Wiltshire
Branch
Bletchley Park – The Enigma Enigma
Speakers: Nick Miers and Sue Black
Churchill described the code-breakers of Bletchley
Park as the ’geese that laid the golden eggs but
never cackled’. Since the declassification of WWII
secrets the incalculable impact their operations
had on the final outcome has become more
apparent The Germans regarded their Enigma
cipher as unbreakable, but building on the success
of Polish code-breakers, teams stationed at
various huts in Bletchley Park were able to
decipher and analyse intercepted enemy
messages. To speed up the process, the brilliant
mathematician Alan Turing developed an
electromechanical machine known as Colossus,
the precursor of the modern computer, to break
the daily changing Enigma codes.
In 1992 the Bletchley Park Trust was formed to
maintain the site as a museum devoted to the
code-breakers and their work. The trust is
volunteer-based and relies on public support to
continue its efforts.
© Bletchley Park
Monday 24th May 2010
Demonstrations: 17:30 - 18:15
& 18:15 - 19:00
Presentation:
19:15 - 20:00
New College, Queens Drive,
Swindon
© Bletchley Park
Nick Miers is a guide at Bletchley Park and
will talk about the history of code breaking
in World War II. He will demonstrate the
Enigma machine, show how 150 million
million combinations were possible, and will
also talk about Colossus - the world's first
computer - invented at Bletchley Park.
Dr Sue Black is Head of the Department of
Information and Software Systems at the
University of Westminster. She is a
passionate supporter for the work of the
Trust and will be talking about the current
financial situation and the campaign to
save Bletchley Park.
An essential event for those interested in
cryptography and its history in WWII
The event is free and open to non-BCS members.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Register on-line:
http://www.wiltshirebcs.org/EventsFuture.asp
Events Coordinator:
[email protected]