Gwendoline Mary Watkins (née Davies, 31 December 1923 – 14 January 2025) was a British codebreaker and author.[1] During World War II, she worked at Bletchley Park de-coding traffic between German airfields.[2]
Gwen Watkins | |
|---|---|
 in 1942 | |
| Born | 31 December, 1923 |
| Died | 14 January, 2025 |
| Nationality | British |
Biography
editGwendoline Mary Davies was born in West Bromwich to parents Alfred and Harriet. The family later moved to Bournemouth, where she attended Talbot Heath School.[1]
While at Bletchley, she met the poet Vernon Watkins.[3] They married in 1944 at St Bartholomew-the-Great.[4] Dylan Thomas was supposed to be the best man at their wedding, but he failed to turn up.[5]
They were both engaged in breaking the Luftwaffe AuKa tactical codes in Block F (A). Gwen was at first billeted at Stony Stratford but later moved to RAF Church Green at Bletchley.[5][6] They were both Flight Sergeants and were stationed at Bletchley from June 1942 until May 1945.
One of their grandchildren, Marley Watkins, is a professional footballer who has represented the Welsh national team.[7]
She was the author of several books, including Dylan Thomas: Portrait of a Friend (1983), Dickens in Search of Himself (1987), and Cracking the Luftwaffe Codes: The Secrets of Bletchley Park (2006).[1][8]
References
edit- 1 2 3 Smith, Michael (5 February 2025). "Gwen Watkins obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ↑ "Bletchley codebreaker Gwen Watkins on women's role". BBC News. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ↑ "[BOOK REVIEWS] Cracking the Luftwaffe Codes: The Secrets of Bletchley Park". Intelligence and National Security. 22 (6): 932–946. doi:10.1080/02684520701770717.
- ↑ "Code Breakers at Bletchley Park" (PDF). Hackney Music Development Trust (HMDT Music). 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- 1 2 "WATKINS, VERNON PHILLIPS (1906 - 1967), poet | Dictionary of Welsh Biography". biography.wales. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Dunlop, Tessa (8 January 2015). The Bletchley girls: War, Secrecy, Love and Loss - the women of Bletchley Park tell their story. London. ISBN 9781444795738. OCLC 907942861.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ "Ethan Ampadu: Exeter City youngster included in Wales squad". BBC Sport. 25 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ↑ Rees, Jasper (23 October 2014). "Gwen Watkins on Dylan Thomas | Interview". Wales Arts Review. Retrieved 10 February 2025.