser]

Well whoever would have thought my mother worked with the future Queen's grandmother

I checked the roll call and Mam actually worked there at the same time as Kate's grandmother. My mother was a morse slip reader and typed out in blocks of five the letters she heard onto a long tape and then these were sent to another hut for transcription and code breaking. I have taken her to Bletchley to see where she worked and have been back more recently myself and it is an amazing place to visit if you ever get the opportunity. Sadly at 91 she is not able to travel long distances now as I would love her to see the changes since she last visited.

I often think how brave she was to move up to Bletchley as a young woman from a small mining village and keeping secret what she was doing and even where she was - even her own mother had to write to a box number to keep in touch with her. It wasn't until the 1970's when it became public knowledge that she told the family of her work there - Official Secrets Act and all that - even my father didn't know She still has her letter of appointment from the Foreign Office and of course a medal from the Government which was given to her and other surviving staff as recognition of the work they did during the war.

Through the old P&O forum I met Dot (Mrs 007) whose mother also worked at Bletchley although our mothers didn't know each other - can you imagine there were 10,000 + people working there and each confined to their own hut with no contact with others and certainly no mention of what they were doing. Although Mam wasn't a code breaker she played her part and as a family we all very proud of her.

[Frank Manning]

It is a fascinating place Jan. I was interviewed there for a job in the Diplomatic Wireless Service in 1963 and having spent many hours on Bletchley station as a boy, I was amazed when the interviewer explained the significance of the place.

[Jan Rosser]

It is a fascinating place Jan. I was interviewed there for a job in the Diplomatic Wireless Service in 1963 and having spent many hours on Bletchley station as a boy, I was amazed when the interviewer explained the significance of the place.

You are from that area then are you Frank? My mother was in digs and travelled to Bletchley station and then walked up to the house every day - she remembers it well. I hope the publicity from Kate's visit will generate more funding and more people will visit this amazing place

[Frank Manning]

Yes I lived in Linslade of Great Train robbery fame for about 13 years, and travelled from Leighton Buzzard to Wolverton to school for three of those years. It involved a wait on Bletchley station each way. I dont think anyone in the area realised the significance of Bletchley Park in those days. By coincidence our cruisng friends and bridge partners met there, when they were training for BT. It has such importance that English Heritage or the National rust should be supporting it.

[david63]

It has such importance that English Heritage or the National rust should be supporting it.

I hope that was a Freudian slip Frank

[Frank Manning]

Yes I had originally written 'trust' but went to change it to Trust, then forgot. Something definitely Freudian about that, or it's an age thing!

[Mervyn and Trish]

My Dad worked at Bletchley Park in the late fifties when it had become a Post Office training school but such was the secrecy he never knew of its wartime role - or at least that's what he told me!

[jacksparrow]

The property that I work at was an intercept station and information that was gathered was passed on to Bletchley park.

[JoanneB]

it is a fascinating palce to visit we had planned a half day stop and ended up there all day!