In a recent ceremony, a woman from Calgary was honored by the UK for her efforts during the second world war.
The British High Consulate bestowed the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge upon Marion Booth, who was recruited at the age of 17 to become a member of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRENS). She noted that she had agreed to join because she wanted to do her part to help her country.
While a member of the WRENS, she worked with huge radios to intercept Morse code signals that had been sent from Japan and Germany. These would be translated and used in the war effort.
For security reasons, her work had been classified for more than 25 years, and Mrs. Booth remarked that it had been difficult to keep her past under wraps for such a long time. However, she is reportedly happy that her efforts are now being recognized, as well as that of the many other women who helped Canada during the war. This part of history is not well known, so a printing company could produce materials that can help to make the public more aware of the important role that servicewomen played.
The Bletchly Park medal is named for the secret facility where the allies performed much of their code breaking efforts. It was recently featured in the film “The Imitation Game”.
