E195 - Bed and Board

September 2026 Most of the wartime staff at Bletchley Park were serving away from their homes and loved ones. But almost nobody actually lived on site. So where were they housed, and how were they fed? Billets - assigned living quarters - had to be found in the local area. These could vary enormously in quality, and the many different reminiscences of Bletchley Park's Veterans reflect this. In this episode, Erica Munro, Head of Content at Bletchley Park Trust and Research Officer, Dr Thomas Cheetham, get to grips with the pressures involved in finding bed and board for thousands of staff, during a time of national strife. We also hear from more than a dozen Veterans who shared their experiences and memories as part of Bletchley Park Trust's oral history project. Grateful thanks to the Veterans whose voices appear in this episode: Miss Joan Ireland Mrs Joan Joslin Mrs Marjorie Campbell Mrs Rozanne Colchester Mrs Mary Kenyon Miss Phyllis Keates Mr Arthur Maddocks Mrs Jean Evans Mrs Sylvia Johnson Mrs Gabrielle Kingaby Miss Sheila Willson Mrs Betty Balfour Mrs Brenda Abrahams Mrs Gwendoline Herbert Image: Three women inside Hut 147, Church Green camp: L-R Audrey Wilkinson, Paddy Payne and ‘Flynn’. ©Bletchley Park Trust 2026 #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #Codebreaker,