Hut 1 Closed Down – A Sad Day for Bletchley

When Bletchley Park first opened as a museum in 1993/94, much of the existing buildings were in a deplorable state. As the Bletchley Park Trust didn’t have enough exhibits at the time to fill all the buildings, and -more importantly- lacked the financial means to maintain them, space was offered to other collections as well. It soon turned out to be one of the best decisions made.

In the following years, more collections were added to the impressive list of attractions at Bletchley Park. Examples are the Toy Collection, the Milton Keynes Model Railway Society, The Projected Picture Film Trust and the Churchill Collection. For many people, it made a family visit to the park really worthwhile.

One of the major attractions was the Diplomatic Wireless Service (DWS) exhibit of David White. It was located in Hut 1, a former radio hut. Over the years, former MI6 technician David White had built an impressive collection of spy radio sets, teleprinters, cipher machines and other devices that were used by MI6, the DWS and others.

Shortly before WWII, when Bletchley Park had just been acquired by the British Government, Hut 1 was MI6’s first radio shack before they moved to the top floor of The Mansion. So, when David opened the DWS exhibition in Hut 1, the circle was completed. Until now that is…

Following the latest policy changes by the Bletchley Park management in 2012, more and more on-site attractions have been given notice and were forced to close down. In July 2012, the Model Railway Society left the park. ¹

In June of 2012, the Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society (responsible for demonstrating radio receivers and transmitters at the museum) were told that they were no longer welcome. They left the park on 1 January 2013. Earlier this year, the Churchill Collection was given notice. According to BP’s bosses, the wartime prime minister ‘is not synonymous with code-breakers’ work’… ²

And now it is time for the Diplomatic Wireless Service (DWS) exhibit to leave. Although the DWS is the continuation of MI6’s wartime work at BP, the Bletchley Park Museum management says it is not relevant to the history of the park. And this is hard to believe. Every message arriving at Bletchley Park started life as a radio transmission, and after decryption and analysis, it was sent to commanders in the field, again by radio. Radio is the very reason for BP’s existence.

For us, the curators of Crypto Museum, the DWS-exhibition in Hut 1 has always been a great source of inspiration when it comes to building our own collection. Last Sunday, 8 September, at the end of the Enigma Reunion 2013, David White closed the door to Hut 1 for the last time. Although it was a nice and warm day, it was a sad day for Bletchley Park, or rather for its visitors. This article was from 2013 and produced in the Crypto Museum.