Bletchley Park

Recently I have read a number of books about Bletchley Park after seeing the film, The Imitation Game. So when we realised that we would be travelling in the region of the complex when moving location from Cheltenham to Bedford  we stopped to visit Bletchley Park. We only had time for a quick visit so we returned for another visit on our rest day.

The original house is obviously a must to visit however we spent much of our time in the museum in B Block, one of the buildings built during World War II.

The museum contains exhibitions explaining how the code breaking machines worked but also providing a history of the projects undertaken at the centre plus information about those who worked there.

A small version of the machine created to break the enigma code. When buttons are pushed the wheels turn.

Volunteers are working to create a larger version.

We spent more than an hour exploring the stories portrayed in the museum.

View of the house across the lake. Inside the house, when we visited there are exhibitions of costumes and sets used in the film, The Imitation Game.

Glass paneling near the entrance of the house. Towards the end of the war almost nine thousand men and women were working shifts in the complex resulting in the construction of new buildings for the different projects.

Detail of part of the roof of the mansion.

Inside the house we found reference to the cricket ground that used to be at Bletchley Park. There were also tennis courts.

Out buildings included garages and offices.

A number of the huts at Bletchley Park have been restored and some are open to the public.

In Hut 8 you can see the layout of the office where Alan Turing worked.

Bicycles were the major method of transport for those working at Bletchley Park.

Website for Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park is a great place to visit and is a record of an important institution working behind the scenes during World War II.

Game 9 - against Buckinghamshire at Beaconsfield

When we set out for the long drive from Cheltenham to Beaconsfield we did not realise how long the trip would take. We were driving along the A40 when the traffic came to a complete stop for more than an hour. The English are apparently used to this and we all got out of our cars and had a chat. The people in several cars behind us were going to Royal Ascot and making note of the races they were missing. Another couple were meeting their son for lunch.

Ian and Greg spent some of the time playing virtual cricket. Eventually the roads were reopened and we continued on our way. Needless to say the Australian contingent all arrived late and the game was shortened to 40 overs per innings.

The club was founded in 1825.

Australia won the toss and batted on a good wicket and were 4 for 235 at the end of the innings. Ian Petherick and David Cordy both retired with 51 runs. Murray Harrison scored 47 runs.

Australia then bowled and Buckinghamshire made 6 for 205 in its innings. Robin bowled 8 overs, 1 maiden and took 2 wickets for 37 runs. He also took a catch. Brian Scott also bowled 8 overs and took 1 wicket for 32 runs. Bowling in tandem, these two players once again kept the run rate down.

The players from both teams once again posed for photographs.

During the game I went for a walk in Beaconsfield.

Once again there was a variety of architectural styles.

Australia had now won 8 of their first 9 games.