IT is an English country house and estate that became the hub of Allied code-breaking efforts during the Second World War, but the pandemic has signalled changes lie ahead at Bletchley Park.

Bletchley Park?

Now a heritage attraction and museum, the Buckinghamshire property was the home of British codebreaking during the Second World War, described as "a place where technological innovation and human endeavour came together to make groundbreaking achievements that have helped shape the world we live in today”.

It played a pivotal role?

The Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), now known as the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), was based at Bletchley Park. From a small team of specialists initially, it expanded into a vast intelligence factory of thousands of dedicated women and men. And the combination of brilliant and determined people and cutting-edge technology allowed for vital intelligence to be provided to the Allies.

Secret?

The work undertaken there remained secret even after the war was over, with information about operations finally declassified in the mid-1970s. Churchill described the Bletchley team as 'the geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled'. 

Ultra?

That was Churchill’s codename for the Allied intelligence project that intercepted the very highest level of encrypted communications of the German armed forces, as well as the Italian and Japanese armed forces. The small group of code breakers at Bletchley developed techniques for decrypting the messages that had been coded by German operators using electrical cipher machines, the most important of which was Enigma.

Enigma?

The device was used by the German military command to encode strategic messages before and during World War Two. Under the leadership of mathematician Alan Turing, the ‘Ultra’ project broke the wartime Enigma messages, which the Germans believed to be unbreakable.

The influence was profound?

It is estimated that the intelligence uncovered via the codebreaking at Bletchley shortened the war by two to four years.

Royal connection?

The Duchess of Cambridge's grandmother, Valerie Glassborow, and her twin sister, Mary, worked were among the civilians working around the clock at Bletchley to break the codes.

Now?

It has been revealed that the museum is to cut up to a third of its jobs, after losing nearly all of its income during lockdown. Up to 35 jobs at all levels and in each department are said to be at risk after the The Bletchley Park Trust said restructuring is needed as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis.

It’s been devastating?

From a position of receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, keen to soak up the history, the Trust says it has been plunged into hard times by the pandemic. From March to July this year, it lost over 95% of its income, leaving a large gap in its annual budget. Bletchley Park CEO Iain Standen said of the job losses ahead: “We have exhausted all other avenues…I had hoped that we might avoid the need to do this, but we find ourselves with no other choice if we are to secure the future of the Bletchley Park Trust.”

Still open?

Bletchley’s official Twitter made it clear that the doors are still open, tweeting: “We are open! Booking a visit is the best way to support us.”