British WWII Code-Breaker Betty Webb: A Life of Secrets Ends at 101
Charlotte “Betty” Webb worked at Bletchley Park, the famous British code-breaking center, where she was responsible for sorting intercepted German communications. She later paraphrased Japanese messages, too.
The Women’s Royal Army Corps Association (WRAC) announced on Tuesday that one of the UK’s longest-living World War II codebreakers has died at the age of 101.
Charlotte “Betty” Webb was employed at Bletchley Park, the renowned British facility for codebreaking located near London. There, her role involved sorting and cataloging German messages that had been captured and decoded.
What did Betty Webb do at Bletchley Park?
A German speaker, Webb’s job involved reordering decoded messages in such a way that, if re-intercepted during forwarding to Allied commanders, the enemy would not know that their own original transmissions were being deciphered.
As part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), Webb later took on the role of deciphering intercepted Japanese communications at The Pentagon in the U.S., contributing to the Allied efforts in the Pacific theater.
In 2015, she received the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), and in 2021, she was honored with an award.
Legion d’Honneur
, France’s most prestigious award, in acknowledgment of her contributions during World War II.
Betty Webb: “A advocate for women veterans”
A statement from the Women’sArmyAuxiliaryCorps highlighted Betty’s enduring inspirationforwomenintheArmyovertheyears,priding themselves inhercontributionsduringWWIIandthereafterasachampionoffemaleveterans,”readstheannouncementmarkingherpassing.
Webb maintained her work as confidential until 1975, at which point she started delivering lectures to schools and various groups. Additionally, she authored a book recounting her experiences, thereby contributing to the preservation of Bletchley Park’s history—a site featured in the 2014 film.
The Imitation Game
.
Bletchley Park stated in an official announcement that Betty was not just part of the remarkable team at Bletchley Park during World War II, but she also spent considerable time enhancing the visibility and reputation of Bletchley Park in later years.
Through her dedicated work in making the story of Bletchley Park accessible to more people by recounting the experiences of those who served there, she played a crucial part in acknowledging the park’s significant contribution during World War II and its effect on the war effort.
Coming from the village of Wythall, located just south of Birmingham in the English Midlands, Webb began her journey at Bletchley Park as a secretary. She described this role as “rather dull but necessary.”
However, once it became clear that she could handle message registration instantly without any training, she mentioned that she was directed to pledge adherence to the Official Secrets Act under the supervision of a “quite strict” army captain. After this, she was simply told to proceed and begin sorting through approximately 10,000 messages received daily.
In 2023, Webb received an invitation to attend King Charles III’s coronation and was granted a prime viewing spot. She later described this experience as “spectacular” when speaking with the BBC.
Edited by John Silk
Author: Matt Ford