A common cause

What's a picture of a WW2 Enigma encryption machine doing on the CL blog?

Yesterday's programme in Radio 4's series The Reunion was remarkable, moving and inspiring. Presenter Sue McGregor spoke to a group of people who had worked throughout the war at the top-secret establishment at Bletchley Park, with the single aim of breaking the hyper-complex German military codes.

They worked long shifts, against seemingly impossible odds, but united in a single common cause. And yet they also knew that their contribution (many agree that the breaking of Enigma shortened the War by as much as two years) would remain secret and therefore uncelebrated for many years.

I was particularly impressed by their account of the organization of personnel at Bletchley Park.

There was no conventional hierarchy, no division between officers and other ranks, no discrimination between men and women.

All were treated equally because all had to be equally dedicated to the supremely important challenge facing them.

One of the codebreakers spoke of a brief, morale-boosting visit from Prime Minister Churchill. All the BP workers gathered outside one of the many wooden huts in which they worked. Churchill scrambled up a bank of earth and simply thanked them for all that they were doing.

As he recounted this memory, the elderly gentleman's voice faltered....

The programme is fascinating, funny and challenging. It's available on Listen Again for another six days.

'All were treated equally because all had to be equally dedicated to the supremely important challenge facing them.'

Wow!