Message Intercepted from Bletchley Park May 23 2025

How's it shaking, "radio makers"?

This is Nick and Lilia.

Today, we visited Bletchley Park, the historic home and work place to codebreakers, translators, technicians, and unsung heroes from the Second World War. As per usual, the day began with coffee, because breaking codes is clearly a caffeine-dependent process, and then we made our way to the park.

On my end, we too began our day with caffeine, but of the tea variety. Knowing this day trip was going to be a long one, caffeine was an essential.

Dr. Millichap content in his massive throne

We started with some free time to wander, and a small group of four, Hannah, Ella, Josh, and me, decided to start the tour off with Block A, drawn by the chance to dress up as codebreakers. Stepping into the building felt like traveling through time, from wartime cryptology to the present day with a fascinating exhibit on the evolution and impact of artificial intelligence.

Josh saluting, reporting for duty

My group made of me, Joseph, Makayla, Anya, and Ava made a b-line for block B and started looking at the history of so-called paper and pencil cryptanalysis of rotor-based ciphers, such as "Turingery". I totally geeked out about all of the Turing's many papers all spread about, especially his work on morphogenesis (how living things develop).

Ella and I, the self-proclaimed "IT professionals," were especially intrigued by the section on AI impersonation and how it’s used in modern phishing attacks, something we encounter too often in our campus IT jobs. Meanwhile, Josh was completely absorbed by the interactive expositions, listening attentively to the recorded voices from the past.

Hannah and Lilia girl-bossing it

Hannah and Ella girl-bossing it

When we reached the dress-up section, we each picked a hat and coat and immediately fell into character, completed with exaggerated British accents. Honestly, Oscar-worthy performances all around.

Bletchley fashion show!
(left to right top to bottom, Josh, Ella, Lilia, Hannah)

After that, it was time for what we called "Lunch: Part 1" (because why commit to just one?). Hannah whipped out her frisbee, and we all embarrassed ourselves trying to throw it… basically anywhere but to each other. 

Lunch time!

We sat a table beside them, with a (mostly) peaceful lunch. When the frisbee came out, I almost lost my head from a well-placed frisbee throw to Joseph. All ended well, no frisbee-related injuries (phew).

Post-lunch, we reunited with the rest of the group for a guided tour led by the most legendary tour guide ever: David, though we had to earn his name by decoding it first. He was equal parts hilarious and informative and took time to engage with some of us personally, which made the tour feel even more special.

One thing that really stood out was learning that some Bletchley employees became fluent in Japanese in just six months. That’s some serious brainpower. It also amazed us how strictly everyone kept secrets, not just from the outside world, but even from each other and their families. It made me wonder: what would Bletchley Park look like in the age of Instagram and group chats?

Unfortunately, our tour was cut a little short, we were running late for our Enigma workshop. It was my first time listening to Morse code, and wow, it was hard to transcribe. It’s a crucial step in the process, and the accuracy directly affects the ability to decode messages. 

Josh encoding using a real-life Enigma machine

I too struggled with the morse code. Even though the dot and dash beeps were played slower, it was really hard to transcribe real time, let alone mark letter breaks or word breaks. I left with a deep sense of respect for all of the operators who did 8 hour shifts of this work, not losing focus for a moment, lest they miss a letter.

After the lesson on Morse code (and the enigma machine), we headed straight for the manor, filled with ornate and intricate carving along the walls and ceiling. (Apparently one of the rooms in this manor was the filming location of the bar scene in The Imitation Game). Makayla was giddy with excitement looking at all the architecture in the manor.

Makayla in awe with the Bletchley Manor

To wind down the day, Jay, Kali, Rhodes, Katie, and I relaxed on the grass, soaking up the sun before catching the train back. Onboard, a few of us ended up chatting with some local girls who were headed to a concert. In a moment of pure comedic gold, Rhodes introduced himself as: “Rhodes... you know, like the ones we drive on.”

Apparently, that one-liner was so good, he earned a spot on one of the girls’ “potential baby names” list, which, of course, left him flattered.

The day wrapped up with a chill night in for me and my roommate, Ella. We’re saving our energy for tomorrow’s free day, and whatever chaos that might bring!

Dr. Millichap, Nick, Makayla, Joseph, Ava, and Anya posing in front of Dr. Millichap's throne

Our day continued later into the afternoon, when Makayla, Ava, Anya, and Joseph wanted to have authentic fish and chips, along the way picking up Josh. Many fish and chips were had (and even a little scandal when Ava and Anya recreated a proposal)!

Josh and Makayla in shock as Anya puts a ring on Ava's ring finger!