#8 | Breaking the Code

Phoebe and Tom speak with Ruth Bourne, a former member of the Women's Royal Naval Service who operated mechanical 'bombe' computers at the Bletchley Park codebreaking centre during World War II. Ruth now volunteers at the Park, teaching the public about its incredible history. We discuss what it felt like to be part of a top-secret wartime project, the challenging and strenuous work that Ruth and her colleagues did every day, and the ingenious science behind both the German Enigma code and the machines that eventually broke it. To find out more about Bletchley Park, and book a visit to see surviving machines in action (and perhaps meet Ruth herself!), head to https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/. ---- Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected] Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.