One of the pictures on offer (above) shows the arrival of the original codebreakers in 1939, masquerading as a shooting party. Courtesy Bletchley Park
Rare pictures of intelligence surveillance operations carried out during World War Two have been released by the mansion where top wartime codecrackers worked.
Bletchley Park, which was known as Station X during hostilities, has issued a collection of limited edition fine art prints signed by five figures behind the covert efforts which decrypted enemy plans, playing a vital part in conflicts such as the Battle of the Atlantic.
They include John Herivel, whose Herivel Tip was instrumental in intercepting the German Enigma machine’s operations in 1940, and Mavis Batey, who had a key role in the allied naval victory at the Battle of Cape Matapan. Two former Cambridge mathematicians, Keith Batey and Oliver Lawn, also contribute, alongside Lawn’s wife, Sheila, a linguist recruited from Aberdeen University.
The revealing photos are on sale to members of the public as part of fundraising efforts for Bletchley Park
Secret service security prohibited cameras from being used at the site during the campaign, but the Government Communications Headquarters has given special permission for the images to be produced as part of fundraising efforts in aid of the park.
Simon Greenish, chief executive of the Bletchley Park Trust, said: “These prints offer an opportunity to buy a unique piece of history, and will help to ensure that the legacy of the wartime Codebreakers at the home of computing is not forgotten.”
Full details of the collection, including prices and the number of prints available of each design, are available from The Bletchley Park Trust website at www.bletchleypark.org.uk
