ZOOM LOCKDOWN LECTURE ON THE CODE BREAKER OF TWO WORLD WARS

Using the Zoom web-conference system, on Monday 8 June, L&DLHS Chairman John DLJohn Rowley will be giving a 45-minute long lockdown lecture on Commander Alastair Guthrie Denniston, CBE, CMG (1890-1961), founder of the Bletchley Park code breaking unit and long time Ashtead resident. It will start at 7.15pm for 7.30pm. Go to the Surrey History Meetup website for instructions on how to join the talk.

Denniston - known as AGD - was a successful code breaker in both world wars. At the start of World War 2 he created the team at Bletchley Park, recruiting mathematicians such as Alan Turing to develop electronic encryption systems such as Enigma. Denniston and his family lived in Ashtead from 1937 to 1947. A follow-up talk on Turing himself will be given  on  29 June.

Zoom software is available for Windows PCs, Macs, Apple phones and Android devices from https://zoom.us/download. Over 70 people took part in a recent experimental talk by L&DLHS member Simon Ritchie on Industrial Archaeology Hiding in Plain Sight - Ordnance Survey Trig Points. Simon is organising a series of lockdown lectures on behalf of local history groups including those in both Leatherhead and Dorking.