Bletchley Park Week
As the storm clouds of World War Two gathered over Europe, brilliant minds worked tirelessly at Bletchley Park to break the German Enigma cyphers. The secret intelligence unravelled by code-breakers such as Alan Turing, Donald Michie, and Joan Thirsk (née Hopkins) was vital to the war effort, and is thought to have shortened the conflict by years.
At Kellogg we are once again celebrating our unique partnership with Bletchley Park with a week-long programme of special events.
Fact and Fiction: Telling the story of Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park Week 9 – 14 March 2020
The codebreakers at Bletchley Park were instrumental in the allied victory in World War II. Their achievement in developing a method to break the codes of the German Enigma machine has become the stuff of legend. But it is, of course, very much the stuff of fact too.
The finest intellects. The seemingly insurmountable odds. The complex personalities. The race against time.
All rich ingredients for the storyteller as well as the historian.
So what is Bletchley’s truth? That’s a question at the heart of Bletchley Park Week: a series of events where you can discover more about the Government Code and Cypher School (Bletchley’s title in 1939), explore how it has been depicted through documentaries, films, and written fiction, and debate the limits that should be set when interpreting history for dramatic effect and entertainment.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join us!
| Date | Event | Time |
| Monday 9 March | Enigma Machine Demonstrations (Free and open to the public) |
11:30 – 12:30 13:30 – 14:30 17:00 – 18:00 |
| Tuesday 10 March | Enigma Machine Demonstration (Free and open to the public) |
13:30 – 14:30 |
| Representing the past in film An illustrated talk with Oscar winning writer and director, and Kellogg Artist in Residence Kenneth Lonergan (Free and open to the public) |
17:00 – 18:00 | |
| Wednesday 11 March | Bletchley Park Trip (Kellogg members and their guests) |
10:00 – 16:00 |
| MCR Bletchley Film Night: ‘The Imitation Game” (Kellogg members and their guests) |
20:00 – 22:00 | |
| Thursday 12 March | Bletchley Park: Fact and Fiction A panel discussion exploring the depiction of Bletchley Park on screen, in literature and in documentaries. (Free and open to the public) |
17:30 – 18:30 |
| Saturday 14 March | MCR Film Night: “U-571” (Kellogg members and their guests) This is a change to our previously advertised film. |
20:00 – 22:00 |
The majority of our events are free and open to the public. Booking may be required. Please see booking details for all events at www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/events/
Bletchley Park Week Puzzle Competition – Prize Draw Winners!
Congratulations go the following people, who were lucky winners in our prize draw competition.
Winner Diana Sumping
Runners up Marcus Duyzend and Owen Harvey
A copy of the answers can be downloaded here: Bletchley Park Week Puzzles – Answers
Thank you to everyone that took part and, if you weren’t lucky this time round, we hope you’ll join in next year.