During World War Two, Bletchley Park was the top-secret home of the codebreakers, who are widely acknowledged as being one of the key reasons why the Allies managed to defeat the Axis nations.
By devising methods that allowed the Allied forces to decipher the military codes and cyphers that secured the German and Japanese lines of communication, the codebreakers at Bletchley Park produced vital intelligence to support the Allied military operations on the land, sea and in the air.
Bletchley Park is also heralded as the birthplace of the information age, with the introduction of the codebreaking processes enabled by machines such as the Turing/Welchman Bombe and the world’s first electronic computer, Colossus.
Enid Mary Wenban was one of those Bletchley Park heroes, having been enlisted at 23-years-old to help the government break German codes.
As she celebrates her 100th birthday, Enid recalls her experiences of World War Two: “I’ll never forget those days and it was incredible to finally hear the war was over when, whilst at my listening station in the spring of 1945, I intercepted a message of surrender from a U-boat in plain, unencrypted German!”
“It was a huge relief and a feeling of enormous pride to know that we had helped to defeat Hitler.”
Alexa is helping to keep families connected
Today, Enid is turning her hand to new technology – using Amazon’s Echo Show to communicate with her relatives throughout the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown.
The crisis has impacted many older people, who have seen their contact with friends and family restricted by social distancing measures.
With care home visits likely to be impacted by a second spike of the virus, we need to do all that we can to keep residents connected with their families.
However, technology like Alexa and the Echo Show has been helping people like Enid to stay connected with their loved ones. Julian Lindsell, who runs Enid’s care home, said: “Even at 100 years old, Enid shows no signs of slowing down and remains open to learning new technology. In no time at all, she was using the hardware to speak to her family and friends around the world.”
“It just goes to illustrate that when trying to understand technology, if you approach things logically, whether it’s a 1940s code-breaking system or the latest state-of-the art, voice-activated technology, age is never a barrier.”
“As a care home owner, the welfare of my residents is my primary responsibility and I will do anything and everything to keep those residents safe. With care home visits likely to be impacted by a second spike of the virus, we need to do all that we can to keep residents connected with their families. They cherish this time with their loved ones.”
Introducing the new line up for Amazon Devices and Services.
