What is it about secrets and spying that holds such interest, curiosity and energy for us? And, why were these women agents, who were living ordinary lives pre-war, exhilarated by being undercover in dangerous circumstances?
In this episode I’ll discuss the high stakes of being involved in espionage, whether behind the lines or on the home front. Then, I’ll introduce you to Garnet, a young woman from the UK who was decoding enemy messages in the secret facility at Bletchley Park.
Later it was boots on the ground for her to aid Czechoslovakian resistance cell members escape the Russians. That’s the focus of this episode of Invisible Women, different kinds of Spy Craft.
Episodes include war-related content that some listeners may find disturbing and/or traumatizing.
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Episode Details
Episode Name: Spy Craft
Podcast Episode #02
Created by: Diane Greig
Produced by: Robert Ouimet
Runs: 33:11
Credits
Host and Writer: Diane Greig
Garnet: Eileen Barrett
Producer: Robert Ouimet
Sound engineer: Scott Whittaker
Show Notes
- Diane discusses the role of espionage and some of its history.
- How women agents were recruited and trained.
- Garnet explains how she was recruited to work at Bletchley Park.
- Working in the huts decoding enemy encrypted messages.
- Never seeing the big picture and not being allowed to talk about it.
- High stakes.
- The camaraderie at Bletchley Park.
- The end of the war in Europe, and on to a different type of work
- Helping the resistance in Czechoslovaki.
Links and Resource
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, WAAF (Wikipedia)
Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wikipedia)
History of Espionage (Wikipedia)
Security Service – MI5
Women in Bletchley Park (Wikipedia)
Bletchley Park website
Britannica entry on Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia (Wikipedia)
Prague uprising (Wikipedia)
The Turing-Welchman Bombe, The National Museum of Computing
A recent find of a German Enigma machine in the Baltic Sea
Russian woman sniper article
Psychology-related Links
The Ethics of Silence: An Interdisciplinary Case Analysis Approach by Nancy Billias
The Female Trickster: The Mask That Reveals, Post-Jungian and Postmodern Psychological Perspectives on Women in Contemporary by Ricki Stefanie Tannen
C.G. Jung defines intuition, YouTube video
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Increasing Inroads
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Again, your woman’s story of Garnet’s espionage was very captivating and completely personal. I guess that axiom of when the going gets tough, the tough get going, holds very true here. Thank you for this insight.
My aunt Sheila was in the Wrens and I will ask my cousin Jeremy if he knows exactly what she did.
Gratefully
John
Thank you so much, John. I appreciate your comments! If you discover what your aunt did in the WRENS, let me know. Best, Diane
Ok I will ask my cousin. My Dad and Uncle Carlos were booth in the Air Force and they talked so little about it while embodying internally so much of the war.
Gratefully
John
This statement ~ “talked so little about it while embodying internally so much of the war” ~ so true. Much appreciated, Diane