Only about a dozen years ago Bletchley was inviting former codebreakers back for an annual reunion. I used to go along to hear the talks, meet some of them and get books signed, including by Betty Webb. I'm glad they eventually got the recognition they deserved.
We have almost lost the chance now to hear personal testimony of WWII. I've met several Battle of Britain pilots too, but the last died in Dublin recently:
> She and her guests were treated to a fly-past by a Lancaster bomber. She said at the time: "It was for me - it's unbelievable isn't it? Little me."
That's fantastic! RIP.
juliangamble
I did the tour of Bletchley Park today and my Tour Guide said he'd met Betty Webb, that he mourned her loss, and that when he had met her at a reunion, she had remained tight-lipped about what her work had been on.
Somewhat unrelated: I'm hoping to go to Bletchley Park this summer, any recommendations?
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damnitbuilds
Did her colleagues use to say "My first computer was a ... Betty Webb" ?
billfruit
Any good book that delves into the detail of the code breaking done at Bletchley park?
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MrMcCall
I really like the four-part documentary series called "Staion X" which was all about Bletchly Park. It has numerous interviews with the folks that worked there -- they were a bunch of excellent oddballs, for sure.
It's a really fascinating perspective on WWII and how crap Monty was at being a general; he was reading the Germans' messages and still couldn't defeat Rommel. Only when the Med fleet intercepted and sank all his resupply ships did Rommel's crew finally lose.
The Germans' overconfidence in the Enigma machine was a big part of their downfall, especially once America's resources came to bear. Of course, that's what they deserved for having a leader speedballing meth and morphine.
All that said, the interesting historical twist is that no WWII history before the 1970s is accurate because all the Bletchly work was completely classified until one of their officers wrote a book about it. They cover that in the documentaries, too. There were men and women who had never told their families about what they did during the war, until the news finally broke. One mentioned how her daughter wondered why her mom knew that 'M' was the 13th letter.
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peterburkimsher
@dang For the sake of Dave Täht and Betty Webb, I believe a black bar is justified even on the 1st of April.
lenerdenator
It hurts to see the generation that won WWII pass, not the least bit because we seem to have forgotten the lessons from their struggle.
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sgt
Overshadowed by Val Kilmer's death - I hope more people read this article! What a lady... RIP
Only about a dozen years ago Bletchley was inviting former codebreakers back for an annual reunion. I used to go along to hear the talks, meet some of them and get books signed, including by Betty Webb. I'm glad they eventually got the recognition they deserved.
We have almost lost the chance now to hear personal testimony of WWII. I've met several Battle of Britain pilots too, but the last died in Dublin recently:
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0318/1502596-hemingway/
> She and her guests were treated to a fly-past by a Lancaster bomber. She said at the time: "It was for me - it's unbelievable isn't it? Little me."
That's fantastic! RIP.
I did the tour of Bletchley Park today and my Tour Guide said he'd met Betty Webb, that he mourned her loss, and that when he had met her at a reunion, she had remained tight-lipped about what her work had been on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Webb_(code_breaker)
Somewhat unrelated: I'm hoping to go to Bletchley Park this summer, any recommendations?
Did her colleagues use to say "My first computer was a ... Betty Webb" ?
Any good book that delves into the detail of the code breaking done at Bletchley park?
I really like the four-part documentary series called "Staion X" which was all about Bletchly Park. It has numerous interviews with the folks that worked there -- they were a bunch of excellent oddballs, for sure.
It's a really fascinating perspective on WWII and how crap Monty was at being a general; he was reading the Germans' messages and still couldn't defeat Rommel. Only when the Med fleet intercepted and sank all his resupply ships did Rommel's crew finally lose.
The Germans' overconfidence in the Enigma machine was a big part of their downfall, especially once America's resources came to bear. Of course, that's what they deserved for having a leader speedballing meth and morphine.
All that said, the interesting historical twist is that no WWII history before the 1970s is accurate because all the Bletchly work was completely classified until one of their officers wrote a book about it. They cover that in the documentaries, too. There were men and women who had never told their families about what they did during the war, until the news finally broke. One mentioned how her daughter wondered why her mom knew that 'M' was the 13th letter.
@dang For the sake of Dave Täht and Betty Webb, I believe a black bar is justified even on the 1st of April.
It hurts to see the generation that won WWII pass, not the least bit because we seem to have forgotten the lessons from their struggle.
Overshadowed by Val Kilmer's death - I hope more people read this article! What a lady... RIP