Stanford Dingley pays tribute to World War Two code breaker
A village has been remembering one of the last female codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
The success of Bletchley Park in breaking the German Enigma and Lorenz cypher systems is widely credited with shortening the Second World War by more than two years. As the park, based in Buckinghamshire, closes its doors for Christmas (December 24, 25, 26), West Berkshire remembers one of its unsung heroes who served there at this pivotal time in history.
Marion Body – among the first in Britain to learn of Japan's surrender in August 1945 – died in Sussex on September 24, aged 99.
"She was in the room on duty when the War in Japan ended," recalled her daughter, Jane Body. "So, she was one of the first people to find out; she knew even before Churchill."
Marion Body, then Graham, trained at Mrs Hoster's Secretarial College and was later summoned to the Foreign Office, where she found out she would be joining close to 8,000 women processing enemy messages at Bletchley Park.
She worked in an administrative role, ensuring the listening stations responsible for monitoring enemy signals were targeting the right areas. The monotonous and high-pressure working environment drove many to the point of exhaustion and nervous breakdown.
During her service, Lady Body became acquainted with the likes of Alan Turing and Valerie Middleton ― the grandmother of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. Lady Body met the Princess of Wales, originally from Bucklebury, at Bletchley Park in 2014. She told HRH about working with her grandmother in Hut 6, renowned for its role in breaking the German Enigma code.
For many years, Lady Body was sworn to secrecy and refused to tell even her husband about her wartime service.
"She found it difficult to talk about her service because for years she was trained to not to say anything, not even to my father," added Ms Body. "It wasn't until 1974 that the first book on code breaking, The Ultra Secret by F.W. Winterbotham, was published and subsequent stories were revealed."
But her mother did confide in her that she had to act surprised when Victory in Europe was declared ― since she had already received the signal the previous day.
After the war, Lady Body worked at the British Council and later as a secretary at the House of Commons. She married the prominent Conservative MP Sir Richard Body in 1959 and they relocated to Stanford Dingley the following year.
The couple maintained a strong interest in country life, including wild flowers and meadow preservation. Both were keen supporters of the River Pang conservation and also established an animal welfare trust.
A funeral service for Lady Body was held at St Deny's Church, Stanford Dingley on October 28. Donations were collected for Dogs Trust, Newbury branch.
Lady Body features with more than 40 other women in the book The Debs of Bletchley Park and Other Stories published in 2015 by historian, Michael Smith. She is survived by her two children, Jane and Richard Body.
Her family will be planting two memorial trees at Jewell's Farm, Stanford Dingley this winter: one for Lady Body and one for Queen Elizabeth II. They invite others to join them, with several group sessions already being planned.
