WWII Codebreaker Marjorie Dodsworth Reflects on Her Long-Held Secret

Marjorie Dodsworth’s parents passed away without ever learning about her involvement in World War Two. Mrs. Dodsworth has shared her account with BBC Radio Guernsey in anticipation of the Island Memories Project’s launch. This project seeks to document the narratives of island residents for a digital archive, in collaboration with Guernsey Museums. Marjorie Hawkins, born in Reading in 1925, had intended to enlist in the Royal Navy should war commence. However, she did not foresee herself signing the Official Secrets Act and serving as an operator of a Bombe, a mechanism employed to aid in decoding secret messages encrypted by the German Enigma machine. This work took place at Eastcote, which was an outstation of the Bletchley Park codebreaking centre. “They were getting us to do the actual breaking the codes. I don’t know how to describe what you do really,” she stated. The mechanisms conceived by Alan Turing contributed to altering the trajectory of the war. Accelerating the process of deciphering the daily Enigma setting enabled personnel to swiftly decode and transmit intelligence, allowing sufficient time for its utilization. Mrs. Dodsworth ultimately performed eight-hour shifts within a windowless structure, operating her machine. “It wasn’t very easy because it was drums which revolved and they had very tiny wires in the back which connected with the machine, and if they stopped it might possibly be a message,” she explained. The tasks were subsequently returned to Bletchley Park for additional decoding. “We never knew whether we’d actually broken a code,” she noted. Even without knowing the precise specifics of the outcomes, she mentioned it remained gratifying to realize they had contributed significantly. “Churchill said we were the goose that laid the golden eggs,” she recounted. During 1944, Enigma decrypts provided specific information regarding German preparations and their intended response to the D-Day invasion. Mrs. Dodsworth stated that she departed school without any qualifications, thus she initially did not comprehend why she had been selected for this specific position. “They told us it was very secret and we had to sign the Official Secrets Act,” she affirmed. “We were told if ever we divulged any part of it we’d be instantly dismissed and, if it was a serious complaint, we’d be shot.” Both her parents passed away prior to her being permitted to inform them. However, exactly 50 years after she signed the Official Secrets Act, upon the expiration of her obligations under the legislation, she gathered her husband and four sons at the dinner table and recounted her experiences. “It was very hard keeping the secret from my family but you had to do it and that was it,” she commented. “I still find it difficult to talk about now.” Regarding what her parents might have thought? “They’d be surprised for sure and I think possibly proud,” she speculated. “I must admit I am proud of what I did.” Readers can follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook, and submit story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.