Did Twitter save Bletchley Park?7th March 2012

Content

A Brief History Simon Greenish - Previous CEO Bletchley Park Trust

How Social Media Helped Bletchley Park Dr Sue Black

Future Plans Iain Standen - CEO Bletchley Park Trust

A Brief History• Arguably one of the most important sites of 20C • Codebreaking in WW2 made huge impact on outcome

of war• First operating computer Colossus developed to break

high grade German code -electronic age started at Bletchley Park

• Story kept secret until 1975• Struggled to survive 1992 - 2010• Now recognised as a site of truly international

importance

The Mathematics of Enigma• Set-up from code book• 3 rotors from 5 = 10 choices• The order = 6 choices 6 x 10 = 60• Ring settings – 26 x 26 x 26 = 17,576• 17,576 x 60 = 1,054,560• ‘Stecker board’ with ten leads: 10 from 13 (26/2) =

150,000,000,000,000• 150,000,000,000,000 x 1,054,560 =

• 158,184,000,000,000,000,000:1• Chances of winning the National Lottery?

• ~14,000,000:1

Army & Air Force Huts 6 and 3

Naval Huts 8 and 4

Block A

Colossus – January 1944 onwards

Why did Germany never realise?

• UK “need to know” basis – 30 people with full knowledge

• Compartmentalisation of Bletchley Park – BP workers did not know

• No action taken unless it could be explained through other means

Visit of HM The Queen accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh – July 2011

The Challenges

• Trust inherited 70 buildings – many large

and in poor condition

• Inadequate funding – huge operating and

maintenance costs

• The need to increase profile

How Social Media Helped Bletchley Park Dr Sue Black

Photo by @Documentally

Photo by @Jemimah_Knight

Photos by @Documentally

Photos by @Ade_Oshineye

The Future

Project NEPTUNE

2012 - 2014

Block CDetailed Views

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The Huts – With and without bomb blast walls

VisionIn the 5 -10 year timescale Bletchley Park will

become a world class museum and heritage site, renown throughout the world for its key role in the

Second World War and its position as the birthplace of the modern computer. It will be experiencing the

levels of visitors anticipated in the current HLF business case (~ 250,000 per annum) and its

operating costs will be self – sustained. It will also house facilities that continue to place Bletchley Park as much at the heart of technical innovation today

as it was in the Second World War.

What *you* can do........1. Talk to people about Bletchley Park and encourage them to visit (only £12 for an annual pass)

2. What are you good at that could bring attention or funds to Bletchley Park? Organise a fundraising event for us? 3. Follow @bletchleypark , @BParkCEO and @Dr_Black on Twitter, search term #bpark

4. Let’s Build a Bletchley Park for the future that recognises the international importance of the site

www.bletchleypark.org.uk

Did save Bletchley Park?

Any Questions?