Buckinghamshire Reflects

THE CAPTURE OF U-110 AND THE ENIGMA DECRYPTION BREAKTHROUGH

Arnold Hargreaves, age 99, is the last surviving member of a boarding party from HMS Bulldog that in 1941 captured an Enigma machine from a stricken German U-boat. The information discovered from a…

JEAN CEIRIOG JONES’ TIME IN THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY

Jean Ceiriog Jones was 15 years old when war broke out in 1939. She experienced many aspects of wartime life in Buckinghamshire and kindly shared her memories with us. Jean was still at school at t…

The Women’s Land Army (WLA) was originally formed during World War I and was re-established shortly before the outbreak of WWII to provide extra agricultural labour whilst the men were serving away at war. By 1943 there were 80,000 women working for the WLA, nicknamed...

THE HISTORY OF HURRICANES BUILT IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Buckinghamshire can be proud of its contribution to the WWII effort in so many ways: food and military equipment production, the secret war waged at some of Buckinghamshire’s stately homes, militar…

THE STORY OF MARIE-FRANCE MacCARTHY 

Marie-France MacCarthy was brought up in the most rarefied French circles, becoming a fine singer; yet it was in action during the Second World War that she especially distinguished herself. Her ex…

A PROUD DAY IN THE OX & BUCKS LIGHT INFANTRY’S HISTORY

At 02:30 on the 24th March 1945 the men of the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light Infantry were roused from their beds. They were given a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon
and beans. At 0…

On 9th May 1941, the German submarine U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy after becoming seriously damaged by attacks from HMS Aubretia, HMS Broadway and HMS Bulldog. A boarding party from HMS Bulldog, featuring Buckinghamshire resident Arnold Hargreaves*, was able...

BUCKS’ VC NAVAL HERO

Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts was born at the family home in Chiltern Road, Chesham Bois in July 1917. After leaving school in 1935 he joined the Royal Navy and in 1936 was posted to HMS…

Buried deep in the secret archives of the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ), was a map that shows a different perspective of the Bletchley Park story to those reported and dramatised in books, films and documentaries. The map shows cycle and foot routes,...

GCHQ HISTORIAN TONY COMER ON BLETCHLEY PARK’S LEGACY

Sat on the top floor of the Bletchley Park mansion, in the room next to where MI6 set up Station X at the start of World War II, we met with Tony Comer from GCHQ (Government Communication Headquart…