Remembering Those Not on the Front Lines

November 14, 2014 | Lynn

With Remembrance Day having taken place this week, it is important not only to remember those soldiers fighting on the front lines, but also those who worked to break codes and spy on the enemies. These important figures can be forgotten by people because of national security and the public may never learn of their deeds until many years later, such as the work done in World War II by Bletchley Circle. These seemingly innocuous men and women worked tirelessly to break codes and their efforts weren’t acknowledged until 1974. Recently the BBC did a series focusing on these code breakers called Bletchley Circle.

All wars also produce spies, some more famous such as Mata Hari and the Rosenbergs, but most will never be known by the public for good reasons. These people could change the course of the war and we can only assume many did. One such example is a spy known as "Garbo" to the British and "Arabel" to the Germans. This famous double agent was credited with convincing the Germans that the Allies would land in Pas de Calais and not Normandy. Please explore our collections to learn more about these important figures in history to help us never forget their contributions.

Code Breakers