Children bring Code Machines to Life
School pupils create their own Enigma and Bombe machines.
11-year-old Charlie has created his an Enigma machine whilst 10-year-old Millie has created a Bombe.
When 11-year-old Charlie was asked to dress up for World Maths Day at his school he wanted to do something a bit different. Being a fan of maths, he and his family decided that an outfit in the style of Codebreaker Alan Turing would be perfect for the day.
Charlie’s mother, Tiff, said, “We looked into famous mathematicians and Alan Turing quite captured his imagination. Charlie already knew who he was because he’s good at maths and into codes.”
Charlie, from Stockport, decided to accessorise his outfit by creating his own Enigma machine. Copying a photograph and with some assistance from his family, he used shoe boxes, card and glue to make the coding device.His teachers were so impressed that they gave him extra house points.
Meanwhile Millie’s school homework project was to design and create anything with a World War Two theme. She knew about the Bombe, which was designed by Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman to help crack enemy codes, because her mother, Kate, works at Bletchley Park.
Kate said, “She wanted to make something from Bletchley Park and she was captivated by the Bombe. As part of the project she had to research the object; what it did and why it’s at Bletchley Park. She was really excited to take it back into school to show it to everyone.”
Millie’s Bombe comes complete with drums on the front and complex wiring on the back. Kate added that making it really played to Millie’s creative strengths and she tackled the project with enthusiasm, learning plenty of Codebreaking history in the process.