The Codebreakers

by Alli Sinclair

‘I’ll organise for a transfer and fly the regional routes.’ ‘But you love flying overseas. I can’t ask you to give that up.’

  ‘This time away has made me realise what’s important. I love what I do but nothing—and no one—has captured my heart the way you have.’

  She motioned for him to stand but he didn’t budge. ‘I can’t marry you.’

  Louis laughed. ‘Yes, you can.’

  ‘I’m serious, Louis.’ This was going to be one of the hardest conversations of her life. Ellie sucked in her breath then let it out slowly. ‘You need me to be honest and I have been—up to a point. But there are things I did in the war I can never talk about. No one, not even you, can know.’

  ‘You weren’t a secretary? Ah … so this something that you did was even bigger than your work at QEA. Now I get why you left. So what was it that—’

  ‘Louis,’ she pleaded, ‘I can’t say a thing.’

  ‘All right.’ He made a show of zipping his lip. ‘No more questions.’

  ‘No more questions ever,’ she said. ‘All I can say is that I’ve been trusted with secrets I can never divulge and I cannot accept your proposal knowing that I can never give you want you want.’

  ‘Honesty?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. You’ve always lumped lies, secrets and omission of information together. If you can’t separate them and accept my position, we can’t be a couple. It wouldn’t be fair—on either of us.’

  Louis let go of her hand. He walked around the garden, almost in a stupor.

  Ellie sunk onto the step. It had been a hard slog shouldering the secrets of Central Bureau and it had worn her out. Although she could never divulge her secrets, just admitting she had some gave her a moment of relief. The worst thing was she couldn’t control what Louis chose to do with this information.

  Louis walked in circles around the garden. He concentrated on the ground, stopping every so often to let out a long breath of air.

  Self-doubt plagued her. Being honest meant putting their relationship at risk but she couldn’t have done it any other way. How could she go into marriage knowing how he felt about honesty?

  Ellie rested her head on her knees. Louis’s silence was excruciating.

  ‘I don’t care.’

  She looked up. Louis held out his hand and she stood. ‘What?’

  ‘I don’t care if you can’t tell me everything. It’s naive of me to think that someone can be one hundred per cent honest all of the time. I don’t forgive Maude for her lies or her secrets. However I now understand there are some things in life that cannot be shared. Have you lied to me?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But you have secrets from the war you have to keep.’

  ‘Yes.’

  He took a deep breath. ‘Then you have nothing to be afraid of.’ He got down on his knee once more. ‘Elanora O’Sullivan, will you do me the honour of being my wife?’

  EPILOGUE

  Charleville, 2009

  Ellie left the house and walked out to the letterbox to collect the mail. She took a moment to stand in her front garden and take in the blue sky, enjoy the warmth of the sun on her arms now covered in age spots. Her bones creaked, her right hip was in constant pain, but she was grateful to be alive. So many other people had never had the chance to grow old and even though her body made some days challenging, she never minded. How could she? She’d lived a life full of love, adventure and children. And now, grandchildren.

  She opened the mailbox and sifted through the junk mail. At the back of the box was a small brown paper package addressed to Miss Elanora O’Sullivan.

  Ellie turned and went back into the cool house. She looked around the kitchen for her glasses and sat at the table, irritated as her once-nimble fingers fumbled with the tape on the package. She finally got it open and pulled out an official letter and a small black box with a gold border. She lifted the strap and opened it.

  Ellie gasped.

  Sitting inside the white silk in the box lay a beautiful gold medal. The initials GC & CS were inscribed around the edges, as well as BLETCHLEY PARK AND ITS OUTSTATIONS. In the middle of the medal was a blue world and 1939–1945.

  Ellie took out the medal and turned it over. On the back was a pin with the inscription WE ALSO SERVED.

  She pulled out the papers and read the certificate:

  The Government Code and Cypher School

  Eleanora Jane O’Sullivan

  The Government wishes to express to you its deepest gratitude for the vital service you performed during World War II.

  David Cameron MP

  Prime Minister

  Ellie stared at the paper, petrified this was a joke. Though how could anyone know? For over sixty years, she’d managed to sweep her time at Central Bureau into the recesses of her mind. She’d had to. Not only for the protection of her country, but for her own sanity.

  But now …

  Ellie took out another letter from the package. It was from Iain Lobban, Director of GCHQ—Government Communications Headquarters in the UK—which was the descendent of the Government Code and Cypher School. The letter thanked her for her contribution to the war effort and acknowledged Central Bureau’s role in helping Bletchley Park win the war in Europe.

  She put the letter down, hot tears blurring her vision. A moment later she continued reading, unsure what to make of all this after so many decades of silence. What had prompted the UK government to send this letter now, especially as the Australian government had never officially recognised their work?

  Ellie continued reading, hand over her heart.

  Looking at the work your generation did, what are the values that we recognise and that we still prize today? Ingenuity: the ability to come up with novel solutions to the most difficult problems; inclusivity: we value people for what they bring, not for where they come from; discretion: recognising that there are things that we read or hear that we can’t talk about; loyalty: recognising that it takes all of us to contribute for our work to be successful, not just a few.

  These kind, thoughtful words about Central Bureau filled her with joy. Until now, she hadn’t realised how important it had been to receive an official acknowledgement. Every ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day while others gathered with their colleagues from the war, Ellie would quietly remember her Garage Girls and the men she worked with at Nyrambla, including Lieutenant Andrews, the Rottweilers and Commanding Officer Buckley.

  She picked up the medal again, surprised at how something so small could mean so much.

  At the grand old age of eighty-eight, her association with Central Bureau impacted her life once more. Although it had always been there lurking in the shadows. And now she could bring it into the daylight. But did she want to?

  A rattling cough came from the bedroom and Ellie put the letters and medal back into the package and left it on the kitchen table. She went down the hall to where Louis lay in bed, having just woken after another night of restless sleep.

  ‘How are you feeling, my love?’ She sat on the bed and dipped a washer in the bowl of water. Wringing it out, she gently lay it on his forehead. Although his hair was now white and his skin weathered with time, Louis was just as handsome as the day they’d met.

  ‘Not so good.’ His breathing seemed shallower than the day before. The doctor had warned this would happen, but Ellie preferred to live in denial. However, the past few weeks had been a series of ups and downs with Louis’s health deteriorating rapidly. The cancer had taken hold and none of the treatment had worked. They both knew what lay in their future but neither were willing to talk about it. It was too painful, too raw.

  She studied the recent sketch of a willie wagtail she’d finished and framed for Louis. If she waited for the perfect time to tell him about the package, she might not be able to.

  The phone rang and Ellie went to answer it.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Ellie?’

  ‘Who is this?’

  ‘Someone who’s been wanting to speak to you
for decades.’

  ‘Florry?’

  ‘How are you?’ they said in unison then laughed.

  ‘You got the letters and medal?’ Ellie asked.

  ‘Yes. Isn’t it wonderful?’

  ‘I guess.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Florry. ‘Have you told Louis?’

  ‘I’m about to.’ Ellie sat heavily on the chair. ‘Have you told David?’

  ‘He passed away five years ago.’

  ‘Florry, I’m so sorry.’

  ‘I wish I could have told him. I hated that secret being between us.’

  ‘I feel the same way.’ Ellie studied the framed travel photos of her and Louis over the decades. India, Argentina, France, Iceland … so many wonderful memories. ‘How did you find my number?’

  ‘I have a grandson who is an excellent detective. Plus, I’ve been following you from afar.’

  ‘You have?’

  ‘Of course!’ She laughed. ‘When you become the first female pilot for the Flying Doctor Service, people notice these things.’

  ‘You forgot the Royal,’ Ellie joked.

  ‘Ah yes, I still haven’t got used to adding Royal even though they had the name change, when?’

  ‘1955,’ said Ellie.

  ‘Oh! That seems like yesterday!’ Florry laughed. ‘It’s going to be strange telling the kids and grandkids about Central Bureau.’

  ‘You’re going to tell them?’ Ellie hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  ‘Sure. Why not?’

  ‘Will they understand why you kept it secret?’

  ‘I’ll explain as best I can.’ Florry sighed. ‘And to think I’d resigned myself to going to the grave without my family finding out their grey-haired, ancient grandmother once held the country’s secrets in her hands.’

  ‘Mine will probably think I’ve lost my marbles and I’m making up some wild story.’ She looked towards the bedroom she shared with Louis.

  ‘So, can I come and visit?’

  ‘That’s it? So easy?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I love you, Florry, I always have, and I do understand why you needed to pull away, but it didn’t make the hurt any less. There were times when I really needed you.’

  ‘And times I needed you, too.’ Florry paused. ‘I’m sorry, Ellie. It was self-preservation but I look back now and realise it was the wrong thing to do. I really needed my Garage Girls throughout my whole life.’

  ‘Me too.’ She looked at the package and brightened. ‘We don’t have a lot of years left so let’s do our best to make up for the time we’ve missed.’

  ‘Speak for yourself! I intend to get to one hundred because I want a letter from the queen!’

  ‘You always were a princess.’

  ‘Ha! You up for a visit on Friday?’

  ‘Really? But you’re such a long way away.’

  ‘I’m in Roma now. After David passed away my son took over the farm and I moved here.’

  Ellie gasped. ‘Do you mean to say we’ve been living a three-hour drive from each other all these years?’

  ‘I’ve passed through town a few times, but never stopped,’ said Florry. ‘I thought you’d be upset with me for cutting you out of my life—again.’

  ‘Honestly, I forgave you long ago.’ Ellie shifted the receiver on her ear. ‘I wonder if we’ll ever find out what happened to Viv.’

  Silence down the line.

  ‘Do you know?’ asked Ellie. ‘Have you kept tabs on everyone?’

  ‘Only you, though I did run in to Vivian about fifteen years ago. At Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane. It was so strange to see her out in the world, like a normal person.’

  Ellie remained silent.

  ‘Do you want me to tell you more?’ Florry asked, as if sensing Ellie’s turmoil.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘She’s not good, Ellie. After she got out of jail the war was over, she had no one and nothing and her life has continued that way. She’s drifted, never settled down. Vivian looked old—much older than her years.’

  ‘That’s not good.’

  ‘No, it isn’t.’

  ‘I feel bad for her. She was young, she made a mistake. None of us have led perfect lives,’ said Ellie, hindsight and decades softening the anger from Vivian’s betrayal. ‘Should we reach out to her?’

  ‘Maybe?’

  ‘I’d love to see Lillian, Joy, Cassandra … all of our girls. Do you think they’re still …’ She didn’t want to finish the sentence.

  ‘Alive? I don’t know,’ Florry said quietly.

  ‘Ellie,’ Louis called.

  ‘Can I ring you back?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘How about we talk in person. Friday works for you?’

  ‘That would be an enthusiastic yes!’

  ‘See you then!’

  ‘Bye!’ Ellie hung up, joy enveloping her.

  She went down the hall and, with trepidation, stepped into the bedroom.

  Louis had managed to prop his rail-thin body up on the pillow. His cheekbones protruded and there were permanent dark circles under his eyes.

  He patted the bed and she sat next to him, keeping a slight distance.

  ‘Closer,’ he rasped.

  She did so and when he reached for her hand, her heart fluttered like the first time he’d kissed her.

  He nodded towards the package sticking out of her apron pocket. ‘Another bill?’

  Ellie entwined her fingers around his. ‘Louis, darling, there’s something I need to tell you.’

  ‘You’re leaving me for a man twenty years your junior?’ He smiled then broke into a coughing fit. Ellie passed him a glass of water and he took a sip from the straw.

  ‘He couldn’t keep up with me,’ she joked.

  ‘You are a powerhouse. Always have been.’

  ‘Louis.’ Her tone turned sombre. ‘You know I love you with all my heart.’

  ‘What’s wrong? Are you unwell?’ His hand tightened around hers.

  ‘I’m as fit as a Mallee bull. It’s just …’ This was harder than she’d thought. ‘I know how much truth means to you.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘When I proposed I accepted there were some things you couldn’t tell me. And I believed it at the time. Though there has always been a slight unease knowing there was a secret between us.’

  ‘I must admit, I often wondered if you regretted making that grand statement.’

  ‘Regretted, no. I couldn’t let anything get in the way of us being together.’

  ‘And I’m so thankful for that. So, Louis Dutton, I have quite the story to tell you.’ Elation raced through her. She took a deep breath and told Louis everything. From the minute Lieutenant Andrews introduced himself at the Qantas Empire Airways hangar to the last day of Central Bureau, when she’d said goodbye to her friends and packed up volatile military secrets. Louis listened intently, not saying a word.

  He lightly placed her hand on her heart. ‘And this scar? You never really fell on a knife, did you?’

  ‘Fall on it, no,’ said Ellie. ‘Stabbed … yes.’

  ‘Stabbed?’

  ‘It’s a long story.’

  ‘Will you tell me what happened?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course, but first, look at this.’ She took the medal out of the box and handed it to him. Louis turned it over slowly, studying every detail. He read the inscription on the back. ‘WE ALSO SERVED.’ Louis looked up, his eyes glassy. ‘My Bug, you are absolutely amazing.’

  A solitary tear slid down her cheek, quickly followed by a steady stream. Her body shook with sobs as decades of angst, pain and the loneliness of holding on to something so important poured out. It was quickly replaced by a surge of happiness as she recalled the women with whom she had shared so much. In a time when the world was falling apart, they’d proven women were strong, intelligent and determined. And, in a small garage behind a mansion in suburban Brisbane, they’d banded together and helped shorten the war in the Pacific by two years. They’d
created memories to last a lifetime and, finally, the Garage Girls would have their day.

  AUTHOR NOTE

  When I first learned about the Garage Girls and Central Bureau, it felt like a treasure trove of endless stories had been unearthed. Female codebreakers in Australia in World War II? Who were they? What did they do? Why had we not heard about them before? My investigating led me into an amazing world and I’ve met and interviewed many fascinating and courageous people who worked for Central Bureau and other signals intelligence departments and outposts. They generously shared stories not only about the work, but their personal experiences of living with secrets and how it affected their lives during and after the war.

  People who worked top-secret jobs during the war often felt there was an invisible wedge in the relationships with their loved ones. For those families, to know someone for decades and learn about this other life they led was sometimes shocking and hard to fathom but, more often, it was a source of immense pride. Learning about the reaction of family and friends, and the relief of Central Bureau members after they could finally tell their story, gave me great insight when creating the characters in The Codebreakers.

  Many of the real-life women of Central Bureau had never lived away from home or experienced any degree of independence. When they joined this elite organisation most were young, often without tertiary qualifications but with natural aptitude for the work they did. Not only did they learn new skills and adapt to working in non-traditional roles in a male-dominated environment, they had other challenges to deal with such as homesickness, the grief of losing loved ones and the heavy responsibility of working with some of the country’s biggest secrets.

  Central Bureau itself was a complex organisation with outposts and departments in Australia and internationally. Women worked in signals all over Australia and although the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) is only briefly mentioned in The Codebreakers, their contribution to Central Bureau was just as impressive as that of the members of the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS).

  The IBMs the WAAAF worked with had been sourced from Washington and were the first of their kind in Australia. It took some heavy lobbying from Central Bureau to get these machines and after they finally got the nod, the machines went missing after they were shipped. With some great detective work, the IBMs were finally found and the boxes delivered and unpacked. That was when it was discovered the instruction manuals hadn’t been included and parts of the machine had corroded. Through tenacity and logic, the machines were put together. Of course, once they were working, they were prone to overheating. When noisy industrial fans were brought in to cool the machines down, neighbours started asking questions about what was going on at 21 Henry Street. Moving these monstrous machines to the nearby disused fire station must have been quite the operation, especially as Central Bureau would have been conscious of not raising more questions from the already suspicious neighbourhood. Before the IBM machines arrived, WAAAF members had to process the Japanese messages with paper and pencil. It was tedious work and prone to human error. When the machines were up and running, up to one thousand messages could be processed a day. This speed meant any important messages would be discovered and acted upon quickly.