‘FROM ALL AT BLETCHLEY’ - A WARTIME GIFT TO A CODE-BREAKER AT STATION X: Jack and Jill

A gift given in the midst of Bletchley Park’s war-winning code-breaking work to a young woman working on the site, inscribed anonymously ‘from all at Bletchley Feb. 1942’. Given the date of February 1942 this seems likely to be either a birthday present or, perhaps, taking into account the phrase ‘all at Bletchley’, possibly a leaving gift for someone who had worked there for a while. Even in such an affectionately inscribed presentation volume the conditions of extreme secrecy surrounding Bletchley’s role in allied code-breaking, and the operation of the Official Secrets Act, have been observed: Nancy has no surname and the gift givers no definite identity. After one of his wartime visits to Bletchley, Field Marshal Alan Brooke reflected on the diversity of the staff at Station X during the war ‘who consist of all 3 services, both sexes, and civilians, They come from every sort of walk of life, professors, students, actors, dancers, mathematicians, electricians signallers.’ Among them was our ‘Nancy’ whose identity may yet be recovered from the (now) well documented staff lists published to honour those who worked in this most secret world.

DESCRIPTION: An undated English reprint of Alcott’s Jack and Jill from the late 1930s; red cloth, faded to spine, pp334, 40pp adverts. Square text block, good condition. The inscription in black ink appears on the front flyleaf: ‘To Nancy with Love & Best wishes from all at Bletchley Feb.1942’. It is perhaps noteworthy that Nancy’s surname is not given and neither is the name given of those who made the gift.