A WOMAN who saved lives as a secret code breaker during World War II has sadly died aged 98.
Emotional tributes have poured in following the news of Mary Ratcliffe’s passing after she helped decode Nazi messages in the Second World War.
Mary Ratcliffe sadly passed away aged 98
Working at a secret base in Middlesex, she used the Bombe machines invented by Alan Turing, and many historian believed the work of people who operated them saved millions of lives.
And even after the war ended, Mary continued to do good and spread positivity in the community while working as an acupuncturist.
She was known for dressing like Queen Victoria at events free of charge and regularly opened village fayres, parades and other attractions.
After donning the same style clothes as the iconic monarch for 30 years, Buckingham Palace warmly welcomed Mary to meet the royals at Queen Elizabeth II’s Garden Party.
The much-loved and well respected war hero was awarded the Pride of Swindon award for helping feed the homeless and spearheading campaigns for several causes.
Mary’s heartbroken family paid tribute and said: “Whether as Mary or Queen Victoria, she championed underdogs with eloquent ferocity and actively supported humanitarian causes ranging from elder abuse to homelessness.
“She tackled grave issues, where others feared to tread and as such was always true to herself.”
Her family also thanked staff at Kings Court Care Centre who looked after Mary until the end.
Mary previously spoke about her time working as part of the war effort from joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service at 19 to code breaking.
In an interview with Swindon Advertiser she said: “At the Mill Hill recruiting station in North London I was interviewed and assigned to a base.
“We were bundled into an Army lorry. The flap was pulled down. Our ‘secret’ destination was Eastcote, in Middlesex.
“We were immediately taken into a room where we were instructed to take the Oath of Allegiance to our God, King and country.”
Mary explained her vow of silence was “absolute” and no one had been allowed to talk about their work.
“The 30 years vow of silence was sacrosanct, even after the end of the war,” she added.
She tackled grave issues, where others feared to tread and as such was always true to herself.”
Mary’s family
On her experience working the Bombe machines to decipher Nazi messages, she said: “Our task was to follow a menu that instructed the setting of each drum on which the letters of the alphabet were displayed.
“There were nine rows of coloured drums on every Bombe machine.
“Each time it stopped, the position of the drums was recorded on the checking machine before restarting the Bombe machine.
“A team of technicians was assigned to every bay. The daylight lighting was sometimes a strain.
“Many colleagues found the work boring, but for me, the rhythm of the drums stimulated my creative thoughts. Many amongst us were mavericks or eccentrics. Both apply to me.”
Mary also spoke fondly of her VE Day memories, where she was taken to Buckingham Palace on a horse drawn cart to celebrate.
“The atmosphere was euphoric. We made our way towards the Mall,” she said.
“So, in style, we made our way towards Buckingham Palace where the Royal Family were on the balcony with Winston Churchill, who was then left alone so that we could loudly applaud him for his unique, inspiring leadership in defence of our precious core freedoms throughout six years of conflict, that had claimed so many lives who were the creme de la creme of our nation.”
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