←back to thread

Bletchley code breaker Betty Webb dies aged 101

(www.bbc.com)
496 points danso | 3 comments | 01 Apr 25 12:55 UTC | HN request time: 0.604s | source
Show context
icosian ◴[01 Apr 25 15:23 UTC] No.43547907[source]▶
Only about a dozen years ago Bletchley was inviting former codebreakers back for an annual reunion. I used to go along to hear the talks, meet some of them and get books signed, including by Betty Webb. I'm glad they eventually got the recognition they deserved.

We have almost lost the chance now to hear personal testimony of WWII. I've met several Battle of Britain pilots too, but the last died in Dublin recently:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0318/1502596-hemingway/

replies(4): >>43549227 #>>43549432 #>>43549855 #>>43557904 #
1. nonrandomstring ◴[02 Apr 25 15:37 UTC] No.43557904[source]▶
Most of them were told "Never, ever speak about any of this".

And they didn't.

Like the Zanryu Nipponhei [0], they were loyal to the last. Even my own father kept things about his airforce days way too tightly wrapped up long, long after the official secrets sell-by date. I have some admiration for this, but in the end it's a loss to historical record.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_holdout

replies(1): >>43561963 #
2. DocTomoe ◴[02 Apr 25 21:41 UTC] No.43561963[source]▶
Consider it a blessing. Those orders were about controlling history much more than 'secrets': Many things done in war are later considered war crimes. Your admiration might have taken a hit had he started talking gleefully about the time he - just to pick a random example of things that happened - heroically shot fleeing "enemy" children on the ground.
replies(1): >>43566107 #
3. nonrandomstring ◴[03 Apr 25 07:32 UTC] No.43566107[source]▶
You're absolutely right. I did hear a few of those. And there was as much shame as pride in the old stories.