Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society 

Bletchley Park – By Jennifer Kersey
22nd May 2009 – 3:20am
I have been trying to make some analogy with current affairs to the invaluable work done,over the years,at Bletchley Park-I cannot!
The sheer dedication of this small team that gradually expannded and yet maintained absolute secrecy about the events within,is truly breathtaking!
We hear of a husband and wife who both worked there,but throughout their marriage never discussed their own particular contribution.
When put into true context,what was achieved there,in solving the `Enigma codes`,is akin to clmbing Mount Everest without oxygen,or visiting the giant wreck of the Titanic in a scuba suit!
Others would have us believe that they originated the digital computer(amongst many other revolutionary things)-not so-`Colossos`,with it`s 2,500 valves, was painstakingly put together by `boffins` and developed long before we heard of Microsoft,Apple or others.
As with so many other inventions,the brainwave was initially had by a person living within these isles,but was developed somewhere else,and the credit often went there.
A fascinating place-a lovely day to visit-we had a stop off for lunch at the huge Milton Keynes shopping centre, then on to Bletchley.
A place that I could visit again and spend more time just looking and admiring the tenacity of the individuals who have gone down as pioneers in history,whilst living a very simplistic lifestyle-not for them were the comforts others sometimes had (that is,however,not to diminish in any way the horrendous events that had to be endured by many in the time when Gt. Britain stood alone and was the only opposition to the supposed invincible Nazi war machine.)
We are now regarded by some,as being `out of step` with Europe-I would like to remind those people that we were the saviours of Europe and much of it would not exist in it`s present form if it were not for the sacrifices of the peoples of this land.
An amazing(if exhausting)day out and another triumph for Clacton Arts and Literary Society-well done to all involved who contrubuted to this outing in any way.(