Tessa Dunlop

The story of the women of Bletchley Park, Britain's top secret code-breaking school, is told through exclusive interviews with the women who served their country, and the impact that their service had on the rest of their lives Based on extensive interviews conducted specifically for this book, Tessa Dunlop tells the story of the Bletchley Girls through the lives of 15 women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret World War II organization—Bletchley Park. Many were just school girls at the outbreak of war; the next six years would change their lives forever. This vivid portrayal of their experiences, sacrifices, and memories is a poignant reminder that without the work of thousands of young women Bletchley Park's extraordinary achievements would not have been possible. By meeting and talking to these fascinating female secret-keepers who are still alive today, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into an adult world of war, secrecy, love, and loss. Through the voices of the women themselves, this is the story of life at Bletchley Park beyond the celebrated code-breakers; it's the story of the girls behind Britain's ability to consistently outsmart the enemy.

The Bletchley Girls

The story of the women of Bletchley Park, Britain's top secret code-breaking school, is told through exclusive interviews with the women who served their country, and the impact that their service had on the rest of their lives Based on extensive interviews, Tessa Dunlop tells the story of the Bletchley Girls through the lives of 15 women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret World War II organization—Bletchley Park. Many were just school girls at the outbreak of war; the next six years would change their lives forever. This vivid portrayal of their experiences, sacrifices, and memories is a poignant reminder that without the work of thousands of young women Bletchley Park's extraordinary achievements would not have been possible. By meeting and talking to these fascinating female secret-keepers who are still alive today, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into an adult world of war, secrecy, love, and loss. Through the voices of the women themselves, this is the story of life at Bletchley Park beyond the celebrated code-breakers; it's the story of the girls behind Britain's ability to consistently outsmart the enemy.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Tessa Dunlop made pains to select women from broad walks of life and succeeds in weaving a rich tapestry of experiences.'The Independent ‘A warm-hearted and engaging read, The Century Girls is replete with wonderful characters.’ Sunday Express 'Dunlop has pulled off an impressive feat of oral history...creating a moving portrait of a world that is now lost forever.' Who Do You Think You Are?? A celebration of the one-hundred years since British women got the vote, told, in their own voices, by six centenarians: Helena, Olive, Edna, Joyce, Ann and Phyllis – The Century Girls? In 2018 Britain celebrates the centenary of some women getting the vote. The intervening ten decades have witnessed staggering change, and The Century Girls features six women born in 1918 or before who haven’t just witnessed that change, they’ve lived it. Empire shrank, war came and went, and modern society demanded continual readjustment.... the Century Girls lasted the course, and this book weaves together their lifetime’s adventures – what they were taught, how they were treated, who they loved, what they did and where they are now. With stories that are intimately knitted into the history of the British Isles, this is a time-travel epic featuring our oldest, most precious national treasures. Edna, 102, was a domestic servant born in Lincolnshire. Helena is 101 years old and the eldest of eight born into a Welsh farming family. Olive, 102, began life as a child of empire in British Guiana and was one of the first women to migrate to London after the war. There’s Ann, a 103-year-London bohemian; 100-year-old Phyllis, daughter of the British Raj, who has called Edinburgh home for nearly eighty years; and finally ‘young’ Joyce – a 99-year-old Cambridge classicist who’s still at work. It is through the prism of these women’s very long lives that The Century Girls provides a deeply personal account of British history over the past one hundred years. Their story is our story too. Further praise for The Century Girls 'It features among others my teacher and mate, 99 year old Joyce Reynolds, going super strong and still a stern and helpful critic.' Mary Beard 'A delightful book . . . all about women and women's lives.' Jane Garvey, Radio 4 Woman's Hour? 'A highly personal insight into British society over the past century...revealing and enlightening stories which would otherwise have been lost.' The Scotsman ‘A deeply personal and moving account of the last 100 years of British history.’ The Bookseller 'It’s a brilliant book… It’s fantastic!' Chris Evans, Radio 2 Breakfast Show ‘A wonderful blend of British history with individual stories – and for any reader under about 90, an often startling reminder of how much things have changed.’ Reader’s Digest? ‘What better way to mark the centenary of some British women getting the vote than to read about inspirational women who witness revolutionary changes? Six centenarians reminisce on their incredible century. A history lesson to savour.’ The Lady

The Final Word from the Women Who've Lived the Past Hundred Years of British History

The Century Girls

Aged eighteen, Tessa Dunlop went to post-Revolutionary Romania to work in an orphanage - to do something remarkable to help her get into Oxford. Once there she didn't want to leave and ended up staying for nearly a year. She returned the following summer, but this time chose a big industrial city where she taught English and befriended a student and his family. The youngest son, 'Vlad', was only twelve, shy and very intelligent. Once more Tessa was emotionally hooked. Back home in the Scottish Highlands, she organised for Vlad to be sponsored by her old boarding school. He aced his classes, but, conflicted in the wake of his extraordinary experience, turned down a full-time place. They lost touch; however, the pull of Romania eventually proved too much and, five years on, Tessa returned. Life would never be the same again.

To Romania with Love

This deeply moving story explores the attractions—and the tensions—that defined the most extraordinary royal marriage of the past seventy-five years. She was peaches-and-cream innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary lifelong union, but their success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage, and Monarchy plunges the reader back into 1940s Britain, where a teenage princess fell in love with a foreign prince. There were fears of a flirtatious "Greek" fortune hunter stealing off with England's crown jewels—and then subsequent efforts by the Establishment to reframe Philip as the perfect fit for Britain's most famous family. Drawing on original archives as well as interviews with Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries who are still alive today, historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented opinion on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife, Philip got down on bended knee and committed himself as the queen's "liege man of life and limb." This deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, as well as the attractions and the tensions, that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pair—but not Elizabeth and Philip. They shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and glorious, for better or for worse, they were heavily invested in a God-given mission. Monarchy was the magic word.

A Story of Young Love, Marriage, and Monarchy

Elizabeth & Philip

'A riveting take on an extraordinary relationship' - Richard Eden, Daily Mail 'A fresh and original approach' - Hugo Vickers, Royal Biographer She was 'sugar pink' innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary, lifelong union but success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy plunges us back into the 1940s when a teenage princess fell in love with a foreign prince. Cue fears of a flirtatious 'Greek' fortune hunter stealing off with Britain's crown jewel and Philip's supporters scrambling to reframe him as a good fit for the Royal Family. Drawing on original newspaper archives and the opinions of Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented polling on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife Philip got down on bended knee at the coronation and committed himself as the Queen's 'liege man of life and limb.' Published 75 years after their marriage, this deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, the public appeal and the private tensions that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pair - but Elizabeth and Philip shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and Glorious, for better or for worse, how did their union succeed? Monarchy was the magic word.

A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy

Elizabeth and Philip

Army Girls is the intimate story of the final few women who served in World War II and are still alive to tell their tale. They were female soldiers in a war Britain wanted to fight without conscripting women. It was a vain hope, by December 1941 for the first time in British history women were called up and a generation of girls came of age in khaki, serving king and country. Barbara trained to drive army-style in giant trucks and Grace swapped her servant's pinafore for battledress and a steel hat, Martha turned down officer status for action on a gun-site and Olivia won the Croix de Guerre in France. Commemorating the 80th anniversary of conscription for women, Army Girls captures remarkable stories from the last surviving veterans who served in Britain's female army and brings to life a pivotal moment in British history. Precious memories and letters are entwined in a rich narrative that travels back in time and sheds new light on being young, female and at war. Uniquely this moving Second World War memoir is embedded in the present day. Written in the midst of a global pandemic, the parallels and paradoxes between two very different national crises are explored in a book that honours the women who fought on in extreme youth and now once more in great old age.

Tessa Dunlop

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