Bletchley Park Visit

michael michael at galton.ucl.ac.uk
Fri Nov 4 03:02:50 PST 2005


As you may or may not know I've been volenteered myself to organize a Geek
tour of Bletchley Park (with invites to other .pm groups).

Bletchley Park is closed till April 1st for renovations however they are
still running a number of Lectures that some may find interesting

<http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/page.cfm?pageid=285>

November 10, 2005
Some Eminent Code Breakers, Dr Brian Oakley
Most people at a BP Evening-lecture-series talk will know about the feats
that the outstanding individuals, who Brian will speak about, performed at
BP. But what about their origins, and their careers after they left the
Park? The talk will speculate about what were the reasons why they were
such successful members of the BP team.

December 1, 2005
WWII Film Evening, presented by the Projected Picture Trust, Ken Draper
Includes: "The First Days" (1939), the earliest notable British wartime
documentary; "Heart of Britain" (1941), looking at how we coped in the
midst of the War; "The Fire of London" (1945), an account of the great
fire raid on London in Dec. 1940; "Dustbin Parade" (1942), animation
supporting the war effort; and "Burma Victory" (1945), a full-length Army
Film Unit documentary with much authentic footage.

January 12, 2006
The Battle for Crete, Tim Pulverman
On 20 May 1940, Crete was invaded by Hitler's forces. The Allies had been
forewarned by intelligence from Enigma decrypts at Bletchley a fortnight
earlier. The course of events that unfolded is a classic example of the
use and misuse of Ultra intelligence.

February 9, 2006
The Ancient Art of Deception in Warfare, Hugh Davies
What has Queen Christina of Sweden got to do with the Normandy invasion?
What connects a three legged man with the invasion of Sicily? Why were the
ATS girls in Cairo delighted to sing "Oh! Sir Jasper"?
A prize for the first all correct answer submitted BEFORE the talk.

March 9, 2006
The Interception of the Lorenz Cipher, John Pether
A lecture on how the interception of enemy radio teleprinter (Lorenz
cipher) communications was carried out by the Y Service. Also covers the
work of the Metropolitan Police and the establishment of Knockholt
intercept station.

April 13, 2006
The Lorenz Cipher and the Role of Colossus, Frank Carter
The successful breaking of the Lorenz cipher was probably BP's finest
achievement. It was  the result of a combination of innovative mathematics
and pioneering electronics. The lecture will provide an outline account of
this work, together with an example of how it contributed to the success
of the D-Day operations.
Information

The venue for the lectures is the Drawing Room in The Mansion at Bletchley
Park. All lectures start at 7:30 pm.

Admission charges are as follows:

    *      Single lecture, including glass of wine or coffee: 6.00
    *      Season ticket for 6 lectures: 26.00

Friends of Bletchley Park receive a 50% discount.

--
Michael


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