Irene Dixon facts for kids

Irene Dixon (born June 1, 1924 – died January 1, 2021) was a brave codebreaker at Bletchley Park. She was born in East London. In 1943, Irene joined a super-secret team. Their job was to decode secret messages from Hitler's army during World War II. She kept her important work a secret for many years.

Irene's Early Life

Irene Sarah Griffiths was born in Whitechapel, London. Her father, James Griffiths, worked at the Beckton Gas Works. Her mother, Sarah Griffiths, was a housewife. Sarah was also a secretary for the women's part of the local Labour Party. This party is a big political group in the UK.

Her family later moved to East Ham. Irene went to the Sarah Bonnell Grammar School in Stratford. After school, her first job was at Unilever. She worked in market research, which means she helped find out what people wanted to buy.

Joining the War Effort

When World War II began, Irene was supposed to work in a munitions factory in Birmingham. This factory made weapons for the war. But she got chickenpox and couldn't go. After she got better, she was tested for other important jobs.

She then joined the Women's Royal Naval Service, also known as the Wrens. This was a special part of the navy for women. Irene took some special tests called psychometric tests. These tests helped show what kind of work she would be good at. Because of these tests, Irene was chosen for a very secret job.

She joined the code-breaking service at Bletchley Park. This place was a big, secret stately home. It was also called HMS Pembroke. Almost 10,000 women worked there during the war. At Bletchley Park, Irene was known as Rene Griffiths.

Life After the War

After the war ended, Irene went back to work at Unilever. She was promoted and became a manager. In 1951, she married Sidney Harold Dixon. Sidney worked as a quantity surveyor, which means he helped plan building costs.

They lived in Barking and were very active in their local church. Irene and Sidney had two children, Gillian and Graham. People remembered Irene for her "energy, personality, and humour." She made everyone around her feel good.

Working at Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park women at work

At Bletchley Park, Irene was like a "Moua," or mother, to nine other Wrens. They shared a "cabin," which was their workroom. Irene helped them become a strong team.

She worked in a section called the Newmanry. Her job was to decode secret messages from Hitler's high command. These messages were sent using a special code called the Lorenz cipher. A huge computer called the Colossus MkI helped decode these messages. This computer was built by Tommy Flowers, who was also from East London.

Irene's team was led by Max Newman. She worked with other smart people like Jack Good, Donald Michie, and Shaun Wylie. They were working on making the code-breaking even faster and more automatic. While she was working there, her name was shortened to Rene.

Keeping Secrets

Like all the people at Bletchley Park, Irene kept her work a secret for many years. They were not allowed to talk about what they did. This secret was kept for decades after the war.

Irene attended the 70th anniversary of the Colossus computer. This event was held at The National Museum of Computing. There, she met other codebreakers. They shared their secret memories together.

Irene Dixon's name is also on the Bletchley Park Role of Honour. This is a special list that remembers everyone who worked there.

Passing Away

Irene took care of her husband, Sid, until he passed away in 2020. Irene herself died less than a year later, on January 1, 2021.