Bletchley Park podcast and Oral History Project

The latest podcast from Bletchley Park includes the story of the sinking of the Bismarck:

This month in the Bletchley Park Podcast’s It Happened Here series, we tell the story of The Bismarck. The iconic German battleship was sunk by the Royal Navy 75 years ago. While this clearly did not happen at Bletchley Park, but in the Atlantic Ocean, codebreaking and some of the pioneering techniques developed as part of it played a crucial role in locating the flagship of the German fleet.

Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon, explains how work going on in wooden huts in the Buckinghamshire countryside contributed to the ship’s destruction, which was vital for the Allies, both strategically and symbolically.

Jane Fawcett worked in Hut 6 from 1940. She recalls “It may be the most important thing that any of us have ever done in our lives. We didn’t realise it at the time, but we do now.”

To hear the podcast please visit http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/podcast/932393/The_Bismarck.html


Also, Bletchley Park is seeking more participants for its Oral History Project:

Since November 2011 we have visited over 300 Veterans to interview them and hear how enemy signals were intercepted, decrypted and turned into intelligence, as well as capturing fascinating glimpses of their daily lives. We have interviewed people who worked at Bletchley Park and in outstations from the north of Scotland to Australia. Their jobs highlight the broad range of roles people were fulfilling, from the upper echelons of Oxbridge academics via machines operators and clerical staff to cooks, cleaners and even delivery staff from the local bakery.

We are keen to interview anyone who worked:

• At Bletchley Park or its outstations, civilian or military, in any role, however junior
• In the Y services, in the UK and overseas
• In SLUs or SCUs
• In the Radio Security Service
• In the development and construction of Colossus
• In the construction and maintenance of Bombes

We would also like to hear from anyone who lived in the Bletchley area during the Second World War.

For further details visit http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/hist/oralhistory.rhtm.

(With thanks to Bletchley Park)

Chris


For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Bletchley Park's Imitation Game exhibition

If, like me, you had family who worked at Bletchley Park (www.bletchleypark.org.uk) in the Second World War, the following may be of interest!

There are just a few weeks left to see The Imitation Game, The Exhibition in the Mansion's Ballroom and Billiard Room. The film, which was based on the story of genius Codebreaker, Alan Turing, was partly shot at Bletchley Park. In the Ballroom and Billiard Rooms of the Mansion, this atmospheric exhibition is all about the making of The Imitation Game, in the very room where the bar scenes were filmed. The exhibition runs until 1 November.

Further details at www.bletchleypark.org.uk/podcast/911071/Last_chance_to_see_The_Imitati.html

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

The Road to Bletchley Park WW1 exhibition - podcast

Bletchley Park has released a new podcast providing a peek into its new exhibition The Road to Bletchley Park, looking at code breaking in the First World War, and the role of the Government Code and Cypher School.

There's also a feature on May Hereford from Ottawa in Canada as she tries to trace more about her mother, Anne Hereford, who worked in the Naval Section at Bletchley Partk, and who passed away when May was only ten.

The podcast is available to hear at www.bletchleypark.org.uk/podcast/904854/The_Road_to_Bletchley_Park.html

Chris

The latest British GENES podcast is available at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/podcasts.html. For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

The Road to Bletchley Park exhibition

From Bletchley Park:

The Road to Bletchley Park

The first major exhibition to explore codebreaking in World War One will open at Bletchley Park on 5 June. The Road to Bletchley Park, sponsored by BAE Systems and Ultra Electronics, will celebrate the pioneering achievements of those who waged a secret war – and how they paved the way for the Codebreakers of World War Two. Friends of Bletchley Park can see this exhibition first at an exclusive preview on 4 June.

For further details visit http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

Incidentally, I finally got around to watching The Imitation Game on Saturday evening - a superb film about Alan Turing and his work at Bletchley Park, highly recommended!

(With thanks to the Bletchley Park newsletter)

Chris

For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Bletchley Park Presents WW1 lectures

Bletchley Park (www.bletchleypark.org.uk) has announced a series of First World War lectures, under the banner of Bletchley Park Presents. They include:

BLETCHLEY PARK PRESENTS - VICTOR MADEIRA

DATE 19 APR 2015
Victor Madeira talks about his book Britannia and the Bear - The Anglo-Russian Intelligence Wars, 1917-1929, which examines Russian and British espionage in those critical interwar


BLETCHLEY PARK PRESENTS - JERRY WHITE

DATE 17 MAY 2015
Author Jerry White will talk about his new book London’s First Air War, 1915-1918. Jerry White gives an overview of the Zeppelin raids.


BLETCHLEY PARK PRESENTS - TAYLOR DOWNING

DATE 21 JUNE 2015
In his revelatory new take on the Great War, Taylor Downing explores the war’s scientific successes and legacies.


BLETCHLEY PARK PRESENTS - SINCLAIR MCKAY

DATE 19 JULY 2015
Top author Sinclair McKay will talk on his new book recounting the story of RAF Fighter Command, to tie in with the 75th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain.


BLETCHLEY PARK PRESENTS - TESSA DUNLOP

DATE 20 SEPT 2015
Award-winning broadcaster Tessa Dunlop talks about her extraordinary journey around 15 women with one shared experience; over 70 years ago they all worked for Britain’s most secret organisation – Bletchley Park.

Further details at this link.

Chris

For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Crime Museum talk at Bletchley Park

From Bletchley Park (www.bletchleypark.org.uk):

The Curator of the Metropolitan Police's notorious Crime Museum is to give a rare talk at Bletchley Park. Formerly known as the Black Museum, this macabre museum is felt to be too disturbing to allow in anyone but police officers. On Sunday 19 October at 2pm, Bletchley Park Presents Gary Ayton as part of its prestigious 2014 lecture series. Tickets are £20 per person and include admission to Bletchley Park's galleries and exhibitions.

Further details at https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/calendar/d.rhtm/781619-Bletchley-Park-Presents---Gary-Ayton.html

(With thanks to Bletchley Park)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Bletchley Park podcast - A Very, Very Secret Place

From the latest Bletchley Park newsletter (sign up via http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk):

The May 2014 episode of the Bletchley Park Podcast - A very, very secret place - is out now. We learn about the doomed German plans to invade Britain in 1940, get a taste of what's to come at the Bletchley Park Presents series of Sunday afternoon talks, hear from the real women of Bletchley Park and bring you a Wren's memories of the absolute secrecy. We also take you to the launch of the biography of one of Bletchley Park's lesser known geniuses, Gordon Welchman.

Bletchley Park podcasts are accessible at https://audioboo.fm/channel/bletchley-park

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians. And for those wishing to take Scottish ancestral research a bit further, my next Pharos course, Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Records, commences May 14th 2014.

Volunteers needed for Bletchley Park oral history project

Bletchley Park is in need of some volunteer help for an oral history project - from its latest newsletter:

Oral Archive – specialist training for volunteers

Volunteers helping to capture Veterans' precious first hand memories have been given specialist training in interview techniques, and more will follow. A large number of interviews is already planned this year and more Volunteer Interviewers are needed. Anyone interested in helping with this vital project, either by interviewing Veterans in their homes or by transcribing the interviews from a distance, please contact Bletchley Park's Oral History Officer Jonathan Byrne jbyrne @ bletchleypark.org.uk or call 01908 272685.

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs, which commences May 14th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.

New Bletchley Park WW2 Roll of Honour site

One I missed earlier on my email trawl from the last couple of weeks - the Bletchley Park Roll of Honour, listing those who worked at the code breaking facility in the Second World War, has been relaunched at a new online site at http://rollofhonour.bletchleypark.org.uk.

From the site:

The Bletchley Park Roll of Honour lists all those believed to have worked in signals intelligence during World War Two, at Bletchley Park and other locations.

Compiled from information in official sources, publications and provided by veterans, friends and families.

Please note, we have no information about anyone whose name does not appear in the Roll of Honour.


I have a connection to Bletchley Park - my grandfather's cousin Catherine Margaret Macdonald Paton worked there, and appears as follows:

Service
WRNS, L/Wren
Summary of service
Bletchley Park. Naval Section. British Plot team, plotting positions of own naval forces.

Helpfully the Naval Section is hyperlinked, providing the following additional details:

Produced intelligence reports from German Navy Enigma signals decrypted by Hut 8. Also decrypted and produced intelligence reports from non-Enigma naval ciphers, including Italian and Japanese.

That wasn't noted in the previous version of the site, all very useful! It is possible to submit more information about those featured, which I have just done.

A great resource for all your code-breaking relatives!

Chris

My latest book, Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, is now available from http://www.gould.com.au (print) and http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html (ebook), whilst Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet is available at http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-History-on-the-Internet/p/3889/. My next Pharos Scottish course, Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs, starts Nov 13th - see http://pharostutors.com.

Bletchley Park - new podcast and newsletter

The WW2 code-breaking institute of Bletchley Park has announced a couple of new innovations this month. The first is a new monthly newsletter, which can be subscribed to via the website at www.bletchleypark.org.uk. The Bletchley Park news page itself is at http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/news/. The first newsletter carries stories on the completion of fundraising to raise £7.4 million to restore the codebreaking huts, the use of the Enigma device in the Spanish Civil War, a family fun day, and more.

The second is a new podcast series, with the first edition carrying an extract from the Annual Turing Lecture given by Captain Jerry Roberts, possibly the only person still alive who intercepted coded messages from Adolf Hitler himself, as well as other news snippets. For more on this visit www.bletchleypark.org.uk/news/docview.rhtm/666615, whilst to access the podcast, visit Audioboo at http://audioboo.fm/channel/bletchley-park - it is just under 21 minutes in length.

(With thanks to Bletchley Park)

Chris

Check out my Scotland's Greatest Story research service www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)