Bletchley Park



Carl and Mary Ann



UKOUG held a security special event recently, and the location was none other than Bletchley Park. We had a great line up of speakers including Mary Ann Davidson Chief Security Officer from Oracle. She like everyone else was very impressed with being at Bletchley Park.



The Day was organized by Carl Dudley a long time board member of UKOUG and now a member of the new Council. The numbers were not as good as we hoped but everyone who went had great day. The building was magnificent and we were given a tour over lunch.

It was a privileged to see the enigma machines, and to see the Bombe that was invented to break the codes. They have rebuilt this as part of the museum and it is a tribute. To think that Bletchley Park was to be developed and all that history gone forever. I was humbled by the work done to save what is a really important part of our history.

This week I attended an event that included on the panel Dr Susan Black who used social media to fire up the debate and campaign to save Bletchley Park.

We also saw colossus, the computer believed to be one of the first. I would like to say I was impressed with the whole Bletchley Park experience but actually it invoked a very different emotion in me. The story of Alan Touring, who broke the Enigma and his suicide really touched at me. This man played such an important part in our history and yet we as society judged him and drove him to kill himself.