Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes (very near) is famous for the codebreaking efforts of its occupants during World War 2.

As a museum though it is so much more. It is one of the best I have ever visited. We spent nearly the whole day there.

And it is not devoted merely to the breaking of the Enigma (and related) WW2 codes.

The recommended route through on our (Covid distanced) trip took us first into the section covering Bletchley Park’s Great War predecessor – the famous Admiralty Room 40.

An amusing exhibit was this one of a magazine Room 40’s denizens produced for themselves to document their activities:-

Room 40’s workers were the “brightest and best”:-

This exhibit lists the members of Room 40 who went on to the Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park’s predecessor:-

I also liked the cover of this book on the Battle of Jutland:-

These document the German Naval bombardment of Scarborough:-

Room 40’s greatest achievement was the decoding of the Zimmerman Telegram:-

Its contents, with its invitation to Mexico to invade the US and promise to reward it with US territory, were the major reason the US entered the war against Germany.

A lot of the buildings used during the Second World War in Britain had elements of deco style. Not surprisingly, the era had not really passed when the war began.

So it wasn’t entirely unexpected that when I rolled up at the car park at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, home of the WW2 British code-breaking effort, last September, the first buildings I saw were in that flat-roofed, Critall-windowed mode.

Buildings by car park. These are the sorts of things you see at former WW2 airfields:-

This submarine model beside the road from the car park to Bletchley Park presumably commemorates the code-breakers’ role in winning the Atlantic war:-

This is a more modern building in that wartime style but I don’t think it’s part of Bletchley Park:-

These modernised ones were all inside the Bletchley Park museum site:-

One of the internal exhibits was this photograph of the impeccably Art Deco Hollerith Factory where the calculating machines known as Bombes, which tried out the variations of the intercepted Enigma messages to get a code match were manufactured:-

Hollerith building and interior:-

I posted about Luss a couple of days ago.

Its War Memorial lies in a small enclosure beside Pier Road. It is a simple stone cross with embossed sword atop a hexagonal pedestal.
The dedication reads, “In grateful memory of the men of this parish who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-19,” with added below, “and in the war 1939-1945.” Second World War names lie after the ‘and’ of the World War 2 dedication, Great War names are on the two hexagonal sides flanking it.

From west. Great War names on facing side of hexagon:-

From east. Great War names on facing side of hexagon:-

Luss is a village on the shores of Loch Lomond in the west of Scotland. It’s about twelve or so miles from Dumbarton.

It was the village where most of the outside shots for the Scottish Television (STV) soap opera Take the High Road were filmed.

Luss from the village pier:-

Part of Luss from the other side of the pier:-

Luss Church:-

In the churchyard there is a Viking hogback stone:-

Just up from the church there is this curious bridge which seems to cross a small inlet of Loch Lomond:-

In the village itself there’s this cottage with (shallow) cat slide dormer windows:-

The Loch Lomond Arms is at the top of the road down to the pier:-

The names of some World War 2 fields of miltary operations are inscribed on the base of the pillars supprtoing the lintels of Stonehaven War Memorial.

“North Atlantic, Narvik”

“Dunkirk, Battle of Britain”

“El Alamein, Cassino”

“Normandy Beaches, Burma”

The World War 2 dead are commemorated in a series of four granite panels sitting by the Memorial’s pillars. The first is also inscribed with the dedication, “To the memory of those from the District of Stonehaven whose names are inscribed on these panels who lost their lives in the World War 1939 -1945,” as well as the names.

J Fraser Anderson – John Christie:-

William J Christie – James Mc I Findlay:-

Robert T Foster – George Masson:-

William Masson – Alexander R Williamson:-

The names of the Great War dead at Stonehaven War Memorial are inscribed on stone panels at the memorial’s centre.

James Adams – Frank Dallas:-

David Duncan – John Lennox:-

John Main – James Simpson:-

James Sinclair – Alex W Youngson:-

Stonehaven War Memorial interior:-

Wreaths and panel with Great War names, some World War 2 names on smaller panels behind:-

The interior of the lintel above the entrance is inscribed, “Erected by the people of Stonehaven and District. A tribute to their dead, 1914 – 1919”:-

The other interior lintels of the temple-like memorial are inscribed with the quote, from Donald Hankey‘s A Student in Arms, “One by one death challenged them, one by one they smiled in his grim visage and refused to be dismayed”:-

Stonehaven War Memorial sits prominently on Black Hill to the south of the town and is also visible from Dunnottar Castle. The winding path from the castle takes you towards Stonehaven and partly up Black Hill from where you can access the Memorial grounds.

View of Memorial from path leading from Dunnittar Castle:-

Stonehaven from Stonehaven War Memorial:-

Memorial from west as seen from the road back to Dunnottar Castle:-

An information board says the memorial was deliberately designed to look like a ruin to symbolise the lives cut short by the Great War:-

Stonehaven War Memorial from north:-

The external lintels are inscribed with the names of Great War battles, here Jutland, Mons, Ypres:-

From south, Zeebrugge, Gallipoli, Jutland:-

From southwest, Marne, Zeebrugge:-

From west, Vimy, Somme, Marne:-

From northwest, Mons, Ypres:-

Waterfall by Dunnottar Castle from approach path:-

Cliffs to south from approach path:-

Rocks below Dunnottar Castle:-

Cliffs to north and sea inlet, from Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven War Memorial on hilltop:-

Stonehaven War Memorial on hill:-

After our visit to Dunnottar Castle we took a footpath which (eventually) leads to Stonehaven. This afforded more views of the northern cliffs:-

And of the Castle looking back:-

Northern cliffs again:-

Cistern in courtyard. This ensured the castle’s water supply:-

Cistern from upper floor of main building:-

Interior (with windows):-

Window seat:-

View from a window:-

Sundial and Lintel:-

Sundial and coat of arms information board:-

Fireplace. Inscribed, “In commemoration of the defence of the honours of Scotland Sep 1651 – Aug 1652 by George Ogilvy of Barras, Governor of Dunnottar and of the help given by his wife Elizabeth Douglas and her kinswoman Anne Lindsay.” Scroll down for the story.

Part of Restored Ceiling (Regi et Regno):-

Restored ceiling (In Defens):-