A major component of the Allied effort in World War II took place far from the front lines, on an isolated country estate in Buckinghamshire called Bletchley Park, where a team of codebreakers and support staff labored to crack Enigma and other codes used by the German military. The information they decrypted saved thousands of lives and helped the Allies win a war that otherwise might have lasted much longer.
Sinclair McKay reveals the inner workings of this elite group of men and women in The Secret Lives of Codebreakers, beginning with their recruitment, when national security necessitated they be told little about the work except that "it was very important, very interesting, and that the pay was lousy." The codebreakers resided in improvised huts on the Bletchley grounds and made do on rations like the rest of the country. Through firsthand interviews with Bletchley Park veterans, McKay also details the pastimes and romances that kept the codebreakers sane as they dealt with the pressure of decoding messages that, while valuable to military commanders, made little sense to them.
McKay describes debutantes gamely forgoing more comfortable circumstances to serve their country and flamboyant characters such as the erratic Angus Wilson, who once threw himself into a pond in a fit of temper (and would become an acclaimed novelist after the war). Ian Fleming, then a naval intelligence officer, also puts in an appearance.
McKay offers a rare and fascinating look at a group of heroes who played an invaluable role in hastening the end of World War II. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger, Infinite Reads