The Howlers are an Enigma

West London unscramble an Enigma. 

On Sunday 7th April 13 Howlers (blown along by storm Kathleen) enjoyed an absorbing day at Bletchley Park.

Here, 80 years ago, Alan Turig was part of a team tasked with breaking the codes and ciphers of the German Enigma machine.

With plenty of hands-on exhibits and opportunities to  try out code breaking exercises, the  day was both awe-inspiring and a humbling experience.

The staff at Bletchley swelled from around 180 in 1939 to over 9000 in 1945. In collaboration with the Polish, massive machines were created – the Bombe and Colossus.

75% of those involved in the codebreaking were women.

Their invaluable work saved thousands of lives and is reckoned to have shortened the war by 2-4 years.  

With ticket entry being valid for return visits for a whole year, it made for a brilliant venue for a Club run – maybe even a National Event/Run in the summer!                            

  Jon Stone