Our Rating:
Library Formats:
Book
Age Group:
Adults
Genre:
Non-Fiction, History, WW2
The Secret Life of Bletchley Park is a history of the codebreaking unit throughout WW2. It is written for the general reader, so avoids technical code-breaker jargon and instead concentrates on the individual stories of the people involved – and not just the famous ones.
The book features lots of direct quotes from interviews with people who were there, adding credence and giving personal insights into this now fairly well-known story.
One former member was quoted complaining that when the Bletchley story is told the focus is usually on the social side, rather than the hard work. I would add that the story of Bletchley is often the story of Turing’s work to break the Enigma code. This book avoids these clichés, and I was left reeling by just how much slog went into the work. Particularly emphasised is the endless hours of boring, repetitive filing and sorting by unacknowledged and forgotten people.
Of course, the major problem of telling the lesser-known stories of Bletchley Park is the secrecy surrounding the project. The depths of those secrets and the lasting impact is impressed upon the reader. I was particularly struck by the fact that this group is one of the few from the period who have never had a veteran’s group or anniversary meet-ups. The staff lists were destroyed and for many years no-one publicly spoke of the work (some still won’t). Even when the story started coming out, people were often reunited through chance encounters or mentions in newspapers.
I enjoyed this book; it’s not overly technical but offers a wider view of the people and work for those who are already familiar with the story. You can find out more about Bletchley Park by visiting: bletchleypark.org.uk