Jean Valentine (bombe operator)

For the American poet, see Jean Valentine.

Jean Valentine was an operator of the bombe decryption device in Hut 11 at Bletchley Park in England, designed by Alan Turing and others during World War II. She was a member of the "Wrens" (Women's Royal Naval Service, WRNS).[1] She was one of a number of women that worked at Bletchley Park.[2] During this time, she lived in Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire. She started working on 15 shillings (75 pence) a week. Along with her co-workers, she remained quiet about her war work until the mid 1970s.

More recently, Jean Valentine has been involved with the reconstruction of the bombe at Bletchley Park Museum,[3] completed in 2006.[4] In 2006, she said: "Unless people come pouring through the doors, a vital piece of history is lost. The more we can educate them, the better."[5] She demonstrates the reconstructed bombe at the Bletchley Park Museum[6][7] and also leads tours there.[8][9][10] She participated in a major reunion at Bletchley Park in 2009.[11][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Katy Lewis, Breaking the codes: Former Bletchley Park Wren, Jean Valentine, reveals exactly what went on at the World War II codebreaking centre. BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, 3 June 2009.
  2. ^ The Women of Bletchley Park, Finding Ada, 26 July 2009.
  3. ^ What to see at Bletchley Park: Bombe Rebuild Project, Bletchley Park, UK.
  4. ^ Ben Fenton, Bletchley hums again to the Turing Bombe, The Telegraph, 7 September 2006.
  5. ^ Ester Addley, Back in action at Bletchley Park, the black box that broke the Enigma code, The Guardian, 7 September 2006.
  6. ^ Jean Valentine explains the bombe, YouTube.
  7. ^ Jean Valentine explains the bombe, CastTV.
  8. ^ BCSWomen trip to Bletchley Park, BCSWomen, UK, 8 May 2008.
  9. ^ "The geese that laid the golden egg — but never cackled" — Winston Churchill, Skirts and Ladders, 26 July 2009.
  10. ^ Feature: Decoding Bletchley Park's history, Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine.
  11. ^ The Wider View: Nazi codebreaker which shortened the Second World War by two years. The Mail on Sunday, 30 March 2009.
  12. ^ 'Geese' cackle over Enigma: British code breakers reunite to celebrate secret work that helped Allies defeat Nazis, The Star, Toronto, Canada, 25 March 2009.