Dilly: The Man Who Broke Enigma

by Mavis Batey

The highly eccentric Alfred Dillwyn Knox, known as ‘Dilly’, was one of the leading figures in the British code-breaking successes of the two world wars. Mavis Batey, who worked for Knox at Bletchley Park, reveals the vital part Dilly played in the deception operation that ensured the success of the D-Day landings, altering the course of the Second World War.

Alfred "Dilly" Knox was Britain’s leading wartime codebreaker, an eccentric genius who did more than anyone to decipher the Nazi Enigma codes, thereby shortening the war. Mavis Batey worked at Bletchley Park during the war; few knew Dilly better. She advised Kate Winslet on her role in the film Enigma .

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Mavis Lilian Batey, MBE (née Lever; 5 May 1921 – 12 November 2013), was a British code-breaker during World War II. She was one of the leading female codebreakers at Bletchley Park.

She later became a historian of gardening, who campaigned to save historic parks and gardens, and an author. Batey was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal in 1985, and made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1987, in both cases for her work on the conservation of gardens.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Stephen Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilly: The Man Who Broke Enigmas is an account by Mavis Batey not only of the great code-breaker Alfred Dillwyn Knox, but of the whole wartime code-breaking effort centred in Bletchley Park. Mavis Batey was one of "Dilly's girls," in fact she was one of two particular women whose brilliance helped the mercurial and eccentric Dilly. This biography spends a little time on his upbringing and education, before heading off into his WW1 work, but it is really WW2, Bletchley Park and Enigma which it focuses on.

Written with sensitivity and charm, and with many personal anecdotes, it's a great account of a man whose work made an enormous difference to our lives. 

[Larry Loftis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book about Britain's best codebreaker (Dilly Knox) by a woman who was a fabulous codebreaker in her own right, Mavis Batey. With all due respect to Alan Turing and his brilliant work, it was Knox who was the most valuable player in the code breaking game at Bletchley. At least that's the strong impression one gets after reading Batey's insider perspective. Loved this book.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story of Dilly Knox, who led the unit at Bletchley Park responsible for cracking the Enigma code (till his untimely death). The author was one of the young women who worked with him, and later became a well-known author on gardens.

The account thus has the advantage of first-hand experience and the pen of a seasoned writer, and tells some of the story of the life of Dilwyn Knox, whose broader biography is told, along with that of his three eminent brothers, in Penelope Fitzgerald's The Knox Brothers.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating but the technicalities are beyond me. The character of Dilly is attractive and the story very interesting. Had hoped to make more sense when going over the appendices, these diluded me. Would need to study within a group to decipher the deciphered.

[Douglas Bridger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book although there were lots of bits of the explanation about how the Enigma codes were broken which I didn’t understand. But inspite of that the niceness of the main character comes through and the fascinating story of Bletchley Park written by someone who was actually there. It helps that we are viewing it all from the safety of 50 years ahead knowing that we won the war, and everyday life seemed so much simpler than now.
I might read it again to follow some of the technical stuff better.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. The work of the subject was monumentally important and you get a real sense of that throughout. At times, I found the technical discussions a little hard to follow and I skimmed the passages about the plays they wrote in the vein of Alice in Wonderland. The rest of the book was nice and engaging.

[Rob Mollart-highfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting first-hand account of a remarkable man engaged in a remarkable enterprise.