Greenberg Joel - Gordon Welchman: Bletchley Parks architect of ultra intelligence

For Gordon Welchman and his family

Gordon Welchman:
Bletchley Parks Architect of Ultra Intelligence

This edition published in 2014 by Frontline Books,
an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd,
47 Church Street, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire, S70 2AS
www.frontline-books.com

Copyright Joel Greenberg, 2014
Foreword Rosamond Welchman, 2014
Appendix 2 Frank Carter, 2014

The right of Joel Greenberg to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

HARDBACK ISBN: 978-1-84832-752-8
PDF ISBN: 978-1-47383-639-6
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-47383-463-7
PRC ISBN: 978-1-47383-551-1

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Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

Typeset in 11/13.9 pt Minion Pro

Contents

Plates

Foreword

U nlike my brother Nicholas Welchman, my sister Susanna Griffith and I were born too late to have any direct memory of my fathers work at Bletchley Park. During my childhood Dads war work was a mere rumour in our family a hint that he had done something important during the war that we couldnt talk about. I was a sceptical child and did not totally believe this. When the secret was let out and Dad wrote his book, The Hut Six Story, it was a revelation to me, and something of a surprise. I was very fortunate to help Dad in his last year of life with his final paper on his codebreaking experience, which made those years more real to me. In 2001 I visited Bletchley Park not nearly as developed then as it is now with my son Daniel Tischler. We were lucky to hear John Herivel give a talk on the occasion of the opening of an exhibit about the Herivel Tip. Both of us were surprised and delighted to find that the talk was largely about Dads leadership role at Bletchley Park. It was the first time that I had heard in detail of Dads work in words other than his own. I was also surprised to find myself and my son being identified as part of a sort of Bletchley Park family, a child and a grandchild. That must now be rather a large family!

Dads war work and the secrecy about it for many years afterwards had a significant impact on our family life. I think it was difficult for Dad to settle down after the excitement and creativity of the war years, and we moved frequently, three times across the Atlantic. I never stayed in one school for more than two years, and often felt myself to be an outsider, too English in the United States, and too American in England. However, there are benefits to being an outsider, and I was very lucky to land up in some very interesting schools.

Dad was a charming person, quite the gentleman. His inclination was to enjoy life, and I remember him most with a twinkle in his eye and a subtle smile. I was occasionally startled, after he had met some slightly disreputable friend of mine, to hear of his disapproval because in their presence he was so polite and accepting. The friend would have no clue of Dads disapproval. However he was capable of changing his opinion later, and often did. He was always in control of himself, in my memory at least. If displeased, or perhaps a bit intoxicated, he would withdraw to his study to write a letter. We always wondered if in fact all of that time was spent writing letters, but judging by the piles of letters that remain, a lot of it was!

Dad had several personal characteristics that I believe were related to his work during the war. When something interested him, he threw himself into it. He loved music, and amassed an enormous collection of records, all of which he seemed to know quite well, and played quite often. There was a time when he took up gardening, and performed Olympian feats in transforming an unpromising rocky slope into a lush and colourful garden. He claimed that his close reading of Aku-Aku (Thor Hyerdahls book about the Easter Island statues) taught him how to move the ridiculously large stones. He was always curious and loved to read and learn about new ideas. When he was bed-ridden in his last months I remember him musing about a mobile of little sailing ships that floated about in the breeze above his bed, and wondering how one could tell just when they would all be in a straight line.

Dad had methodical habits. For example I remember that when leaving the house he had a system for counting off tasks that should be done on his fingers (turn out the lights, turn off the gas, lock the door, things like that). In his bachelor days after his first divorce he learned one recipe (a pot roast cooked in an electric frying pan) that I believe he served to me every time I visited during that period. It was always done in exactly the same way quite delicious, by the way! He paid close attention to detail, for example recording even minuscule household expenses. He kept meticulous records of his tape recordings of music that he assembled into concerts he offered in a local nursing home. When calculating a tip in a restaurant, he insisted on doing long multiplication with paper and pencil, rather than estimating, which could be a bit embarrassing for his guests.

Dads world shifted considerably during his lifetime. He took time to change in some respects but he certainly did change eventually both in attitudes and tastes. When his children were young Dad was sometimes distant as perhaps many English fathers of his generation were. He told me in the context of my own children that he didnt really know what to do with small children until he could read them a book. I remember being a little embarrassed by his attempts to produce appropriate Southern United States accents when reading Uncle Remus folk stories aloud to us as children. However, I believe that at times he was able to do special things with each of us children as individuals, for example birding with my sister Susanna, and fishing with me. Hiking and camping were some of the best memories that I have of family activities. I inherited a collection of Dads favourite photos, and several that clearly meant a lot to him were of my sister Susanna and me on a mountaintop in northern Vermont, where we used to go for summers.

I believe that Dad always considered himself to be English at heart. He applied for United States citizenship for reasons of security in his work, but he loved to return to visit his family and friends in England. It was sad that for so much of his life he did not get recognition for his work at Bletchley Park, but he told me that he felt his career had been interesting and rewarding regardless. My brother, my sister and I were enthusiastic when Joel Greenberg told us of his intention to write a book about our father. When Joel visited Nick and me in 2011 (sadly, less than a year before Nicks death) it gave us a wonderful opportunity to revisit old memories together. We found that we had a good collection of documents to offer Joel, and were pleased by his excitement about the boxes of Dads papers that had been stashed in Nicks attic, forgotten. I also had a number of photos and items of memorabilia that I was given by Dads third wife, Teeny. I am sure that Dad would have been very pleased to know of Joels project and the considerable interest in his many achievements.