The Secrets of Station X by Michael Smith

remained primitive and as late summer turned first into autumn and then into winter, the codebreakers found the heating to be woefully inadequate. ‘It was dreadful ,” said Barbara Abernethy. ‘We had an electric stove which didn’t work and a very poor heating system. We all froze. We had to wear coats and mittens.’ It was even colder in the huts, which were bleak after the comfort of the house. Bare concrete floors disguised with a coating of red tile paint, windows with blackout curtains, wooden trestle tables, light bulbs with no shades and inefficient electric heaters, or worse, cast iron coke stoves with metal chimneys going up through the asbestos roof or inefficient paraffin heaters. ‘They were awful,’ said Phoebe Senyard.
    When the wind was high, long flames would be blown out into the room frightening anyone nearby. Alternatively, the fire would go out and smoke would come billowing forth filling the room with a thick fog. It was a familiar sight to find Mr Green on his hands and knees wearing thick motor gloves endeavouring to light a recalcitrant fire, whilst the shivering occupant would be dressed in a thick overcoat, scarf and gloves endeavouring to cope with his work, with all the windows open to let out the smoke.
    But it was wartime and across Britain there was very much a spirit of make-do and live for the day. Funding for all that was required to take place at Bletchley was low and there had been no real breakthrough into the German Enigma cypher butmorale remained remarkably high. ‘Christmas was now drawing near and the question of leave arose,’ said Phoebe Senyard.
    It was impossible for all to be away together so we arranged among ourselves who should stay. Jocelyn and I drew lots and I lost and resigned myself to a miserable Christmas, the first one for some years that I had spent away from home. When the day arrived I found there were more people at BP than I had thought there would be. For the travel ban which had been imposed had prevented quite a number from going home. Mr Birch invited me to a small celebration and I arrived afterwards in the dining room for lunch feeling quite happy and being rather late to find the hall decorated magnificently with everyone sitting down wearing the peculiar paper hats one gets from Christmas crackers and blowing whistles which shot out a terrific length of paper. Every seat was occupied with the exception of one seat round the corner but there I sat quite happily with a wonderful lunch in front of me. All the Christmases which I spent in Bletchley were extremely good, everyone going all out to make everyone else enjoy themselves.

CHAPTER 3
EARLY BEGINNINGS VERY SMALL BEER–FULL OF FOREIGN BODIES
    W hen German forces crossed the border into Poland, Rejewski and his fellow codebreakers were forced to flee to Bucharest. Hoping to join Knox and resume their work breaking Enigma, they went first to the British embassy where the ambassador told them he could do nothing to help them until he had spoken to London. Sadly for the British, the staff at the French embassy were far better briefed on the importance of the Polish codebreakers and arranged for them to leave for Paris immediately . Attempts by Knox, Denniston and Menzies to bring them to Bletchley Park failed and they were incorporated into the French intercept site – the Poste de Commandement Bruno , based in the beautiful Château de Vignolles, in Gretz-Armainvilliers, on the north bank of the Marne, twenty-five miles south-east of Paris. British codebreakers were posted to the château, with one of them, Henry Dryden, recalling his time at what the British called the ‘Mission Richard’ for reasons quite separate from the codebreaking he carried out. ‘My enduring memories of the two months I spent there have no military connotations,’ Dryden said. ‘Never before or since have I seen such a remarkable display of roses, nor heard so many nightingales singing