Keith Batey facts for kids

Keith Batey (born July 4, 1919 – died August 28, 2010) was a clever codebreaker. He worked with his wife, Mavis Batey (born May 5, 1921 – died November 12, 2013), at a secret place called Bletchley Park during World War II. Their job was to crack secret messages sent by the Germans using a special machine called the Enigma machine.

Learning and School

Keith Batey went to Carlisle Grammar School when he was younger. Later, he studied math at Trinity College, Cambridge. He got a special scholarship to help him pay for his studies. There, he met Gordon Welchman, who would later gather a team of codebreakers for Bletchley Park when the war started.

Working at Bletchley Park

Gordon Welchman asked Keith Batey to join the codebreaking team in 1940. Keith worked in a place called Hut Six. This team was in charge of breaking the secret codes used by the German Army and Air Force with their Enigma machines. While working there, he met Mavis Lever, who was also a codebreaker. She worked with Dilly Knox to figure out how new Enigma machines worked when they appeared. Keith helped Mavis understand one of the parts of a new Italian Enigma machine. Keith and Mavis got married in 1942.

In 1942, Keith wanted to be a pilot in the RAF (Royal Air Force) and fly planes in the war. But he was not allowed because he knew too many secrets about Ultra, which was the name for the top-secret information they got from breaking codes. If he was captured, he might tell the enemy these secrets. Instead, he convinced the leaders to let him train as a pilot for the Fleet Air Arm. This group protected Canadian waters.

However, he was soon called back to Bletchley Park. He worked in a new section called ISK, which stood for Illicit Services (Knox). His wife also worked there. Dilly Knox had just figured out the main Enigma machine used by the Abwehr, which was Germany's military intelligence group. The ISK section played a very important part in the Double Cross System. This system "turned" German spies who were sent to Britain. It meant they made the German spies work for Britain instead, sending false information back to Germany. In 1943, Keith Batey also broke the Enigma codes used by the Sicherheitsdienst, which was the Nazi party's spy service. He also cracked the code used by Italian military officials in Berlin.

After the War

After World War II ended, Keith Batey worked for the Commonwealth Relations Office. This office helped manage relationships with countries in the Commonwealth. He then joined the High Commission in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He worked there until 1951. After that, he became the private secretary to Philip Noel-Baker, who was a government minister.

Later, Keith Batey became the chief financial officer for the University of Oxford. This job was officially called the "Secretary of the Chest." He then became the Treasurer of Christ Church, which is one of Oxford's colleges. In this role, he helped a lot with fixing up the old and important buildings of the college.

Sharing the Bletchley Park Story

Keith Batey did not talk much about his secret war work for a long time. His wife, Mavis, became much more famous for sharing their story. She helped with many books and TV shows, including Station X, which was a very popular book. Keith and Mavis even advised actors Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott. They told them what it was like to be a codebreaker at Bletchley Park for the Hollywood movie Enigma (2001).

In 2008, Keith and Mavis showed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall how the Abwehr Enigma machine worked during their visit to Bletchley Park.