OUR OWN ‘BLETCHLEY’ GIRLS

During WW11, two of our ex Deepdale church members, Gwen Kirkham and Dorothy Shufflebottom, spent much of their service time undertaking vitally important intelligence work at RAF Cheadle, and Cheadle’s American sub-station at Tean in Staffordshire. This is their story.

The Second World War was waged throughout Europe, into North Africa, Asia and the Far East. It was fought on land, at sea and in the air. It was fought clandestinely in occupied countries by ordinary men and women and, even though the UK was fortunate not to live under the jack boot, there was a secret, silent army working around the clock to keep the country safe. This army consisted of both military and civilian personnel who worked together in harmony to help bring down the enemy. They worked in absolute secrecy in small groups and for decades after the conflict was over they never talked about their vital jobs.

Living in the Staffordshire town of Uttoxeter were two eighteen year old friends, Gwen Gerrard and Dorothy Plant. When the time came they were called up for military service and they joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (the WAAFS). Both of them, it would appear, had an aptitude for Morse code (twenty four words a minute was what was aimed for) and they were posted to Cheadle and Tean, not far from their home town, and there they spent the war – listening.

Gwen and Dorothy were two cogs in the operation of which the National Codes Centre, Bletchley Park, was the centre. Reading its official guide it would appear that through the back gates of the mansion came despatch riders bringing intercepted German messages from RAF Chicksands and from RAF Stanbridge. The latter was the collection point for intercepts from a ring of local stations mainly situated on the Dunstable Downs. Intercepts from more distant stations arrived on teleprinters via the GPO telephone system. These were the ‘Y’ stations,- the web of listening stations dotted around the country providing the code breakers with their raw material. Cheadle and Tean were two such stations and this was the work undertaken by our two girls. The security at these listening posts was extremely tight and the gates were guarded continuously by the police.

Each day was divided into three watches of eight hours and the work consisted of listening to the messages sent out by the Luftwaffe. At times the messages came in thick and fast which had to be written down at speed. There was a half hour break only. Both Gwen and Dorothy said morale was good and both civilian and military personnel got along well together. They quickly got used to wearing head phones for eight hours at a stretch and both said they could not remember them being uncomfortable to wear. Gwen tells me that during the night watch she was allowed to while away her listening hours doing some embroidery and she decorated quite a few table cloths during her time at Cheadle! The messages picked up during the night watch were sent on the following morning. Their living accommodation was not luxurious, consisting of huts, and the food was certainly not haute cuisine! Gwen says she has never eaten potatoes since she was demobbed! Dorothy was billeted in a hut in the grounds of a private house and going back there in the blackout was not fun! Tean was allegedly haunted and on a certain night the lights would go out. The staff were warned about this and it did happen (possibly something ‘secret’ was going on at the time.) Neither of them could remember how much leave they were allowed, but Dorothy admitted to a bit of ‘moonlighting’. Her commanding officer had been the manager of the shoe shop in which she had worked before call up and on occasions she was able to take her leave to coincide with the holiday of the manageress. She would go home and go back into the shop to hold the fort, so to speak.

As we are all aware, the absolute secrecy that surrounded Bletchley Park, Chicksands, Stanbridge and all the listening stations lasted for decades and it is only in recent years that this army of women have spoken about their absolutely vital role in the war. Both Gwen and Dorothy felt some initial reluctance in talking about it and breaking what had been the habit of a life time. I am happy to say that they did agree to talk to me and both have thanked me and said how it brought back some happy memories.

Barbara Hothersall