In 1945, Ruth Bourne was one of the young Wrens operating more than 100 Bombe machines at Eastcote, phoning in good stops to Bletchley Park without knowing that Hut 6 codebreakers sometimes cheered on the other end of the line (opens in new tab)

In 1945, Ruth Bourne was still a teenage Wren at Eastcote, working in a high-walled Bombe outstation where more than 100 machines were named after occupied European towns and the young operators phoned good stops through to Bletchley Park without knowing what those stops unlocked. She knew the routine. Set the machine. Watch it run. […]