Published1 hour ago
GCHQ has released never before seen images of Colossus, the UK’s secret code breaking computer credited with helping the Allies win World War Two.
The intelligence agency is publishing them to mark the 80th anniversary of the device’s invention.
It says they “shed new light” on the “genesis and workings of Colossus”, which is considered by many to be the first ever digital computer.
Its existence was kept completely secret until the early 2000s.
Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, said the pictures were a reminder of the “creativity and ingenuity” required to keep the country safe.
“Technological innovation has always been at the centre of our work here at GCHQ, and Colossus is a perfect example of how our staff keep us at the forefront of new technology – even when we can’t talk about it”, she said.
The first Colossus began operating from Bletchley Park, the home of the UK’s codebreakers, in early 1944. By the end of the war there were 10 computers helping to decipher the Nazi messages.
Fitted with 2,500 valves and standing at more than 2 metres tall,Colossus required a team of skilled operators and technicians to run and maintain it.
Often they were members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens) – one of the new images shows Wrens working on the machine.
Blueprints of its inner workings have also
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