Computer scientist and campaigner Dr Sue Black plans to crowd fund her account of how one of the UK’s most important historical sites was saved from destruction. Anyone thinking of contributing could also get a pair of hand knitted socks or a meal of sausage and mash in one of the huts at Blectchley Park.
Saving Bletchley Park tells the story of several campaigns which helped save Bletchley Park over a 20-year period involving hundreds of extraordinary people, including how social networks helped save the birthplace of the modern computer.
The most recent campaign united veterans, historians, enthusiasts and computer geeks alike around the world. In 2011 it was announced that enough funding had been raised to save Bletchley Park for the nation. Bletchley Park was the wartime home of more than 10,000 mathematicians, cryptographers, linguists and others, who laboured tirelessly to crack the Nazis’ ‘unbreakable’ codes. It was here that mathematical genius Alan Turing and a team of computer pioneers played a fundamental role in inventing the modern computer.
Despite this, its post-war history saw it forgotten, neglected, and at one point nearly bulldozed. For many years, it somehow survived with no government funding, thanks to the tireless work of staff and volunteers.
In the book, Dr Sue Black will explain:
the mysterious work that took place at Bletchley Park, and the significance this had to the outcome of World War II,
the incredible and ultimately tragic story of Alan Turing – the father of modern computing,
the story of the thousands of women of worked at Bletchley Park,
the story of how Twitter helped to save Bletchley Park.
Readers can pledge to make the book happen at Unbound.co.uk, where benefits for supporters range from an ebook or hardback special edition to a private tour of Bletchley Park with followed by lunch in Hut 4. Dr Sue Black will write the book while it is being funded and it will be published by Unbound once it reaches its target.
‘I’m really looking forward to telling everyone all about Bletchley Park and the struggles that it has had over the years to stay open. I’ve met some incredible people, heard some fabulous stories, and eaten lots of sausage and mash in Hut 4.’
