So, Where Shall We Go On Our Journey Today - Bletchley Park (Part Two)

Thank you so much for visiting last week for part one of our tour of Bletchley Park. Now, are you ready for part 2?  

Back outside and the gardens were beautiful to walk around on a very warm day, along with just sitting by the lake, but we loved to see the other areas that were occupied during this secret time.  Dilly Knox, Mavis Batey and Alan Turing were just three of its residents.

This little garden looked so quaint, especially with the collection of logs ready for the winter months.

Then into one of the huts.  So plain but interesting to see where all the work took place.

The long single corridor with doors off to either side.  

Simple, blacked out, just desks and office paraphernalia occupying the space.  There were sounds of people working so you felt a little like you had an invisible cloak on and were listening to people’s conversations without being noticed.

Codes waiting to be deciphered from one room to the next.  The anxiety of the people working here must have been incredibly high.

From one hut to another, each one having a purpose.  We loved this room with its exhibits of pigeon carriers.  Another vital thing during the War.

And then a plain room, dark, with two desks and a little cupboard for personal items. 

This is where one of the great people during the War worked.  Nothing was said about what he did for decades, while this man tried to live his life as he wanted to.  Without him and his team, the war would have rumbled on killing many more lives.  And yet, here is where he worked.  A mind totally full of goodness knows.

In one of the main block stands a tribute to him.  Such artistry with slate, incredibly inspiring just like him.

On the wall is hung the apology from Gordon Brown who was the Prime Minister in 2009.  It is incredibly sad that Turing took his own life from cyanide poisoning after being chemically castrated for his homosexuality.  A different era and so punishing and unforgiving.

Amongst the exhibition, is Turings’ teddy bear.

And his watch.

It seemed only right to see his machine – the Turing Bombe.  This is a reconstruction as these machines were dismantled after the War to protect the secrecy behind them and the code breakers.  A lady gave a verbal and visual demonstration and I could give you a run down however, I didn’t understand a single word!  Basically the German Enigma machines gave the code breakers a headache by them trying to figure out what the solution was from a code which would give a possibility of 26x26x26 different codes.  The Turing Bombe narrowed this to about 624 different codes which would then go to the code breakers who had a limited amount of time to crack them (I think I’ve got this right!).

Unfortunately one of the problems was to work out which targets would be allowed through and which wouldn’t.  This was to make sure the Germans didn’t deduce the fact that their codes were being solved.

The invasion of the Normandy beaches were possible due to this machine as the British sent a code to say they were invading Calais with the hope that the Germans would pick this up.  With the Turing Bombe, they were able to decipher a code coming back from Germany to confirm they had taken the bait, Britain and the allied forces then invaded Normandy and worked their way through and cut the War’s life at least by a couple of years.

To think that this enormous working machine can now fit on a microchip is beyond mind blowing.

And there we have it.  After an £8m restoration, Bletchley Park can at last reveal its secrets, its personal stories with diaries donated and code papers unearthed. 

It was fascinating to learn about the lives that helped with the victory of War, and the sadness of life afterwards.

It was also lovely to see things that are still a recognisable sight and well, just home!

Thanks for coming along with us on this mammoth tour!

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

      

Where Shall We Go On Our Journey Today?... Bletchley Park, Home of the Codebreakers (Part One)

When thinking of war time code breakers in the past, I would think of underground tunnels, dark and dusty, with people walking around in macs, dark glasses and meeting on street corners under a gas lamp.  Of course that would have been far too conspicuous.  What I wasn’t expecting was a beautiful park land with a mansion and outbuildings, tennis courts, a lake and open air.  So, grab your cup of tea and a bourbon - where are we going on our journey today?... Bletchley Park,Milton Keynes – the home of the code breakers.

After watching The Imitation Game, I was more curious on the great minds of these incredibly clever people that occupied this very secret place.  Most didn’t know what each other was doing, it wasn’t discussed, it was that confidential. 

Each section of the park tells a story of who was there, including sounds of days gone past such as a tennis match between two of the female workers (75% of the workforce in Bletchley during the War were female), a boat rowing on the lake, and laughter on the lawns.

But there was a very serious side to this outer façade.  As you come into the open you are not gazing on the mansion straight away.  Instead you see the blocks and huts that housed the people that were working in this top secret environment.  All busy with solving codes to save lives in war time.

So, shall we start with the pretty area first?  Let’s have a look around the mansion…

The Mansion was built in the 1870's as a family house but went on to house the HQ offices and recreational areas.  Bletchley was chosen because of its good railway and road links as well as being half way between Oxford and Cambridge.  The 1870’s entrance with its stained glass and wood panelling, so beautifully maintained and one that welcomed so many such as Alan Turing to use amazingly sharp minds to help crack codes.

The bust of Churchill on the fire place.  Inspiring and steady guiding the country to victory.

The abandoned offices.  This room felt as though they had just gone out for their lunch and we were invading their space.  The jackets on the back of chairs, the typewriters, phones, cigarettes and ash trays.  So familiar but yet so dated.

 

The books on the shelves.  How I would love this in my own home.

Continuing through we came across a little surprise.  A section on The Imitation Game!

The costumes worn by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.  Apparently she wanted the ugliest clothes possible for her part.  Well, I think they are still very stylish and perfect for the era.

The bar area.  Still as it would have been but also used in the film.  

The ceilings were spectacular here (just as the stained glass ones were down the hallway – my Wordless Wednesday post showed just how stunning they were).

We could have easily sat at these tables.  Again, so familiar (pre non-smoking of course).

Then the props.  The Turing Bombe which helped limit the time needed to crack the codes of the Enigma machines.  This looked exactly like the real thing and was hard to believe that it was a film prop.

And then the red book that Benedict stuffed down his trousers in the film.

Such a beautiful place, full of nostalgia and the ghosts of people just passed.

Next week I will take you around the grounds and into the huts, as well as taking a look at the Turing section.

Until then dear readers, have a wonderful weekend and week and Tia says a very Happy 4th July!!