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The Bletchley Girls: The women of Bletchley Park tell their breathtaking true story of war, secrecy, love and loss
The extraordinary true story of the codebreaking women of World War Two
The Bletchley Girls weaves together the lives of fifteen women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret organisation - Bletchley Park. It is their story, told in their voices; Tessa met and talked to 15 veterans, often visiting them several times. Firm friendships were made as their epic journey unfolded on paper.
The scale of female involvement in Britain during the Second World War wasn't matched in any other country. From 8 million working women just over 7000 were hand-picked to work at Bletchley Park and its outstations. There had always been girls at the Park but soon they outnumbered the men three to one.
A refugee from Belgium, a Scottish debutante, a Jewish 14-year-old, and a factory worker from Northamptonshire - the Bletchley Girls confound stereotypes. But they all have one common bond, the war and their highly confidential part in it. In the middle of the night, hunched over meaningless pieces of paper, tending mind-blowing machines, sitting listening for hours on end, theirs was invariably confusing, monotonous and meticulous work, about which they could not breathe a word.
By meeting and talking to these fascinating secret-keepers, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into a terrifying world of war, secrecy, love and loss.
A must-read for anyone with an interest in the real stories of World War Two.
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Critical acclaim for The Bletchley
'An in-depth picture of life in Britain's wartime intelligence centre . . . The result is fascinating, and is made all the more touching by the developing friendships between Dunlop and her interviewees.' Financial Times
'Lively . . . in giving us the daily details of their lives in the women's own voices Dunlop does them and us a fine service.' New Statesman
'Brings the unsung heroines of Bletchley into the limelight and gives them a share of the credit that so often goes to their male counterparts.' The Scotsman
'Candid about the hardships and heartaches of wartime work and its knock-on effects.' The Times
The Bletchley Girls weaves together the lives of fifteen women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret organisation - Bletchley Park. It is their story, told in their voices; Tessa met and talked to 15 veterans, often visiting them several times. Firm friendships were made as their epic journey unfolded on paper.
The scale of female involvement in Britain during the Second World War wasn't matched in any other country. From 8 million working women just over 7000 were hand-picked to work at Bletchley Park and its outstations. There had always been girls at the Park but soon they outnumbered the men three to one.
A refugee from Belgium, a Scottish debutante, a Jewish 14-year-old, and a factory worker from Northamptonshire - the Bletchley Girls confound stereotypes. But they all have one common bond, the war and their highly confidential part in it. In the middle of the night, hunched over meaningless pieces of paper, tending mind-blowing machines, sitting listening for hours on end, theirs was invariably confusing, monotonous and meticulous work, about which they could not breathe a word.
By meeting and talking to these fascinating secret-keepers, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into a terrifying world of war, secrecy, love and loss.
A must-read for anyone with an interest in the real stories of World War Two.
----
Critical acclaim for The Bletchley
'An in-depth picture of life in Britain's wartime intelligence centre . . . The result is fascinating, and is made all the more touching by the developing friendships between Dunlop and her interviewees.' Financial Times
'Lively . . . in giving us the daily details of their lives in the women's own voices Dunlop does them and us a fine service.' New Statesman
'Brings the unsung heroines of Bletchley into the limelight and gives them a share of the credit that so often goes to their male counterparts.' The Scotsman
'Candid about the hardships and heartaches of wartime work and its knock-on effects.' The Times
Audible Audio
Published January 15, 2016
About the author
Tessa Dunlop
9 books34 followersTessa Dunlop is a television presenter, radio broadcaster and historian. She has presented history programmes on BBC1 London, BBC2, Discovery Europe, Channel 4, UKTV History and the History Channel (USA).
In 2005 Dunlop won a Royal Television Society award for her work on regional magazine show Inside Out West.
In 2007 Dunlop filmed Paranormal Egypt, a six-part series, with Derek Acorah on location in Egypt.
Dunlop read history at Oxford University, where she also won the Gertrude Easton Prize. Her articles have appeared in a number of British newspaper publications including The Guardian, The Independent, The Mail on Sunday and The Herald.
In 2005 Dunlop won a Royal Television Society award for her work on regional magazine show Inside Out West.
In 2007 Dunlop filmed Paranormal Egypt, a six-part series, with Derek Acorah on location in Egypt.
Dunlop read history at Oxford University, where she also won the Gertrude Easton Prize. Her articles have appeared in a number of British newspaper publications including The Guardian, The Independent, The Mail on Sunday and The Herald.
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