Gwen Hollington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gwen Hollington
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|
|---|---|
| Born |
Eleanor Gwendoline Paxton
1 February 1919 |
| Died | 12 June 2014 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Roedean School |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Civilian translator |
| Years active | 1941–1945 |
| Organization | Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park |
| Spouse(s) | Barrie Hollington |
Eleanor Gwendoline Hollington, née Paxton (1 February 1919 – 12 June 2014) was a Cambridge graduate in Modern and Medieval Languages who worked as a civilian translator for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park from 1941 to 1945.
Biography
Born on 1 February 1919, Gwen Paxton won a scholarship to Roedean School and went on to study French and German at Girton College, Cambridge. During her studies, she spent a year at the University of Freiburg to improve her German. At Cambridge, she earned blues in lacrosse and lawn tennis.
In an interview in 2011, she stated: "Before the war I had lived in Germany for a year studying at Freiburg as part of my degree and I made a lot of friends. A lot of the Germans I knew were charming, so it was difficult to think of them as the enemy."
Upon graduation she was recruited to work as a civilian translator at Hut 4, Bletchley Park, translating decrypted German naval communications into English. She worked there for four years, while billeted with a family in Woburn Sands.
After the war, she worked for a publishing company as a literary assistant. She married Barrie Hollington (died 1964), with whom she had five children. She died on 12 June 2014.
