Bletchley Park is the home of British codebreaking and a birthplace of modern information technology. It played a major role in World War Two, producing secret intelligence which had a direct and profound influence on the outcome of the conflict. The site is now a museum and heritage attraction, open daily.
The Bletchley Park Podcast brings you fascinating stories from Veterans, staff and volunteers on the significance and continued relevance of this site today.
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August 2025
On 15 August 2025 the UK commemorated the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, the day on which the surrender of Japan and the end of World War Two was announced.
This was a significant moment at Bletchley Park as it meant the end of almost six years of non-stop codebreaking and intelligence work.
For many it also brought an abrupt halt to years of training to learn Japanese and long journeys to reach postings in India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in preparation for the upcoming invasion of Japan itself.
In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode we are joined by Bletchley Park’s historians Dr Tom Cheetham and Dr David Kenyon to discuss how the Japanese war ended and the part played by Bletchley Park and signals intelligence.
Our thanks go to Owen Moogan and Dr Ben Thompson for voicing our historical documents.
Image: Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Public Domain, United States Navy.
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #VJDay80,
E181 - Blitzkrieg in Burma (00:54:23)
July 2025
By late 1944, the tide had turned against the Japanese in south-east Asia, with the repulse of their attempted invasion of India. However, the multi-national Allied forces in Burma still faced enormous challenges if they were to retain the initiative, and push the enemy out of the country.
Every mile travelled from their supply bases, across barely-navigable expanses of jungle and mountain, exposed Allied troops to greater difficulties and risk of starvation and destruction. It was a struggle against the terrain and a race against time to liberate Burma before the arrival of the monsoon. In this struggle, intelligence and deception were essential weapons in the Allied arsenal.
In this It Happened Here episode, Head of Audiences and Programmes Vicki Pipe is joined by Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham to explore the 1945 battles for Burma and the race to Rangoon which formed the climax of Britain’s war against Japan.
This episode features Veteran’s Eric Rhodes, Roy Buckmaster and Dennis Underwood, from our Oral History archive.
Our thanks go to Owen Moogan and Dr Ben Thompson for voicing our historical documents.
Image: Oil painting of General William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim.
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #14thArmy,
E180 - Dire Straits (01:00:48)
June 2025
In May 1945 the Royal Navy fought its last surface action against the Japanese fleet, sinking the cruiser Haguro in the Mallaca Strait, off the coast of Malaya.
The successful location of the enemy ship was the result of signals intelligence. It was also a product of the sophisticated network built up by Britain, the USA and Australia after 1943 to intercept, decipher and distribute intelligence around the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we are joined by Bletchley Park’s Research Historian Dr David Kenyon to discuss the role of the Codebreakers in this milestone on the road to ultimate victory over Japan in 1945.
This episode features Veteran Edward Simpson from our Oral History archive.
Our thanks go to Dr Ben Thompson and Owen Moogan for voicing our historical documents.
Image: Public Domain
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,
December 2024
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill christened ‘The Beast’.
Despite Tirpitz having never fired its guns in anger at Allied warships, its presence was threat enough. Intelligence experts continued the difficult work of tracking its location and state of readiness.
The analysts of Bletchley Park’s Naval Section followed the ship for nearly three years, and played a key part in her final destruction. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we are joined by Dr David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian and author of ‘Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas’.
Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.
Image: Australian War Memorial (Public Domain) Accession Number SUK11808
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Tirpitz,
E172 - Hunting the Beast Part 1 (00:44:39)
November 2024
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill christened ‘The Beast’.
Despite Tirpitz having never fired its guns in anger at Allied warships, its presence was threat enough. Intelligence experts continued the difficult work of tracking its location and state of readiness.
The analysts of Bletchley Park’s Naval Section followed the ship for nearly three years, and played a key part in her final destruction. In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, we are joined by Dr David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian and author of ‘Arctic Convoys: Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas’.
Many thanks to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.
Image: Naval History and Heritage Command Catalog #: NH 71318
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Tirpitz,
E171 - Bletchley Park & Bomber Command Part 2 (00:40:16)
November 2024
The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.
Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communications revealed priceless insights into the German defensive system – and how it could be evaded, outwitted and ultimately manipulated.
In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham tells us about one of Bletchley Park’s most important contributions to Britain’s total war against Nazi Germany.
Many thanks to Mr Lindsay Spence for voicing our archival documents.
Image: Herbert Olivier, Operations Room: Bomber Command Conference. Oil on canvas, 1944. From the Collection: Air Historical Branch, MOD, on long loan to the RAF Museum as part of the Second World War Official War Artists’ collection.
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #BomberCommand,
E170 – Bletchley Park & Bomber Command Part 1 (00:45:34)
April 2024
Women were the backbone of Bletchley Park during World War Two. At its peak in January 1945, the workforce was 75% female, but even at the start of the war, women comprised a significant portion of GC&CS’s numbers. Women were recruited in a variety of ways, but a significant quantity of them, particularly early in the war, were selected direct from prominent universities such as Oxford, St Andrews and Cambridge.
Over the last few years, a team of members of Newnham College Cambridge have been researching the women from their college who worked at Bletchley Park and in other wartime roles. They have discovered, astonishingly, more than 70 students and alumnae were recruited to BP. After close collaboration with the team at Bletchley Park Trust, a new exhibition presents their findings and reveals some hidden histories.
In this episode, recorded at Newnham College, Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, meets the three women behind this new research and we visit the exhibition to find out more about their discoveries. Dr Sally Waugh, Dr Gill Sutherland and Newnham College Archivist Frieda Midgley share what they’ve uncovered, and what surprised them, about the Newnham women who worked at Bletchley Park.
This episode features our Oral History recordings of three of those Newnham women:
Sister St. Paul (Biddy Evan’s)
Elizabeth, Lady Reed (Elizabeth Langstaff)
Mrs Brenda Lang
Image: Reproduced with the permission of Dr John Clarke via Kerry Howard from her research into the life of Joan Clarke.
#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Newnham,
