the secret life of bletchley park by sinclair mckay

“A fitting tribute to a very British kind of genius. “Amazingly, this is the first oral history of life at the Buckinghamshire country house.”- Oldie “This very readable and competent book captures well the extraordinary atmosphere of eccentrics working hard together in almost complete secrecy.”- The Guardian “A portrait of one of the most remarkable brain factories the world has ever seen.”- Max Hastings, author of The Secret War: Spies, Codes and Guerrillas, 1939–45 “Re-create the unique atmosphere of this extraordinary place… remarkable.”- Daily Telegraph (London)

A gripping read.”- Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila, authors of Code Talker “A stunning plunge into the social and political complexities surrounding the men and women who broke the Enigma code. 'An eloquent tribute to a quite remarkable group of men and women, whose like we will not see again.'- Mail On Sunday Drawing on remarkable first-hand interviews, The Secret Lives of Codebreakers reveals the entertainments, pastimes, and furtive romances that helped ease the incredible pressures faced by these covert operatives as they worked to turn the tide of World War II. Until now, little has been revealed about ordinary life at this extraordinary facility. Sinclair McKay’s book is the first history for the general listener of life at Bletchley Park, and an amazing compendium of memories from people now in their 80s - of skating on the frozen lake in the grounds, of a youthful Roy Jenkins, useless at code breaking, of the hijinks at nearby accommodation hostels - and of the implacable secrecy. There, the nation’s most brilliant mathematical minds-including Alan Turing, whose discoveries at Bletchley would fuel the birth of modern computing-toiled alongside debutantes, factory workers, and students on projects of international importance.

In reality, however, it was the top-secret headquarters of Britain’s Government Code and Cypher School-and the site where Germany’s legendary Enigma code was finally cracked. Go behind the scenes of Bletchley Park, where everyday men and women risked everything for Queen and Country.Ī remarkable look at day-to-day life of the codebreakers whose clandestine efforts helped win World War IIīletchley Park looked like any other sprawling country estate.

The secret life of bletchley park by sinclair mckay