The Lost World of Bletchley Park: An Illustrated History of the Wartime Codebreaking Centre

by Sinclair McKay

The huge success of Sinclair's The Secret Life of Bletchley Park - a quarter of a million copies sold to date - has been symptomatic of a similarly dramatic increase in visitors to Bletchley Park itself, the Victorian mansion in Buckinghamshire now open as an engrossing museum of wartime codebreaking. Now, therefore, Aurum is publishing the first comprehensive illustrated history of this remarkable place, from its prewar heyday as a country estate under the Liberal MP Sir Herbert Leon, through its wartime requisition with the addition of the famous huts within the grounds, to become the place where modern computing was invented and the German Enigma code was cracked, its post-war dereliction and then rescue towards the end of the twentieth century as a museum whose visitor numbers have more than doubled in the last five years. Featuring over 200 photographs, some previously unseen, and text by Sinclair McKay, this will be an essential purchase for everyone interested in the place where codebreaking helped to win the war.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Computers, Historical, Research

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Sinclair McKay writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph and The Secret Listeners and has written books about James Bond and Hammer horror for Aurum. His next book, about the wartime “Y” Service during World War II, is due to be published by Aurum in 2012. He lives in London.
-Source

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes on a slightly different approach to the now famous park. This is a sort of companion book to The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, in so much rather than focusing on the events that went on there or the characters who was located there, this book focuses on the house and its grounds.

Now this may seem a rather dull subject considering everything else that is associated with the site, from the second world war code breaking, the amazing talent that worked there to the incredible discovers and achievements that were made there. But no there was one more part to this amazing story - the rather eccentric house and its grounds and the part it played on the community around it.

This book starts well before its role in the war effort, as the house built by Sir Herbert Leon and his wide Lady Fanny Leon. The books tells of the influences that made the house look as it did (the influences from all their travels and latest engagements). It also tells of the tales of how the Leon's integrated and adopted those living around around the house.

The book goes on to chart its history through the war and up to the current day. Telling various stories along the way - from the famous, such as events connected with Alan Turing to the less famous, like how various cabaret events were put on at the house to entertain the those working there during the war and how in fact it was used as a training centre and operational headquarters for those sent out around the world in the post war year.

And it ends up with the Bletchley Park Trust - those dedicated few that felt that this property could not be allowed to fall in to ruin and bulldozed to form some faceless shopping centre for yet another faceless housing estate. If for nothing else this site should stand as a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the human spirit regardless of race, sex or standing and all of this at a location I have known and visited several times over the years.

[Debbie Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay is an illustrated history of the wartime codebreaking centre. With a title like that I was expecting some photos but nowhere near as many as in this book which was a nice surprise.
I’ve been fascinated by Bletchley Park for a while now and with The Imitation Game, Enigma and the TV series The Bletchley Circle as favourites of mine, I thought it was about time I read more about the park. McKay’s book is perfect for that. It is a thorough but interesting introduction to this fascinating world.
Here are the chapter headings to give you an idea and of course to lure you into this world:
Introduction, The House and Grounds, Conversion to Codebreaking Factory, The Cryptologists, The Girls, The Pears and the Musical Sergeants, The Machines that Changed the Future, Off Duty Hours and the Pressure Vales, Bletchley the Wartime Town, The Worldwide Listeners (a very interesting chapter) Bletchley Park’s Famous Faces, Broken Codes and the Course of History, What the Codebreakers Did Next, Bletchley After the War, Rescue and Renovation, Royals, Dignitaries - and James Bond.
Highly recommended for history lovers and anyone interested in WWII.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now read a number of books on Bletchley Park, and the key role that this place played in the Second World War, including two by this author, and this is a worthy addition to the documented history of this place.

There is a moderate amount of text that outlines the history and function of Bletchley, from its prewar function as a country estate under the Liberal MP Sir Herbert Leon and the very early and rapid expansion to the key role that it played in decrypting the Germany, Italian and Japanese codes, to its post war activities and near loss to the nation.

But what makes this one special though is the photos. Being a secret establishment there were not many taken, but this book brings 200 photos of the people, the huts and the place to light, many never seen before. There are pictures from inside the huts, the shows and reviews that they performed and of some of the machines that they developed and made to get that critical edge over the axis powers.

Well worth reading if you are interested in the history of Bletchley Park.

[Elizabeth (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in between other reads, and it never stopped being fascinating. Bletchley Park will always be a marvel. After The Rose Code, I just wanted to know more. Those who devoted their lives to the code cracking and secrets of Bletchley should always be celebrated.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea so much was written about the code breakers. I can't wait to get my hands on another book. This one was very good

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While no where near as informative as Sinclair McKay's The Secret Lives of Codebreakers: The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park (read in 2012), McKay's latest addition to information on Bletchley Park is fascinating because of the photographs and history of the site where codebreakers worked feverishly in breaking the code of the Nazi enigma machine.

If you are interested in this topic, do read McKay's The Secret Lives of Codebreakers which is both informative and fascinating in how Britain recruited the codebreakers and what their lives were like during the war as well as the importance of secrecy.

A bit from my blog review in 2012 on The Secret Lives of Codebreakers:

It is an engrossing read, not at all dry or difficult. The bits about Alan Turing are so funny; it is tragic that his life was so short and that he received such shameful treatment after the war because he was homosexual. In 2009, the British Government issued a public apology for "the appalling way he was treated." A brilliant and eccentric man, Turing's work laid the foundation for modern computers and helped shorten the war.

But Turing is only one part of the fascinating story of Bletchley Park; Sinclair McKay has done a brilliant job in painting a picture of the unsung heroes who spent the war doing highly secret work. The entire story of Bletchley Park is inspiring.

[Mark Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can guess with the title being “Illustrated History” the strength of this book is the photographs that are in it. It is quite remarkable that they could get many of them as this was a classified location so taking pictures there would not have been sanctioned.

There is a narrative to go along with the pictures and the book describes more of the actual house and grounds than what occurred in the place, from when it was initially built, how the place operated during the Second World War, the decline of the property, till today with the restoration of the place.

If you are looking for a detailed account of codebreaking and what occurred this book is not what you are looking for, this is almost a companion book to any detailed book. I recommend reading this book for the pictures alone. Many of them have never been published before (as far I as can tell).

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for getting a bit of a feel for the site of the Bletchley Park codebreaking team from WW2. There are lots of pictures, which is maybe a bit of a surprise given the secret nature of the operation. There are pictures of the inside of the huts at BP, and of the people working and relaxing. Since the relaxation of the secrecy, the site is now visited by many people interested in this incredible slice of history. We see pictures of royals and movie stars as well as the more ordinary visitors.
It isn't a heavy duty read - there are better books on the actual code-breaking.
Highly recommended for a good overview of the topic.

[Carol Surges · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the writing is colloquial at times, the author gives a thorough look at Bletchley Park and its inhabitants from just before it's takeover by the British government for wartime services to it's current-day resurrection as a National historic treasure. It's now open for tours and has been undergoing major restoration work after nearly succumbing to demolition in preparation for construction of a shopping mall, etc. While the war-time workforce went unrecognized that too has been rectified in recent years.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AMAZING book. It's full of personal stories and anecdotes about the codebreakers and offers a clear explanation of what happened in each part of Bletchley. I have read quite a few books about Bletchley Park and yet I learned many new things reading this book.

Plus, the pictures are astounding.

[Michelle Hockley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and comprehensive work that opens our eyes to the environment in which the code breakers and their associates lived and worked. There are many charming stories brought to the fore, of those who are less well known for their involvement in breaking the code though no less important in reaching the end result. Beautifully illustrated with quality images.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped for more story and less names. I realize this was not a novel, but I still found myself not reading every day because I was disappointed in the book. But I did learn some new details about Bletchley, and it did give information that countered some of the legends about some of the misinformation that is out there about times that some warnings were ignored by leaders.

[Alistair Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

lord this book

I visited Bletchley Park twice ten years ago and was mesmerised by what I saw! This book has loads of information that isn’t accessible at BP itself. Well written and illustrated!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

I have read about Bletchley Park in the past and this illustrated history about the house, the code breakers and what became of the house and huts is fascinating. One of my favorite authors, Rosemund Pilcher, was a code breaker!

[Kerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast but fascinating read that makes good use of some amazing historical photographs.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a fluff piece. Feels like a TV documentary companion book. But the enthusiasm is genuine and well-deserved for the amazing people who populated Bletchley Park.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Bletchley Park from a BBC production. I have been fascinated ever since.

[Mary Catherine C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research

[Genie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read- pictorial and short history of the code breakers in Bletchley Park from WWiI.

[Sally Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of mainly photographs, but interesting.

[Evil Secret Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool! This was just a brief overview of the institution and what they did there with a bunch of cool pictures

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden secrets

Very interesting book on the WWII coding by brilliant men and women. I especially enjoyed reading how hard they worked and played.

[Anoush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating overview and photo album of what went on at Bletchley Park during WWII. This book also covers the history of Bletchley Park (the house and large surrounding acreage) both before the war and to the current age. The codebreaking that went on during the war was so secretive that Bletchley Park was nearly torn down in favor of a shopping mall. Thank goodness people intervened! I'm definitely going to visit Bletchley Park when I have the chance.

My one complaint about this book is its brevity. Each chapter's topic is only briefly touched upon and I am interested and excited for a more in-depth look at the time period. That said, this book still provided plenty of food for thought as I considered the unique situation the codebreakers were in, billeting with local families, seemingly contributing nothing to the war effort and not being able to correct anyone on that assumption.

I loved hearing how Bletchley Park functioned as more a meritocracy than a military installation, with both women and men doing the work they were most fit for intellectually and equally contributing to the codebreaking effort.

I loved their eccentricities, one person chaining his tea cup to his radiator to prevent others from stealing it (as they had been known to do). It was interesting to hear from what fields codebreakers were taken: not only mathematics as I would assume, but also from classics and languages, musicians and eventually poets and more artistic types. An affinity for language and patterns and an ability to think outside the box were all vitally important.

This book was definitely a small taste that only served to whet my appetite for more!

[Joy Weese Moll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bletchley Park, an unremarkable country estate in mid-England, was the workplace of women and men in World War II performing the crucial task of breaking codes:

"The work that was done here had a huge almost unquantifiable impact on the course of the conflict. Whether listening in on the lethal U-boat wolf-packs; analysing the supply lines of Rommel’s panzer divisions in the North African desert; helping to hunt down and sink the Bismarck; feeding the Germans disinformation and then monitoring the responses that resulted in V-weapons being given incorrect co-ordinates and falling short of their central London targets; even intercepting and decoding invaluable messages from the inner sanctum of German High Command in the run up to and aftermath of the Normandy landings, the codebreakers seized an invaluable advantage: a means of penetrating deep into the heart of German strategy and tactical thinking. All this without the Germans suspecting that their ‘unbreakable’ code systems had been laid bare." pp. 8, 9

More thoughts about the book, and my excitement for the wide-release of the film The Imitation Game, on my blog: http://www.joyweesemoll.com/2014/12/2...

[Evanston Public Library]

For World War II buffs, Anglophiles, cryptography geeks, and fans of the excellent Masterpiece Mystery series The Bletchley Circle, this book takes readers to the top-top-secret estate of Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire that was for five years home to the crucial work of cracking the German military codes. Bletchley was a world unto itself, staffed with cryptographers, mathematicians, linguists, military specialists, intelligence agents, stenographers, and locals who served as the housekeeping and kitchen staff. Oh, and there was the occasional genius to shed light on the codes to be cracked. Everyone involved had to sign the Official Secrets Act and almost all kept mum well after the war was won. This book is a compendium of all things Bletchley. It's a trove of memoirs, anecdotes, mini-biographies, the workings of the Enigma machines and more all accompanied by wonderful photos of life at Bletchley.

(Barbara L., Reader's Services)

[Mindy Franke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Bletchley; good overview for someone not in the "know". My mum-in-law was a RAF at the park during the war, and didn't divulge anything to her family until after the first books were out and her husband confronted her about what her role was.

The book gave me a good overview of the goings on so I now feel comfortable in digging deeper into the bits and pieces that interest me. Good for all ages, lots of pictures, concise writing.

Recommend to those interested in origins of computing, codebreaking, cryptology, cryptography, WWII.

[Kerry Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because of the unseen photographs. With so many text based books on Bletchley this book with it's high image content is a great addition to giving readers an authentic 'look and feel' into Bletchley life.

[Amanda Witt]

A great basic introduction of the intense work undertaken in secret by men and women to assist in cracking the Nazi codes to help win the war. Good photos throughout to provide a visual guide to the place and machines.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years I have read many books on Bletchley Park & the Enigma code, but the most informative works have always been by Sinclair McKay. His knowledge on the subject is huge & this superbly ilustrated book (along with his Secret Life Of Bletchley Park) is an outstanding achievement.

[Lewis Hyam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great if you are interested in seeing and hearing about bletchley park