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The Debs of Bletchley Park and Other Stories
The public fascination with Britain's wartime codebreakers shows no sign of abating, as reflected in the success of numerous books and newspaper articles, and television programs like The Bletchley Circle. The Bletchley Park Trust has embarked on a plan to transform the previously ramshackle and poorly organized site, restoring the historic huts and creating a multi-million pound visitors' center which will open in June. One hundred and fifty thousand people visit Bletchley Park every year and it is estimated that the new museum will increase this number to a quarter of a million.
Amid all this enthusiasm and interest, one major area of Bletchley Park has so far received less focus than it deserves. At the peak of Bletchley's success, a total of twelve thousand people worked there of whom nine thousand were women. Their roles ranged from some of the leading codebreakers, cracking German messages that others could not break, through the debutantes who chauffeured the codebreakers to and from work, to women like Baroness Trumpington who were employed as filing clerks, to the mass of girls from ordinary working families who operated machines or listed endless streams of figures, largely unaware of the major impact their work was having on the war.
The Debs of Bletchley Park and Other Stories tells the stories of these women, how they came to be there, the lives they gave up to do 'their bit' for the war effort, and the part they played in the vital work of 'Station X'. The central protagonists are a Debutante who was an indexer in the Naval Section alongside Baroness Trumpington; a Student of German literature who broke off her studies at the age of nineteen to go to Bletchley and went on to become one of Britain's leading code breakers; a Foreign Office Clerk who was the personal assistant to the head of Bletchley Park; a Wren who worked on the 'Bombes', the incredible machine designed by Alan Turing which helped break the Enigma ciphers; a Stripper, one of the women who worked on the Japanese codes, writing out endless streams of numbers to assist in stripping off the ciphers; and a Teleprinter Operator who has never seen her work as being as important as that of the 'real people' who worked at 'Station X', even though like all these women she was an essential cog in a very large machine and without her and her colleagues the code breakers' intelligence would never have reached the commanders who used it to help to win the war.
They are an incredible set of women, and this is their story.
Amid all this enthusiasm and interest, one major area of Bletchley Park has so far received less focus than it deserves. At the peak of Bletchley's success, a total of twelve thousand people worked there of whom nine thousand were women. Their roles ranged from some of the leading codebreakers, cracking German messages that others could not break, through the debutantes who chauffeured the codebreakers to and from work, to women like Baroness Trumpington who were employed as filing clerks, to the mass of girls from ordinary working families who operated machines or listed endless streams of figures, largely unaware of the major impact their work was having on the war.
The Debs of Bletchley Park and Other Stories tells the stories of these women, how they came to be there, the lives they gave up to do 'their bit' for the war effort, and the part they played in the vital work of 'Station X'. The central protagonists are a Debutante who was an indexer in the Naval Section alongside Baroness Trumpington; a Student of German literature who broke off her studies at the age of nineteen to go to Bletchley and went on to become one of Britain's leading code breakers; a Foreign Office Clerk who was the personal assistant to the head of Bletchley Park; a Wren who worked on the 'Bombes', the incredible machine designed by Alan Turing which helped break the Enigma ciphers; a Stripper, one of the women who worked on the Japanese codes, writing out endless streams of numbers to assist in stripping off the ciphers; and a Teleprinter Operator who has never seen her work as being as important as that of the 'real people' who worked at 'Station X', even though like all these women she was an essential cog in a very large machine and without her and her colleagues the code breakers' intelligence would never have reached the commanders who used it to help to win the war.
They are an incredible set of women, and this is their story.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2015
57 people are currently reading
732 people want to read
About the author
Michael Smith
26 books48 followersThere is more than one Michael Smith in the database.
Michael Smith is a British author and screenwriter who specializes in spies and espionage.
Source: Wikipedia.
Michael Smith is a British author and screenwriter who specializes in spies and espionage.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 11, 2016
Bletchley Park has been credited with shortening the length of World War 2 by around two years. Much has been written about the brilliance of the code breakers like Turing, who used a combination of cunning, sheer mental ability and cutting-edge technology to break the secret codes of the Nazi Enigma machines, as well as the Italians and the Japanese armies cyphers. The museum has recently secured monies to revamp the visitor centres and is aiming to renovate and revamp the place to raise visitor numbers to 250,000 a year.
One aspect of the twelve thousand people that worked there has been overlooked somewhat, was that nine thousand of them were women. Originally these were debutantes from the aristocracy, hence the title, who were bought in because they could be trusted; but as the sheer amount of work grew exponentially they then drew women from all walks of life to help with the work load. They were not there just to fulfil administrative roles, but played a significant part in the running of the place, from the mathematical geniuses who worked as code breakers and who worked at the same level as Turing and Dilly, there are those that wrote strings of numbers down all day every day, to the essential positions of drivers and indexers.
Smith has brought together all these stories into one volume, weaving personal anecdotes and tales of their specific roles there with a wider narrative of how the war was progressing and their significant successes against the Nazis as the war progressed. He has written other books on the subject too, and occasionally this did feel like I was reading one of his earlier books. It is still a fascinating story though, and a fitting tribute to the essential work that these women did.
One aspect of the twelve thousand people that worked there has been overlooked somewhat, was that nine thousand of them were women. Originally these were debutantes from the aristocracy, hence the title, who were bought in because they could be trusted; but as the sheer amount of work grew exponentially they then drew women from all walks of life to help with the work load. They were not there just to fulfil administrative roles, but played a significant part in the running of the place, from the mathematical geniuses who worked as code breakers and who worked at the same level as Turing and Dilly, there are those that wrote strings of numbers down all day every day, to the essential positions of drivers and indexers.
Smith has brought together all these stories into one volume, weaving personal anecdotes and tales of their specific roles there with a wider narrative of how the war was progressing and their significant successes against the Nazis as the war progressed. He has written other books on the subject too, and occasionally this did feel like I was reading one of his earlier books. It is still a fascinating story though, and a fitting tribute to the essential work that these women did.
February 11, 2015
I chose this book after seeing it picked as a reading blogs pick of the month and because of my interest in the War.
Bletchley Park contained men and women who's job it was to provide intelligence for Britain against Germany in the Second World War.
At one point twelve thousand people worked there of which eight thousand where women. The Women at Bletchley where recruited amongst the upper class as it was considered these where the 'right type' of people for the job. For many of the young workers it was their first time away from home and they where excited to be contributing to the War efforts but yet not able to tell anyone exactly what they did due to The Official Secrets Act they signed. You read how tedious the work is, how long and monotonous the shifts felt in the cramped cold draughty conditions & how many had big expectations to have them dashed. However the turning point is the amazing breakthrough of the cracking of the Enigma Code. Churchill talked about Bletchley Park as the "Geese that laid the golden egg" & many of the graduates never realised the huge significance of the roles they played until much later. Jane Fawcett and ex worker said " We were just chickens, but they said we saved the lives of 40 million by being in the right place at the right time, by having a job to do- which we did" and it was said that the War ended years earlier due to this. A very interesting book indeed taken from the interviews with the women themselves. I recommend this book.
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015- Book 10
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015- A book of stories/memoir?
Bibliotheque Reading Challenge 2015- A collection of stories
Bletchley Park contained men and women who's job it was to provide intelligence for Britain against Germany in the Second World War.
At one point twelve thousand people worked there of which eight thousand where women. The Women at Bletchley where recruited amongst the upper class as it was considered these where the 'right type' of people for the job. For many of the young workers it was their first time away from home and they where excited to be contributing to the War efforts but yet not able to tell anyone exactly what they did due to The Official Secrets Act they signed. You read how tedious the work is, how long and monotonous the shifts felt in the cramped cold draughty conditions & how many had big expectations to have them dashed. However the turning point is the amazing breakthrough of the cracking of the Enigma Code. Churchill talked about Bletchley Park as the "Geese that laid the golden egg" & many of the graduates never realised the huge significance of the roles they played until much later. Jane Fawcett and ex worker said " We were just chickens, but they said we saved the lives of 40 million by being in the right place at the right time, by having a job to do- which we did" and it was said that the War ended years earlier due to this. A very interesting book indeed taken from the interviews with the women themselves. I recommend this book.
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015- Book 10
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015- A book of stories/memoir?
Bibliotheque Reading Challenge 2015- A collection of stories
May 6, 2019
An incredible book, about the most incredible, selfless, outstanding women.
March 29, 2015
Author: Michael Smith
First published: 2015
Length: 274 pages
Setting: Bletchley Park, World War II
Includes: Photos from the period (some personal), list of sources, bibliography including suggestions for further reading, index.
I was looking at the history of computing for a tutorial I was taking and stumbled over this biography at my local bookstore. It seemed to be an interesting supplement to the dry material, and I was curious to see Smith's take on the women's influence of this amazing part in World War II history.
At it's peak, 12000 people worked at Bletchley and it's outstations, 8000 of whom were women. And they worked in *all* the areas.
Instead of focussing on the scientific/mathematical/military breakthroughs of Bletchley Park, Michael Smith gives more of a social history. We visit with various women who worked there, seeing their lives, loves and fears as war raged around them.
Women from many walks of life worked at Bletchley Park but many (most at the beginning) were drawn from the Universities, particularly Cambridge and Oxford, or from well-to-do and even titled families. The women needed the education and attention to detail of a degree, or the languages and travel experiences of the (idle) rich. And they were often recommended by people in the know, that they came from the "right" or trustworthy families. (Trivia: Valerie Glassborow, whose granddaughter was to become HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, worked at Bletchley Park). Unfortunately, like today, there were limitations in access for women which are most easily overcome by ready money.
And that leads us to the social, debutante part of the book.
As a fan of Regency Romances it was a rare treat to see those social niceties of the 1820s reenacted in the 1940s - a season, a governess, presentation to court. To go from such a formal, cocooned, almost archaic life to Bletchley Park, a place that embodied the future, would have been startling.
Later, as the war stretched on and resources became scarcer, women from other walks of life were called to serve at Bletchley Park. Gladys, a young corporal who eventually worked on Japanese cyphers, told of her experiences:
I do wish there was more examination of the technological, cryptographic and military breakthroughs; these were glossed over. Instead we focused on the women's lives.
Which isn't, in itself, A Bad Thing.
Aggravatingly, the book is not in chronological order. For example, the lead up to D-Day is covered in a number of chapters. This results in repeated material as we visit the women in various huts and discuss their input, experiences and emotions. Smith focusses on each Hut or section in turn, emphasising the compartmentalization of the intelligence work and hearing the women's anecdotes. Years later and the women are still piecing together what their small contribution meant to the Big Picture.
In the end I very much enjoyed this book. It took me to a place and time that we should not forget. While reading it I was confused by the choppy nature of the material and the lack of focus. Yet once finished, and I could step away to see the project and events in it's entirety, I was excited and pleased with the knowledge obtained.
It works.
And I enjoyed it.
3.5 stars rounded down.
(ISBN 978-1-78131-387-9)
-CR-
First published: 2015
Length: 274 pages
Setting: Bletchley Park, World War II
Includes: Photos from the period (some personal), list of sources, bibliography including suggestions for further reading, index.
I was looking at the history of computing for a tutorial I was taking and stumbled over this biography at my local bookstore. It seemed to be an interesting supplement to the dry material, and I was curious to see Smith's take on the women's influence of this amazing part in World War II history.
At it's peak, 12000 people worked at Bletchley and it's outstations, 8000 of whom were women. And they worked in *all* the areas.
Instead of focussing on the scientific/mathematical/military breakthroughs of Bletchley Park, Michael Smith gives more of a social history. We visit with various women who worked there, seeing their lives, loves and fears as war raged around them.
Women from many walks of life worked at Bletchley Park but many (most at the beginning) were drawn from the Universities, particularly Cambridge and Oxford, or from well-to-do and even titled families. The women needed the education and attention to detail of a degree, or the languages and travel experiences of the (idle) rich. And they were often recommended by people in the know, that they came from the "right" or trustworthy families. (Trivia: Valerie Glassborow, whose granddaughter was to become HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, worked at Bletchley Park). Unfortunately, like today, there were limitations in access for women which are most easily overcome by ready money.
And that leads us to the social, debutante part of the book.
As a fan of Regency Romances it was a rare treat to see those social niceties of the 1820s reenacted in the 1940s - a season, a governess, presentation to court. To go from such a formal, cocooned, almost archaic life to Bletchley Park, a place that embodied the future, would have been startling.
"'Women who worked at Bletchley Park have much to be grateful for. It was a remarkable community where neiter rank nor status counted and a girl of nineteen with a bright idea would be encouraged to take it forward, long before any official equality for women. Throughout Bletchley Park and its outstations all that mattered was getting the job done.'" p.259
Later, as the war stretched on and resources became scarcer, women from other walks of life were called to serve at Bletchley Park. Gladys, a young corporal who eventually worked on Japanese cyphers, told of her experiences:
"Gladys acquired a lifelong love of opera and ballet after seeing both for the first time in the assembly hall just outside the gates when the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Ballet Rambert performed for the codebreakers. She also took part in the Bletchley Park Recreational Club gramophone section, discussing the merits of various pieces of music she would never have heard had she not been sent to Bletchley Park. 50 years on the women were still piecing together what their contribution meant to the Big Picture.
'I shall never forget the comradeship and meeting all those different types of people who were there. I never thought, leaving school at fourteen and a half, that I would be able to have a proper conversation with a university professor.'" p.243
I do wish there was more examination of the technological, cryptographic and military breakthroughs; these were glossed over. Instead we focused on the women's lives.
Which isn't, in itself, A Bad Thing.
Aggravatingly, the book is not in chronological order. For example, the lead up to D-Day is covered in a number of chapters. This results in repeated material as we visit the women in various huts and discuss their input, experiences and emotions. Smith focusses on each Hut or section in turn, emphasising the compartmentalization of the intelligence work and hearing the women's anecdotes. Years later and the women are still piecing together what their small contribution meant to the Big Picture.
In the end I very much enjoyed this book. It took me to a place and time that we should not forget. While reading it I was confused by the choppy nature of the material and the lack of focus. Yet once finished, and I could step away to see the project and events in it's entirety, I was excited and pleased with the knowledge obtained.
It works.
And I enjoyed it.
3.5 stars rounded down.
(ISBN 978-1-78131-387-9)
-CR-
April 21, 2020
A fascinating subject. The book contains the stories of a lot women, which the author obviously research well.
Problem was the structure of the book gave an odd disjointed feel to the book. Each chapter revolved around an event rather than a particular woman. This set up meant that the women were introduced in such a way they become almost indistinguishable from each other.
For a book with a title as this one I had hoped for stories about the woman as individuals. If I'd read book wanting to read about different war events and how the people at Bletchley were involved, I'd probably been more favourable with my rating.
Problem was the structure of the book gave an odd disjointed feel to the book. Each chapter revolved around an event rather than a particular woman. This set up meant that the women were introduced in such a way they become almost indistinguishable from each other.
For a book with a title as this one I had hoped for stories about the woman as individuals. If I'd read book wanting to read about different war events and how the people at Bletchley were involved, I'd probably been more favourable with my rating.
August 11, 2019
Brent and Diana Somerville research
March 27, 2017
An interesting look at the role of women in WW2. Initially these young women, some as young as 17-1/2 and from the aristocracy, volunteered and were sent to undesignated places, not knowing where they were headed and unable to share with their families their location or the nature of their contribution. A real tribute to the dedication and intelligence of these women as they became integral in breaking the German Enigma machine codes.
I had no idea the women were so young, so sheltered and presented with very diverse billeting experiences.
The author presents different aspects of this period of thistory and the women's experiences in each chapter. Because they are grouped in this manner, you often find that you are going back to the same 1941 time period, but seeing it played out in a different way. I found that reading a chapter a day gave me a better understanding of the events and people.
I had no idea the women were so young, so sheltered and presented with very diverse billeting experiences.
The author presents different aspects of this period of thistory and the women's experiences in each chapter. Because they are grouped in this manner, you often find that you are going back to the same 1941 time period, but seeing it played out in a different way. I found that reading a chapter a day gave me a better understanding of the events and people.
October 21, 2021
Great cross-section of the women that worked at Bletchley, what they did and how they lived their lives, even found out a little more about Sally/Sarah Baring!
April 8, 2025
A fascinating account of life at Bletchley park during the war, mainly from the point of view of some of the numerous young women who worked there. Some of them enjoyed it more than others, and some were completely baffled by what was going on and never really understood what they were doing there. But all appreciated that it was important work, and enjoyed the very special atmosphere of Bletchley. One woman described it thus:
"It was a marvellous atmosphere in many ways because you weren't aware of class or background. We were there to do a job and that's all that mattered. All the differences that normally exist between people came tumbling down. There was something about the community in Bletchley park that i haven't seen since. We were all doing the same work, sharing frustrations and confronting impossible challenges."
The absolute secrecy imposed on those who worked at Bletchley is strongly emphasised. betty Vine-Stevens found it difficult to get a job after the war because she was unable to tell prospective employers what she had been doing during the war years, then she applied for a job as secretary to the headmaster of Ludlow Grammar School. When he interviewd her, they both realised that they had seen each other at Bletchley, so she didn't have to explain, and she got the job, though neither fo theme ver said anything about their work in the war.
"That was before the veil of screcy was lifted. We didn't say anything about it. We just knew that we'd both been there. But we didn't ever talk about it."
This is a very absorbing book about the people who worked at that extraordinary place, which a guard at bletchley referred to as "the biggest lunatic asylum in Britain."
"It was a marvellous atmosphere in many ways because you weren't aware of class or background. We were there to do a job and that's all that mattered. All the differences that normally exist between people came tumbling down. There was something about the community in Bletchley park that i haven't seen since. We were all doing the same work, sharing frustrations and confronting impossible challenges."
The absolute secrecy imposed on those who worked at Bletchley is strongly emphasised. betty Vine-Stevens found it difficult to get a job after the war because she was unable to tell prospective employers what she had been doing during the war years, then she applied for a job as secretary to the headmaster of Ludlow Grammar School. When he interviewd her, they both realised that they had seen each other at Bletchley, so she didn't have to explain, and she got the job, though neither fo theme ver said anything about their work in the war.
"That was before the veil of screcy was lifted. We didn't say anything about it. We just knew that we'd both been there. But we didn't ever talk about it."
This is a very absorbing book about the people who worked at that extraordinary place, which a guard at bletchley referred to as "the biggest lunatic asylum in Britain."
February 6, 2016
'The Debs of Bletchley Park' by Michael Smith focused on the young women who were recruited for codebreaking work at the top secret Betchley Park during World War II. While famous codebreakers such as Dilly Knox and Alan Turing are mentioned incidentally, it is the lives of the young girls (many were barely 18) that is told. We learn of their recruitment from universities, secretarial and language schools, those who applied to join the armed forces, and from titled families - none knowing what was actually in store for them. From interviews with surviving women, we learn of the billets they lived in, their duties, the social lives they lead, their fears, and romances. Sworn to secrecy, the women were never able to speak of the vital work they were doing. I was fascinated to learn that each group within Betchley Park (known as Huts) never even spoke to each other of the work their individual Hut was involved in. This was a wonderful insight into a part of the war that was kept secret for many years. My only quibble: the author often described a particular group of women and the work they were doing, then launched into quotes from the women - repeating what he had just stated. The last chapter described what happened to them after the war and how they settled down after such an exciting time, where intellect, application and enthusiasm were the criteria, and everyone was treated as an equal, whether a university lecturer or a 19-year old country girl.
October 8, 2015
An interesting book about the role of women in breaking codes in Great Britain during World War II. I never did totally understand how the German Enigma code was broken, but the point of the book was really to show how women became the main code breakers. By the end of the war 80% of the staff was women. I liked the use of oral history in the books and the direct quotes from women who had worked on the codes. They stressed how young they were - many were only 17 when they joined the service - and how they were willing to put up with bad working conditions, bad food and other difficulties because it was for the war effort, or as they put it, for King and Country. I was also impressed with how they dealt with the emotional trauma of the time – many of these young women lost husbands or boyfriends in the war but continued to work without bereavement leave. I liked the information about the various women’s branches of the military such as the WRENS. (I just finished a book about a British woman pilot in the WW II) .
I now want to see the film Enigma.
I now want to see the film Enigma.
February 10, 2016
I read a lot of historical fiction and non-fiction, most of which is about WWII, so my review of this book may be biased by that. "The Debs of Bletchley Park" flows well and is broken down by topic so readers can choose a chapter that interests them. The author obviously did quite a bit of research and spoke to many participants. My disappointment was in the amount of repetitive information among the chapters. This might be because the author didn't assume a reader went from beginning to end in sequence.
July 11, 2015
About 2/3 of the people who worked at Bletchley Park during WW2 were women. The value of this book is that it is primarily based on interviews with many of these women, where they described their backgrounds, how they came to Bletchley Park, what they did there, and their lives both on and off duty. After reading this, I felt that I had been given a sense of how Bletchley functioned at a worker-bee level.
November 5, 2015
The Author interviewed many of the Women involved in the code breaking and how they were hired for the job. As well as signing the Official Secrets Act their integrity stood the test of time as it was many years before the secret code breaking was revealed and many of the women involved did not reveal anything during their lifetime. Very good read.
December 28, 2016
1.5 stars
I went into this book hoping to learn about the extraordinary stories of the women who worked at Bletchley Park during the war-breaking codes. I hope that book exists out there somewhere... But this wasn't it. It was poorly written and badly constructed.
I went into this book hoping to learn about the extraordinary stories of the women who worked at Bletchley Park during the war-breaking codes. I hope that book exists out there somewhere... But this wasn't it. It was poorly written and badly constructed.
May 18, 2015
Was expecting this to be fiction but thoroughly enjoyed the true stories and link to post war lives
June 25, 2017
I picked up this book because the title caught my eye, and I am always interested in reading new books about the World War II era. This was an interesting look at the young ladies and some of the men who were given jobs at Bletchley and helped to decode secret messages sent by the Germans, Italians, and Japanese during World War II. While I did like subjects of the book, I felt that the writing was choppy and disorganized. I often had to look back to recheck names because the author would suddenly shift to another topic or person mid page. Also, the descriptions of the decrypting were confusing. I couldn't quite picture the machines, the filing systems and the duties of these brave ladies based on the authors description. Again, I found myself having to reread. Overall, this was an good book on the subject.
January 19, 2018
A fascinating tale of Britain's dark war, setting up a centre to decrypt hostile communications in a country estate in the UK. For some of ut, there are several lessons, but the imaginative approach to problem-solving could certainly be attributed to the way rigid English social structures were disturbed by the war - a shortage of privately educated officer class meant that women and working class people were co-opted and excelled, giving rise to significant British advances in techology. The post-war period saw the re-establishment of the class system later challenged (but not defeated) by the sons and daughters of this radical generation in the Swinging Sixties.
June 7, 2021
An interesting social history of the women who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII. It draws on various autobiographical works, personal correspondence and interviews, and combines this with just enough information about the progress of the war to give context to their work and lives - context the women didn’t necessarily have themselves at the time due to the intense compartmentalisation and secrecy of the work they were undertaking. You get a real sense of the challenges involved, from having no idea what you were even signing up for, to working in physically and mentally demanding conditions, and the mental health impact of never being able to discuss it with anyone.
October 20, 2024
Damn it, what a mess.
Bletchley Park is such an interesting story. It deserves better than this mess. The book is disorganized and adrift. If I hadn't known quite a bit about BP already, I'm not sure how well I'd have followed it. Characters are introduced and dropped at random. Each chapter is nominally its own story, but none of them is constructed in a classic standalone story way, with an internal arc and resolution. Information is repeated from chapter to chapter. There is no consistent timeline; the book darts all over the war.
I finished this frustrated as hell and really sad that this amazing place and those amazing people didn't get a book worthy of them.
Bletchley Park is such an interesting story. It deserves better than this mess. The book is disorganized and adrift. If I hadn't known quite a bit about BP already, I'm not sure how well I'd have followed it. Characters are introduced and dropped at random. Each chapter is nominally its own story, but none of them is constructed in a classic standalone story way, with an internal arc and resolution. Information is repeated from chapter to chapter. There is no consistent timeline; the book darts all over the war.
I finished this frustrated as hell and really sad that this amazing place and those amazing people didn't get a book worthy of them.
May 28, 2020
When you hear of Bletchley Park you hear about the great men - Turing., Welchman, Dilly Knox, Tommy Flowers. This book brings to the fore some of the many women who worked there - and despite its title they weren't all of privileged backgrounds. The work they did was very varied, from typex operators, to Bombe machine operators, to linguists, to intelligence analysts, to codebreakers, but the thing they had in common was they all worked extremely hard and were very proud of their contributions. It's great to see the women of Bletchley Park having their roles fully acknowleged in this book.
July 19, 2020
Aside from what I learned from watching The Imitation Game, I knew next to nothing about what went on at Bletchley Park or the stories of the people who worked there. This book is a fascinating look at the lives of the people and most importantly, the women who lived and worked there, and the hugely important role they played in the success of the work that went on in Bletchley Park. The only thing that made it a difficult read was how it jumped about the timeliness which made it difficult to keep track of all the different women who were introduced.
July 23, 2022
Fascinating read about the nature of the work at Bletchley Park. At its peak there were 12,000 people there cracking codes, and 3/4 of them were women - many as young as 17. This is not a linear story. Rather, women are introduced and their story told. There is a small amount of repetition but not enough to ruin the reading experience or take away from the awesome job these people did. It obviously took a "special" mind - people who love crosswords, mathematics, languages were sought out. Many of the women likened solving the codes to doing crosswords.
Definitely worth reading.
Definitely worth reading.
September 7, 2022
After reading The Rose Code by Kate Quinn I wanted to read more about the real Bletchley Park. This book was referenced. However, after page 155 I basically scanned the balance of the book. While the beginning was informative and interesting, it soon became repetitive as each branch that had served at Bletchley was taken from 1941 forward. The names who served changed and their stories but the coding, etc. did not. The one thing I did find interesting was the many famous people who served or were attached in someway to those who served.
July 25, 2019
I picked this book up at the Bletchley Park gift shop and am so glad that I did. I really enjoyed learning about the contributions women in England made in breaking the WWII Enigma machines. It was so interesting to be at the park and then read and envision what went on in the huts that I walked through on my visit. I thought the author had a plethora of awesome information, although from time to time skipped around. It left me with more knowledge and I am happy about that :)
March 15, 2020
Very informative stories of the women who helped win WWII. Unsung heroes who were recruited as young as 17, experienced abysmal living conditions and contributed their own small portion with patriotic duty. And none were there wiser - not even their parents, future spouses, until the publishing of a book about the war. No ticket parade for them afterwards, but the memories of camaraderie in doing their bit, held them up high and with pride.
October 22, 2020
After visiting Bletchley Park last year not knowing anything about it and was so fascinated by all the work that was done there I decided to buy this book and find out about some of the people that worked there. I didn’t know what to expect but found it very interesting and of course with having been I could visualise and mostly understand what the author was writing about. I think it wouldn’t have been as good without having some background of Bletchley itself and the work that was done there.
March 18, 2021
Definitely interesting. Three stars to split between interesting content, yet quite a bit can read as a gossip column. Lots of details about the social lives of the women. The structure made it hard at times to keep track of everyone mentioned and there were some repetitions between the stories. I would’ve loved a map of all the huts, and a timeline, along with perhaps a graphic illustration of the workings of the various machines described.
November 14, 2021
3.5 ⭐ - Bletchley Park was an interesting place to be during WWII. The around the clock work to break codes was challenging and very rewarding, especially upon reflection at the war's end. The book features a number of the women who worked at Bletchley and their experiences. Many of the women began their service in their late teens and described the camaraderie and fulfilment they found from their time at Bletchley.
January 6, 2018
As a woman in STEM, reading the Debs of Bletchley Park help me grasp that sense that I belong here too. As History is too often a story of great men, especially the history of the sciences, reading about the women behind some of the biggest innovations in mathematics and computing, in daring war stories, is awesome. 5/5 Well worth the read.
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