The Army Benevolent Fund is saddened to hear of the death yesterday of Betty Webb MBE, a Second World War veteran and supporter of the Army Benevolent Fund.
Betty was an active ambassador for Operation Bletchley, our annual series of codebreaking missions in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund. Last December, she supported the ABF by sharing her story with the Telegraph for its Christmas Appeal. Read her incredible interview here.
Betty, who was 101, initially joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) age 18, and then spent four years as part of the code breaking team at Bletchley Park. She was employed there as part of a team working on intercepting and decoding messages from the German police.
After the War ended in Europe, Betty went to work at the Pentagon where she would paraphrase and transcribe decoded Japanese messages. Returning to England, Betty took a job as a school secretary and then with the Territorial Army, eventually becoming recruitment officer for the Women’s Royal Army Corps in the West Midlands.
Signing the Official Secrets Act meant Betty could not discuss her work with anyone for 30 years, including her parents. Initially reluctant to talk about Bletchley, Betty was eventually persuaded to write a memoir. Betty went on to give over 200 talks and many interviews about her work. Betty was an ambassador for five years for the ABF’s codebreaking challenge Operation Bletchley. She shared her story to motivate people to join the challenge, and sent messages of encouragement to its participants, including for our latest mission.
She was interviewed for our VE 75 podcast as well as the Telegraph, and welcomed ABF staff to her home in Worcestershire, when she talked about Bletchley and the many people she had met since opening up about her experiences. Betty was warm with a keen mind and wit, and a firm sense of what she did and didn’t like – which included Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Alan Turing!
Helen McMahon, our Case Studies Liaison Officer said: “Betty was inspirational – I learnt from her and will always cherish our time together. She gave a lot to many over the years.”
Paying tribute to Betty, Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer, Army Benevolent Fund, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Bletchley Park veteran, Betty Webb MBE. Betty led a remarkable life and contributed greatly to our country. In her final years, she gave her time to the Army Benevolent Fund as our Operation Bletchley Ambassador, along with many other causes, and was generous in sharing her wartime memories to increase awareness of our support for soldiers, former soldiers, and their families in need. It was a honour and inspiration to have worked with Betty and we are so grateful for her service.”
Our condolences to Betty’s family and her many friends and colleagues.