MONITOR
HISTORY
WCIT History Corner
Contributions by the WCIT Honourary Historian,
Joan Smith
Jersey’s Enigma Machines
J
ersey in the Channel Islands was occupied by the Germans from 30th
June 1940 until its liberation on 9th May 1945. Hitler issued a directive
on 20th October 1941 to the effect that the Channel Islands be
converted into an impregnable fortress. Beaches were to be mined,
obstacles set up on all open spaces to prevent the landing of gliders and
paratroopers, anti-tank walls erected to restrict progress from the beaches.
There were to be at least 200 strongpoints on Jersey alone; tunnels were to
be dug to provide shelter for stores and equipment as well as personnel
during a bombardment, headquarters set up, gun emplacements erected. To
achieve all this, the size of the army was to be increased and Dr Fritz Todt
was brought in to oversee construction. On Jersey the ‘Organization Todt’
comprised German construction companies with slave labour, some 5,000 to
6,000 Eastern European prisoners, mainly Russians captured during the
early days of Barbarossa and also the Polish; their first task was to lay
railway track.
It is appropriate that two Enigma machines may be viewed today in buildings
constructed by this war labour; one in the Jersey War Tunnels, the other in
the Military Museum housed in a bunker which formed part of Hitler’s Atlantic
Wall defences. It can be seen in the picture that the keyboard is the standard
European layout of QUERTZ, where Z replaces Y in the position more
familiar to ourselves.
An Enigma Machine on display at The Channel Islands
Military Museum
There is a third example, also in the keeping of the Military Museum, although never on show together. All three are the
Wehrmacht (Army) machines with three rotors. Those in the custody of the Military Museum have serial numbers A12370 and
A11011, A11463 being in the War Tunnels. The Enigma machine in the War Tunnels is on display inside the tunnel. This is a
working model, thanks to the ministrations of Tony Sale of Bletchley Park.
It is not known how many Enigma machines were used by the Germans during the Occupation. I recall hearing some years ago
that certainly one of these survived as it was thought by someone that it could be a useful typewriter. If this story is true, he was
wrong! The beneficiaries of his mistake, however, being those who visit the island of Jersey...
Honouring Sir Tim Berners-Lee
U
sers of the web can be reminded of its inventor
when they see the painted bronze statue of
Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and
sculpted by Sean Henry, it was in honour of Sir Tim’s 60th
birthday in 2015.
Two-thirds life-size, he is shown carrying the rucksack in
which he keeps his laptop.
This statue honours him as a person, whereas the mosaic
representing the web honours his work. That was
designed and made by Sue Edkins and unveiled three
years ago in its position outside East Sheen Library near
to his former home.
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