There had always been girls at the Park but soon they outnumbered the men three to one.Ī refugee from Belgium, a Scottish debutante, a Jewish 14-year-old, and a factory worker from Northamptonshire - the Bletchley Girls confound stereotypes. From 8 million working women just over 7000 were hand-picked to work at Bletchley Park and its outstations. The scale of female involvement in Britain during the Second World War wasn't matched in any other country. Firm friendships were made as their epic journey unfolded on paper. It is their story, told in their voices Tessa met and talked to 15 veterans, often visiting them several times.

The Bletchley Girls weaves together the lives of fifteen women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret organisation - Bletchley Park. 'An in-depth picture of life in Britain's wartime intelligence centre.The result is fascinating, and is made all the more touching by the developing friendships between Dunlop and her interviewees.' Financial Times Her obvious feminine empathy with the venerable ladies she spoke to gives her book an immediacy and intimacy.' Daily Mail 'Dunlop is engaging in her personal approach. Including a foreword by Professor Christopher Andrew of Cambridge University, author of MI5's official history The Secret World, this book brings to life the stories of the men and women who toiled day and night to crack the seemingly unbreakable enigma code.'Lively.in giving us the daily details of their lives in the women's own voices Dunlop does them and us a fine service' New Statesman

Discover how brilliant and eccentric individuals such as Dilly Knox, Alan Turing, and Joan Clarke were recruited, the social life that grew up around the park, and how they dealt with the ever-present burden of secrecy. Written by Dermot Turing - the nephew of famous codebreaker Alan Turing - this account provides unique insight into the behind-the-scenes action at Bletchley Park. It was kept secret for nearly 30 years, but we have now come to realize the crucial role that these codebreakers played in the Allied victory in World War II. 'Turing writes on codebreaking with understandable authority and compelling panache.' (Michael Smith, best-selling author of Station X )Īt Bletchley Park, some of Britain's most talented mathematicians, linguists, and intellectuals were assembled to break Nazi codes.

The Bletchley Girls by Tessa Dunlop