Bletchley Circle on PBS
 

This series should really appeal to you Boomer and you BK001. The story is basically set around a group of female Code Breakers who worked at Bletchley during WW2. When the war ended the women lost their jobs and were basically told to go home and be good little housewives and this series shows four women who rebelled against that.

It's a great series with something for everyone.

I tried watching it but the marital tension ruined it for me. I wanted to see them solve crimes. Nobody would have tried to tell any of my female ancestors they couldn't do something. I loved everything about it, the costumes, the brilliance of the women, everything. ...Except the man guilting her for not being a wife mother to his ideals.

Season 2 | Official Trailer | The Bletchley Circle | PBS

Well now I am going to have to watch this so that I can weigh-in.

I saw it over a year ago on Netflix, I think. I was disappointed when they took it away, as I would have watched it again. Thanks for the heads up.

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I really enjoyed both series.

This was and still is a great program. The Bletchley women were the heroes of the war, and were not acknowledged. They were not allowed to admit their war time work to anyone, even to their husbands. When the truth came out, they were finally given the praise they deserved.

Marvelous series and another part of history we should know about.

Thank you, Madelaine Amee,

I had not heard about Bletchley Circle but now I will definitely tune in.

While I am in this thread, in case you have not heard, PBS will begin the new season of Victoria on January 13 on Masterpiece.

--- Uh, oh. As soon as I typed that word 'Masterpiece' those trumpets started playing in my head. :)

I found out that my mother worked there during the war. Unfortunately she would not confirm it because she had sworn a 60 year oath of secrecy. She did write some things down for us, like how she trained, how they got to England etc. It was very secret. When they left Halifax they did not know what country they were going to. It was so secret that her service there is not even in her war records. After she has been dead for twenty years the English war department might tell me that she worked there.

I would love to listen to you talk about your mother! She must have been very quick and interesting. She was definitely a hero.
The REAL Bletchley Circle: Fascinating work of female codebreakers of World War II revealed | Daily Mail Online

It is quite a story, at least the parts that she told us. On the way to England they had to stay in their cabins. They were put in the back of a truck and taken to Bletchley where they stayed in chicken coop like buildings for weeks. Not even sure what country they were in, all of our lives growing up she played cards. Looking back she could count cards, we could never beat her at any game. She did puzzles until a few days before she died. Was amazing with numbers. I gave her a computer when she was about 75 and within a week she was pasting and sending things to my sisters. I now know why.

Pales in comparison to the 290,000 deaths and 670,000 U.S. Military wounded during WW2 and 48,000 deaths and 300,000 wounded in the Vietnam and the 150,000 Vietnam Vets who committed suicide. Interesting that when these statistics are written about gender is never mentioned.

Thank you, Harleyman.

I bet your mother has some mathematically brilliant descendants, some already, some long into the future maybe. What a wonderful story to pass down.

You mentioned puzzles. I was just with a friend whose grandchild is a toddler, 18 months old. She loves to play with puzzles (designed for little ones) and she patiently solves them. I have seen her do this. I told him that I think this little girl is wired for math. Also, I love it that her puzzles are hands-on and not on a screen. (But that is a soapbox topic of mine for another day.)

(I have to say that I am wondering if your mother was also musical, or are any of her offspring? I have observed that often, though not always, playing a musical instrument comes easily to those for whom math comes easily.)

Anyway, thank you. :)

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From where were they coming? Where is Bletchley exactly? I wonder how they found these women who had such amazing qualities to figure out codes. Were they volunteers or were they drafted?

I know your mother must have been fascinating. And her genetic abilities must have been gifted down.