Codebreaker Jerry Roberts calls for recognition of Bletchley Park heroes
The Colossus computer at Bletchley Park
One of Bletchley Park’s most prominent codebreakers has said a statue needs to be made of the three ‘heroes’ of the wartime base.
Captain Jerry Roberts MBE is a passionate advocate of his former colleagues including Alan Turing, Tommy Flowers and Bill Tutte.
He said: “Turing stopped not just Britain but Europe from being plunged into 50 years of a Nazi dark age. Tutte helped greatly to shorten the war. Tommy Flowers has laid the foundation of everything that’s happened in the computer world internationally.
“I would like to suggest a joint statue on that fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. That’s if David Beckham doesn’t mind.”
When the secret of how the codebreakers cracked Lorenz was revealed in 2003, Cpt Roberts was able to tell his wife what he’d done.
He said: “Mei knew I had worked at Bletchley Park but I hadn’t told her what I’d worked on – Tunny – that was still classified. So I didn’t tell her. We’re very close, we tell each other everything. Well, nearly everything.”
Cpt Roberts was speaking on the Bletchley Park Podcast. The full interview can be heard at http://audioboo.fm/channel/bletchley-park
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Sunday 19 May 2013
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