Ron Brown

My connection was a a wirless operator and, so, of course I was not involved with the actual code breaking. When the wartime activities of B.P was finally out in the open some years ago I was disappointed that no mention of the communications aspect was ever referred to. Indeed, when I did visit B.P I was again rather disillusioned that nothing was
included in any of the exhibits in this regard.

    For my part, I was originally enlisted in the R.A.F and trained as a wireless operator and very quickly put on a troopship bound for the Middle East. At Suez I was "snatched" by Special Communications Unit No.1 as I was apparently regarded as a top rate operator.The base unit was a nondescript building at the back of the large Allied base at Heliopolis.From there we were sent wherever the General/Commander/Whatever. thus we were alongside General Montgomery during his Western Desert battles. I also did a year up at Beirut alongside the submarine Commander there. Then across and all the way up Italy
(Bari, Caserta and Rome) and, then early in 1946 back to Bletchley for a while until I was discharged. I was invited to continue as a civilian at foreign Embassies but declined.
    I now approaching 88 and often wonder if any of my old friends and colleagues from those days are still around.   Incidentally, my dear wife who I sadly lost 13 years ago was in the WRNS billeted at Woburn Abbey and, amazingly neither of us really knew what we were either of us up to during the war years. I do know that she was "bussed" in to B.P so I assume that she was working on the card index system that they had. She would have been thrilled to have received the certificate and badge. So far as I know we were the only husband/wife team (although we were not married at the time) to have been involved with the B.P organisation. Her name at the time was Alice Leighton.