No More Secrets: My Part in Codebreaking at Bletchley Park and the Pentagon

by Betty Webb

The incredible true story of the only woman to have worked during the Second World War as a codebreaker at both Bletchley Park and the Pentagon

Betty Webb is the only surviving codebreaker to have worked on both Nazi and Japanese codes at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. This is the tale of her extraordinary life. Between 1941 and 1945 Betty Webb played a vital role in the top-secret efforts being made to decipher the secret communications of the Germans and later the Japanese.

In 1945, as other members of the forces returned home from the war in Europe, she was sent to the Pentagon and was in Washington DC when the atomic bombs fell and when Eisenhower announced the end of the war. Betty was unable to reveal the true nature of her work, even to her parents, until years later.

In this fascinating book, she revisits the key moments of her life and recounts the incredible stories from her time at Bletchley Park.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Charlotte Elizabeth Webb was an English code breaker who worked at Bletchley Park during World War II from the age of 18. In 1941 she joined the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. She said, of joining the top-secret mission at Bletchley, "I wanted to do something more for the war effort than bake sausage rolls."

Reviews

[Thelma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, I enjoyed reading the stories of the women who helped and did so much during World War 2 and they have never been recognized, many of them were truly heroines and their stories are just starting to come out. This is the reason I love reading their stories because I want to acknowledge the effort and the magnificent task and work they did no matter how much the world wants to keep them quiet.

The story of Betty Webb After graduating from school like many women Betty didn't have a chance to work as women at that time were not recognized to help or do anything we were just commodities for men until Betty decided to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Women’s Army). she had a very important role (top-secret) deciphering the secret communications of the Germans and later the Japanese.

Betty was not able to reveal or say anything about her role and her job not even to her parents until years later.

a great true story that will captivate you and immerse you in the difficult life of Betty Webb a heroine that should be celebrated and recognized.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers, Mardle Books, for the advanced copy of No More Secrets My part in code-breaking in exchange for my honest review.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs are a difficult genre to rate. The challenge becomes whether your opinion of the book is a judgement on a life well lived. Betty Webb lived one heck of a life. She was a code breaker in World War II and was one of a few people to work at both Bletchley Park and the Pentagon. No More Secrets is a chronicle of her whole life and a quick rundown of various aspects of being part of a secretive society.

From a history perspective, the book will not reveal much you can't find in numerous other books on World War II. Since this is Betty's book, a greater understanding of what is going on around her is often elusive. Webb does use some outside sources to fill in gaps, but anyone looking for a salacious or surprising "tell-all" will be disappointed.

Webb is also of a generation where grandstanding is anathema to them. Seriously, my conversations with World War II veterans are always an exercise in understatement. Webb is no different and I get the feeling she didn't put everything in this book, which is her right.

Ultimately, the book is an interesting look into the life of a person who has already lived a full life and is still going strong in her 90s.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers.)

[Girish · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing wrong with the book - far from it, it is a memoir of an adventurous life from WW II that can't be repudiated. But the title with Betchley park and Pentagon and a promise of code breaking - the book sets wrong expectations.

Betty Webb, a centenarian and celebrated war veteran, recalls her memories from a time when official secrets act sealed your life from your family. Structured on different aspects of the life - like the life at the billets (accommodation), the staff and in passing some assignments - the book is a detailed reconstruction of the memory. Ms.Webb is honest in stating things like she did not about the Enigma machine or how her job was mostly clerical. She even borrows from an unpublished memoir of another one of the BP women to compare notes.

Sometimes the book feels too much unrelatable content. I did not understand the voyage to the US or the life since war - as in the relevance and context. This renewed interest in history is often vested and hence I felt protective about Ms.Webb being called for veteran’s day and asked to give speeches. Also with so many speeches, the inconsistencies in memory are ironed out and you get a version that need not be the entire truth.

Taking nothing away from the author and her contribution and sacrifice at the time of the war, this is a book that is not the most compulsive read. This is more for research - especially the fiction authors.

[Mary Farnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I read this 1st hand account of work at Bletchley Park written by a 100 year old! I debated between 3 & 4 stars, because this is neither great lit nor page-turning suspense. BUT: the author has an incredible spirit of adventure, resilience, humor, and openness to any worthy task; also she provides precious details of WW II England and women’s military service. The subtitle “My part in codebreaking….” made me think she was rubbing shoulders with Alan Turing and directly helping to crack Enigma. Not so! But her account gives us an appreciation for the many worker bees whose sometimes mind-numbing, repetitive jobs were necessary parts of hive activity. For awhile all Betty Webb did was write dates, times, locations of radio transmissions onto index cards which were then placed in files. A critical mass of that info was necessary to detect patterns, identify call signs, and ultimately result in actual codebreaking. She progressed to other more demanding jobs, including paraphrasing decoded messages from the Germans and the Japanese. Paraphrasing was required to lessen the chances the enemy would realize their codes had been broken and their mail was being read. (In other words, if they were snooping on the Allies’ communications they wouldn’t find exact transcripts of messages they themselves had sent.)
Ms. Webb’s style is simple and direct, e.g., regarding one of her postings, “It was all very sad and I hated Southport.” (p. 182) Her humor is delightful and understated. For instance, re. her Army issue underclothes: “It is impossible to talk about the … uniform without mentioning the khaki knickers. They were a sight to behold and not designed for me, measuring in at five feet four and a half inches of height… [T]he knickers either peeped below my skirt or if pulled up, the waistline ended under my armpits. Neither option was desirable nor practical and my knickers became a daily battle to manage.” (p. 31)
Ms. Webb continued to be a single career woman after the war, unlike her peers who married and returned to the unpaid home front. She is a proponent of women, and calls out the “discourteous terms” used by a male higher-up who observed, “It was astonishing what young women could be trained to do….” She notes this was sadly “the prominent male view of the time.”
The author’s joy in sharing her reminiscences and extolling the war-winning work done at Bletchley Park imbues each page. She did the work for its own sake but takes holy pride in others’ acknowledgement of its worth, including her becoming an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) and receiving in the mail, during COVID, the insignia of Chevalier in the Ordre de la Legion d’honneur. Google her and you’re sure to find video interviews. “The interview most people mention is the one in the National Geographic Magazine because I am on the front cover wearing a red suit with my handbag on my lap. I can’t quite believe it.”

[Susan Wachtel · Rating 4 out of 5]

No More Secrets by Betty Webb – Interesting, Relatable and Personable History

After reading biographies and World War II history books, I was interested in reading Betty Webb’s book No More Secrets. WWII is such a pivotal and interesting time in history. A time that could have had a much different outcome if not for God’s providence and the men and women who worked tirelessly to win the war against evil.

Unlike government leaders or high-ranking military commanders, Betty was an ordinary young woman in Great Britain who answered the call when her Country was facing the battle against the evil forces of Nazi Germany. Like many other men and women in the allied forces, they stepped up when their Country and the world needed them most.

I enjoyed learning about her family life in a small town in England and found it interesting how Betty learned to speak a foreign language, and went to Germany in 1937, before WWII. That experience proved beneficial for the work she would one day do at Bletchley Park and later the Pentagon.

Thanks to Betty Webb writing and sharing about her service in the ATS, we can have an idea of what their lives were like during those tumultuous years. Betty was 18 years old when she enlisted in the ATS. While technically, she was qualified to remain at home and care for her mother, Betty signed up to serve her Country. Can you imagine what it was like to go from living with your family at home to sharing living space with hundreds of other women from all over.

While Betty wanted to be a driver in the ATS, because of her foreign language skills she was assigned to serve at Bletchley Park. She would serve in different roles as part of the process to decode the German messages that were intercepted. Something as simple as filing was a very important role and handled circumspectly.

The work done at Bletchley was very compartmentalized and workers only knew that part of the work that they did. Each person that served had taken an oath of secrecy which they took very seriously. It wasn’t until many years later that the work done in WWII was declassified and could be talked about. In No More Secrets, Betty shares writings from other authors about their experiences and work.

After the Allied victory in Europe, Betty was called to serve at the Pentagon in the USA to help in the work to decode the Japanese war messages. Before long there was victory over Japan. It was fascinating to see the differences in how the United States was impacted by the war, verses Great Britain.

I was glad that the book did not end with the victory in WWII. Betty went on to write and speak about her life during WWII. Even now, Betty at the age of 100 continues to share about her experiences serving Great Britain and with their alley the United States of America.

I found No More Secrets by Betty Webb an interesting history from the perspective of an ordinary citizen who was called to serve during an extraordinary time in history. It was quite a different pace and more personable than a book written by a government or miliary leader and was very relatable.

I highly recommend No More Secrets by Betty Webb!

I would like to thank Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of No More Secrets by Betty Webb. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

[Bodil · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this rambling memoir, Betty Webbs tells us about her time at Bletchley Park and also at Pentagon during the WWII, as well as a bit a about her life before and after that. She wasn’t involved in the actual codebreaking at Bletchley, but advanced to paraphrasing messages, i.e. changing the wording of an enemy message, but not its meaning. She later continued working at Pentagon with paraphrasing. Actually, I would have liked to learn a bit more of this! Rather, the book is a rather superficial account of her life and work during the war, with a lot of names of various people she worked with, as well as extracts from other persons writing. Some more details, or perhaps rather, better editing, would have made it easier for the reader. A lasting impression, though, is that she must have been a rather cheerful and resourceful person; no grumbling at all at rather difficult circumstances!
I think that “The secret life of Bletchley Park” by Sinclair McKay gives a better portrait of the activities at Bletchley Park.
However, given that she was hundred years old at the publication of this book, an age at which most of us won’t be alive, let alone writing books, I am impressed by her.

[Philip Howells · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very disappointing book.

The title is misleading even though the author makes it clear from the outset she didn't work on Enigma or Lorenz, the two machines for which Bletchley Park is rightly most famous. She writes frankly that she was essentially clerical staff and indeed most of the book deals with her personal and domestic arrangements, her billets, her shopping, her transport and her pastimes. Whatever title the editor could devise for such a tale, it certainly wouldn't have sold nearly as well as it has.

Clearly, her editor must accept most of the blame, for it is a woeful job. And not merely in matters of style but schoolboy errors of fact; for example when the author departed Foynes for the USA by flying boat she did not fly due east as the editor allows, but due west.

Frankly, the most interesting Bletchley-related detail is in the appendix where the author describes the work of the German Police Force whose messages her colleagues intercepted and decoded for most of the war.

[Lyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had the privilege of meeting Betty if only briefly at Bletchley Park during my time working here. Her story has captivated many of us and so grateful she was able to share her story and inspire generations. Seeing Betty and the other veterans always reminds us that Bletchley Park is a story of human resilience during the war.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Betty Webb’s work was covered by the Official Secrets Act, and she was prohibited from discussing it or keeping a diary, much of what she actually did during the war has slipped her mind. This does give an interesting insight into how Bletchley Park was run during the Second World War, but sadly offers hardly any details about the actual code breaking process.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Betty Webb is clearly an incredible lady with a very interesting story, but the book was let down a bit by poor writing, with contradictory statements in places and parts that weren't clear enough for the average layman to understand.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fantastic book. For anyone who has an interest in history, world war 2 and bletchley park.
From growing up i the countryside to working as part of the war effort to working at the pentagon. What a full and interesting life Betty has had.
I was enthralled by her life story.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating read exploring an important part of our history. It is interesting to learn about the ins and outs of a place that was filled with so much secrecy and it makes me want to learn more.

[Tamara V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been more interesting. Too many names with little background for me to care who they were. The first half of the book’s narrative seemed two dimensional.
I’m glad I finished it and it did seem more like an actual life in the last part.

[Teresa Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!!!

I have just finished this book.What an interesting book on the code breakers at Bletchley Park..I have read about 7or 8 books on this subject,and this was interesting on a personal level.

[Phil Curme · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of Betty Webb’s service at Bletchley Park and, post 1945, at the Pentagon. No great insights into the world of code-breaking but lots of personal details which bring a human dimension to a well known story of wartime innovation in intelligence gathering.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting thing for me about this book was that it was written by someone who had lived for 100 years. Hearing an honest and factual account of someone’s time on earth spanning that much time is fascinating in itself.

[Harriet Bull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the code breaking workings of Bletchley Park during WWII from someone who spent the war years there.

[Rebekah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it

[Mrs MJH Compton-Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting life this Lady has lived, may she go on for more years yet! Good Luck.

[Jenny Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this look into history told by the woman herself.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approaching her 100th birthday, Betty Webb, MBE, LOH, is one of the few remaining codebreakers who worked at Bletchley Park during World War II. After attending college, Webb joined the ATS and was eventually assigned to Bletchley Park, eventually reassigned to the Pentagon and the United States after V-E Day. Working on deciphering German and Japanese codes through the critical wartime years, Webb’s memoir of her military service brings the challenges and realities of wartime service to life in a division where time was of the essence and their work literally had lives in the balance. Webb also brings the day-to-day routine of life at BP and in the ATS to life, and her descriptions of her pre- and post-war life provide a strong comparison to her military service and wartime work. Betty Webb’s storytelling and prose are strong and vivid, with her settings and characters coming to life from her impressions and interactions with them. Webb’s descriptions -- of settings, people, and routines -- bring her book to life and create a strong image of the environment and culture at BP during the stressful, critical wartime years. Webb’s book provides a valuable insight into women’s military service and the roles that women played in codebreaking operations during World War II.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ad Lib Publishers, and Mardle Books for the advance copy.