Wright, Nance Eveline: my Bletchley Park recollections (August 29, 1978)
PublicInterviewer: Main, Chris D.
ABSTRACT: Mrs. (Nancé Eveline) Wright Bletchley Park Wright_N_0147_01.mp3 Born on Apr. 10, 1920 in England, Nancé Adair moved to Canada at the age of five years, staying until 1938 when the family returned to England to a house about nine miles from Bletchley Park. Attempted to join the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) in 1940, but unsucessful due to a lack of the required skills at that time. Explained this to a R.A.F. friend who worked at Bletchley Park and he arranged a job interview. Eventually worked for Hugh Alexander, former headmaster of Winchester School and a chess champion, one of the "backroom boys". (10:00) Discusses some of the "characters" there. When she joined, a naval commander explained that she could not leave Bletchley for the duration of the war. Continued to live at home. Salary eight shillings and sixpence per week. Long hours, often two shifts per day. One day off per week, occasionally one-week leave. She told her parents that she was just a general civil servant, although they guessed that this was not so. In the beginning her work was, in general, decoding which was often boring. (35:00) Later worked with the Enigma machines which received information from a large, computer-like machine called "the bombe" which produced somewhat simplified coded messages. These machines were operated by Wrens at Bletchley and outstations. Wright knew that the decoding through the Enigma machine was successful when the message appeared, printed in German. She worked in the German naval section: U-boats, Battle of the Atlantic, etc. -- in many respects, a routine job. Has never seen people work so hard; sometimes a double shift by choice. Describes the night shift routine. Several hundred persons worked in the naval section. Stayed on after the war and, after Bletchley disbanded, at Eastcote on still-secret work. (45:00) Wright_N_0147_02.mp3 Again describes some of the "characters" who worked at Bletchley: among others, R. Nosquith and Joan Clark, both brilliant. Chess games sometimes went on for days, as the "brains" practiced. The "brains" loved the work at Bletchley because it was such a puzzle. The second reason was, of course, patriotism. (20:00)
An interview/narrative of Nance Eveline Wright's experiences during World War II. Mrs. Wright served at Bletchley Park. Interview took place on August 29, 1978.
Interviewee: Wright, Nance Eveline, b. 1920
- In Collection:
- 2 sound recordings (MP3)
- 52.16045, -0.70312
- One original sound tape reel (ca. 60 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : standard, mono. in Special Collections.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- WNE_147
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds
- January 20, 2009
- Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 32 kHz. Digitized by QL, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
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Wright_N_0147_02.mp3 | Public |
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