Children of the Armistice -- Educating girls -- There's a war on -- A civilian service -- Service girls -- Skills, security and secrets -- Secret work -- Billets, bunk beds and big houses -- Keep calm and carry on -- There's nowt so queer as folk -- Downtime -- A long road -- Capital attraction -- V is for victory -- "Let us face the future" -- The end game.
Summary:
The story of the women of Bletchley Park, Britain's top secret code-breaking school, is told through exclusive interviews with the women who served their country, and the impact that their service had on the rest of their lives. Based on extensive interviews conducted specifically for this book, Tessa Dunlop tells the story of the Bletchley Girls through the lives of 15 women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret World War II organization -- Bletchley Park. Many were just school girls at the outbreak of war; the next six years would change their lives forever. This vivid portrayal of their experiences, sacrifices, and memories is a poignant reminder that without the work of thousands of young women Bletchley Park's extraordinary achievements would not have been possible. By meeting and talking to these fascinating female secret-keepers who are still alive today, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into an adult world of war, secrecy, love, and loss. Through the voices of the women themselves, this is the story of life at Bletchley Park beyond the celebrated code-breakers; it's the story of the girls behind Britain's ability to consistently outsmart the enemy. Women profiled: Ruth (n�ee Henry) Bourne, Joanna (Stradling) Chorley, Rozanne (Medhurst) Colchester, Pat (Owtram) Davies, Muriel (Bogush) Dindol, Lady Jean (Graham) Fforde, Betty (Quincey) Gilbert, Cora (Pounds) Jarman, Kathleen (Godfrey) Kinmonth Warren, Ann (Williamson) Mitchell, Doris (Moller) Moss, Pamela (Gibson) Rose, Gwen (Davies) Watkins, Charlotte (Vine-Stevens) Webb.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.