On 6 July, almost fifty Year 9 students went to visit the wartime code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park. They took part in a guided tour of the site, hearing about the history of “Station X” as it was referred to, and finding out about some of the people who worked there, both the well-known such as Alan Turing, and the not so famous. They saw some wartime vehicles and the memorial to the Polish code-breakers who laid the foundations of the work done at Bletchley during the Second World War. The students also heard about some of the jobs that young people their own age would have had at the site in the 1940’s.
The group got the chance to explore some of the wartime huts and exhibitions, which house a fascinating array of memorabilia from the site, including Enigma machines, a model of the “Bombe” which was used to crack the Enigma codes, and a wide collection of letters and documents, including one from Winston Churchill himself.
Students were then given the chance to see a real wartime Enigma machine up close and even got to have a go at pressing the keys. This was followed by a challenging code-breaking puzzle which involved using different sorts of codes to establish the identity of a spy. Miss White, Maths.
Finally, we all got a chance to make the most of the sunshine as we enjoyed a picnic in the pleasant grounds of the Victorian manor house which sits at the centre of Bletchley Park. Thank you to everyone at Bletchley Park for making our day such a pleasure.
Daniel Summers
Maths Teacher