F. H. Hinsley (1918–1998)
Author of Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park
About the Author
Image credit: photo:specialforcesrollofhonour
Series
Works by F. H. Hinsley
The New Cambridge Modern History 11: Material Progress and World-Wide Problems 1870-98 (1962) 61 copies
British intelligence in the Second World War : its influence on strategy and operations (1979) 55 copies
Power and the Pursuit of Peace: Theory and Practice in the History of Relations Between States (1962) 41 copies
British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations: v. 2 (History of the Second… (1981) 41 copies
British Intelligence in the Second World War: Vol. 3, Part 1 (British Intelligence in the Second World War) (1984) 38 copies
British Intelligence in the Second World War: Vol. 3, Part 2 (British Intelligence in the Second World War) (1988) 34 copies
British Intelligence in the Second World War: Volume 4, Security and Counter-Intelligence (1990) 32 copies
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Hinsley, Francis Harry
- Birthdate
- 1918-11-26
- Date of death
- 1998-02-16
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Staffordshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Walsall, Staffordshire, England, UK
- Education
- University of Cambridge
- Occupations
- historian
cryptanalyst - Organizations
- Bletchley Park
- Awards and honors
- Order of the British Empire
Members
Reviews
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 15
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 793
- Popularity
- #32,132
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 35
- Languages
- 1
I admit going in to this that I hoped that each of the thirty stories would have some "I was there at a famous moment" anecdotes. But most talked about the monotony of working at a place that they couldn't tell anyone -- wives, husbands, parents, children -- about. A few made sure to point out how they felt overworked and underpaid throughout the war effort (which, of course, was longer in Europe than we Americans remember it being!). A couple of the stories were incredibly detailed, including one that provided a schematic with relays and switches showing how they built an Enigma-breaker. There were a few recollections that repeated some information, but it never felt duplicative or tedious.
The editors ended the book in a strange way: they saved the last essay for a woman -- one of several interviewed in the book, which was also impressive -- who just couldn't stand working in such a secretive place and doing nothing (so she thought), so she figured out a way to leave!
I was slightly disappointed that so few people remembered any significant moments (or even never-before-revealed secrets) during that period, although upon reflection, I probably can't remember all that many moments that would impress outsiders during the last five-plus years at my workplace. (There were a handful, though, and those were interesting, including the one who figured out the Japanese were creating a brand-new term during their surrender.)
You might learn a bit more about the specifics of German and Japanese codes by a book more concentrated on cryptography (like Kahn's famous Codebreakers), but this is a good read for those wanting to know how "normal" people functioned during World War II.
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LT Haiku:
Some codebreakers at
famous park share their stories
about secret work.… (more)