Cecily Giles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cecilia Elspeth Giles
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| Born | 18 September 1922 Dumfries, Scotland
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| Died | 19 April 2020 (aged 97) Edinburgh, Scotland
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | codebreaker university administrator |
| Employer | University of Edinburgh |
Cecilia Elspeth Giles (born September 18, 1922 – died April 19, 2020) was a very smart Scottish woman. She worked as a university administrator. She was also a hero from Bletchley Park during World War II. At Bletchley Park, she helped crack secret codes. This work was very important for the Allies to win the war.
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Early Life and Education
Cecilia Giles was born in Dumfries, Scotland. Her father, Dr. Falconer Giles, taught ancient history. She went to St Trinnean's and Queen Margaret's schools. She really liked Queen Margaret's School. She even stayed involved with the school's former students.
She later studied history at the University of Edinburgh. While she was at university, she got a mysterious invitation. It was for an interview for a secret job.
Working at Bletchley Park
Cecilia went to London for the interview. There, she found out she was being recruited. She would work at Bletchley Park. This was a top-secret place where codebreakers worked. She was interviewed by a very important person. This person was the Director of Military Intelligence. Another student from her university, Ailsa Maxwell, also got a similar offer.
Becoming a Codebreaker
Cecilia joined a special military unit. It was called the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). This unit worked with the Intelligence Corps. She took a six-week course. She learned about cryptography, which is the study of codes. She also learned about the Enigma Machine. This was a complex German coding machine. Cecilia was excellent at it. She came top of her class.
She worked in the ATS Military Section SIXTA. Her job was to analyze messages. These messages had already been cracked by other codebreakers. Her work was highly secret. She signed the Official Secrets Act. This meant she could never talk about her wartime activities.
After the War
When World War II ended, Cecilia moved to Eastcote in London. This is where GCHQ was being formed. GCHQ is a British intelligence and security agency. The new unit included experienced codebreakers. Some, like Cecilia, had worked in the UK. Others were returning from the war front.
Cecilia left GCHQ in 1946. She went back to work at the University of Edinburgh. She also visited her brother in Africa. For one academic year, she worked at Khartoum University. She helped with their administration. After that, she returned to the University of Edinburgh. She spent the rest of her career there. She helped organize the university's administration.
Later Life
In 2017, Cecilia was an Honorary Vice-President. This was for her Edinburgh University Students' Association. She passed away in Edinburgh in 2020. She was 97 years old.
Images for kids
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The SIXTA team at Bletchley Park - names unknown
