Mair Russell-Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mair Russell-Jones
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| Born |
Mair Eluned Thomas
17 October 1917 Pontycymer, Wales
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| Died | 28 December 2013 (aged 96) Wales
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| Citizenship | British |
| Education | Music, Welsh and German |
| Alma mater | Mount Hermon Missionary Training College (1936–1938) Cardiff University (1938–1941) |
| Occupation | Codebreaker |
| Years active | 1941–1945 |
| Employer | Foreign Office |
| Organization | Government Code and Cypher School |
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Notable work
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My Secret Life in Hut Six (2014) |
| Partner(s) | John Russell-Jones (Russ) |
| Parent(s) | Thomas and Agnes Thomas |
| Relatives | Gethin Russell-Jones (son and co-author) |
Mair Russell-Jones (born Mair Eluned Thomas, 17 October 1917 – 28 December 2013) was a very clever woman from Wales. She studied Music and German at Cardiff University. During World War II, she became a secret codebreaker. She worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park.
Her job was in a place called Hut 6. There, she helped to figure out secret messages. These messages were sent using a special German machine called the Enigma machine. Mair had to keep her work a complete secret. She signed something called the Official Secrets Act. This meant she could not talk about her wartime job until 1998. Later, with help from her son, Gethin Russell-Jones, she wrote a book. It was called My Secret Life in Hut Six.
Contents
Mair's Secret Life at Bletchley Park
Mair Russell-Jones wrote a book called My Secret Life in Hut Six: One woman’s Experience at Bletchley Park. It was published in 2014. She wrote it with her son, Gethin. Sadly, Mair passed away on the very day the book was finished.
The book shares her experiences trying to break the German Enigma Code. She wrote about the tough conditions she worked in. She also described the danger and stress she felt as a woman during her time at Bletchley Park. Her son called the book a "ridiculous tale of silence." This is because Mair had to keep her important work a secret for so long.
What Was Bletchley Park?
The book explains that Bletchley Park was a top-secret place. It was known as "Station X" during the war. It was the main center for Britain's code-breaking efforts. Many smart people worked there. These included mathematicians, inventors, and bright young people like Mair. They worked very hard to help the armed forces.
The information they found was super important. It helped save lives and gave Britain a big advantage in battles. Sometimes, they decoded up to 6,000 messages a day!
Music and Code-Breaking Skills
Mair's book also shows how much she loved music. Her parents were part of local choirs. They wanted their daughters to love music too. Mair started piano lessons when she was just five years old. Her dream was to become a concert pianist.
Her musical skills actually helped her at Bletchley Park. Her ability to see patterns in music also helped her find patterns in the secret messages. This was very useful for decoding them. Mair said that being able to learn and lead at Bletchley Park felt "so liberating." This suggests that women and men were treated equally in the secret service.
A review of Mair's book mentions how many women worked at Bletchley Park. At its busiest in May 1945, over 12,000 people worked there. More than 8,000 of them were women.
Keeping Secrets from Family
In November 2011, Mair Russell-Jones spoke to the BBC about the war. She talked about how it affected her personal life. She said, "I had a boyfriend and a family, and not telling them what I was doing, or even where I was working almost felt as though I was lying to them."
This shows that she had to live a double life. She was sworn to secrecy about everything at Bletchley Park. If anyone asked her what she did, she would simply say she worked for the Foreign Office in Bletchley.
