My Secret Life in Hut Six: One woman's experiences at Bletchley Park

I read this immediately after reading The Secret Lives of Codebreakers. . ., a much broader, less personal look at the goings-on at Bletchley Park. This was a perfect complement. This story is pretty much limited to one woman's experience just before, during and just after the war. Most Americans have no real appreciation for what Britain civilians went through during WW II, and this book covers that beautifully. I really enjoyed both the history and the modest spiritual dimension to the co-author's story (which is not so obtrusive as to offend non-Christians).

Considering this book was written when the protagonist was in her late 80's and had suffered from various ailments (including a stroke), this book gives a very good insight into the life and activities of one of the women who worked with Welchman - a peer of Alan Turing's - to investigate the logistics behind the codes being deciphered. Mair was a young college graduate who was approached and hired by the British Government to work on the top secret activities at Bletchley Park dealing with breaking the German codes. While the format is chronological, the anecdotal nature of the book makes for somewhat uneven reading. Mair (pronounced My-r, according to the book - but I'm still not sure how it's supposed to sound, only that Mare is incorrect), was a staunch Christian, and, in the book, her activities in this area almost have equal priority with her decoding work. While this fact gives a picture of what was important to her, it doesn't help much with informing the reader of exactly what she did at Bletchley - in fact, I got the idea that she wasn't very good at at her job - either that, or she is very modest. Those with whom she worked are mentioned in passing; she really liked Turning, and thought Welchman was a good manager, but that's pretty much the total of what one learns about these men. The most dramatic part of the book covers the termination of two of the women who were arguing over a man they both liked. Each attempted to prove who was most important to the guy, by telling the other (and everyone within earshot) secret things he had told each of them, in a sort of 'see if you can top this' contest. The whole episode was rather sad, but it proved that telling secrets, even in the work environment, was grounds for being fired. The major parts of the book cover her romance with a pacifist (whom she married after the war), and her problems with her family, most of whom just didn't believe that she was doing anything of importance. The inference being that women just couldn't be that important during a war. The reader gets the impression it was quite frustrating for her, but the Official Secrets Act was still in effect for about 50 years, and she was precluded from telling her story to most of her relatives who refused to believe her, and most of whom died before this book was written. It's a short book, thus was a quick read, and it was interesting. I just wish there were more details about the actual code breaking and analysis being done.

I have really just started reading it. Its a lot different than all of the other Bletchley books that I have read. It really gets very deep into the beginning of the War. Have not got into code breaking yet. She takes you through every part of her life before she gets involved at Bletchley. She tells about her life as a young person, where she lived, her family etc. I find it very interesting.

One of the best Non-Fiction books I have read lately. I learn a great deal and the story line gave me the need to learn more.

I read this cover to cover in a week, feeling transported back to a time before I was born that has always been one of great personal interest to me, and discovering a whole new story. Mair Russel-Jones is a woman worthy of spending the time to get to know through this book and Gethin Russel-Jones has beautifully pieced it all together in a way that completely captures the reader and gives honour to a huge and vital part of British history.

I have read a couple other books about Bletchley Park and have visited there as well. (It all started with the BBC Bletchley Circle.) This is the micro view of the experience of one woman who worked there, plus the context of her life before, during, and after. It alternates between her testimony and her son's writing. Her life was both ordinary and extraordinary, although her ordinary life was not so ordinary. She was clearly someone who aspired to a life unlike the limited context she was raised in and worked hard to achieve it. Unlike her, I'm not a person of faith, but if you are going to be one she is the kind to be.

Like others, I would have preferred that her son had gotten more out of her about the particulars of the work she was actually doing at Bletchley. But the mundane details of her life before that and at Bletchley really paint a picture of what things were like in that bygone time in Britain. I could have used another 252 pages.

Interesting, albeit narrow focus on this little known WW11 operation

I like WWII history. This book is very interesting to read to get a glimpse of what went on at Bletchley Park breaking the German code.

This is a personal history, as the title says. It describes the times and culture, but has very little on what the protagonist/author actually did at Bletchley Park. It was written after the other stories, such as Welchman's book, so she could have included more on what she did. As is, she described where she lived, how they worked as a group. Its an interesting snapshot of her war effort. It could have been written by thousands of women who worked in various war offices. There is not much that is specific about Hut Six.

I liked the surrounding story but I don't think I would have had much in common with Ms Russell-Jones.