Enigma: Why lady was a champ
Lady Ellen Elizabeth Reed, who has died at 104, helped break secret Nazi codes
Possibly the most famous Northlander you’ve never heard of, Lady Ellen Elizabeth Reed, was a World War II codecracker who held a senior role at the famous Bletchley Park military intelligence centre.
The Northlander, who played a crucial wartime role in cracking German secrets, has died aged 104.
Lady Elizabeth, as she was usually known, died at her Paihia home on August 30 after an extraordinary life which included deciphering Nazi secret codes and living for decades in Nigeria.
She was part of the famous Bletchley Park team that broke the Germans’ Enigma code. Their success, which built on Polish codecrackers’ work, allowed Britain to eavesdrop on secret Nazi communications and helped swing the war in the Allies’ favour.
Though her connection to Paihia spanned 45 years, Lady Elizabeth kept a low profile in the town and usually declined interviews. She rarely spoke about her crucial wartime work, even to family.
She was, however, involved in many aspects of Paihia life, especially heritage, drama and the Anglican Church. She helped maintain the grounds of St Paul’s, better known as the Stone Church, for years.
Lady Elizabeth also attended Waitangi Day commemorations every year and in 2019 was a guest of honour when Prince Charles and Lady Camilla were formally welcomed to the Treaty Grounds. She was seated on the mahau (porch) of Te Whare Ru¯nanga (the carved meeting house) behind them.
She celebrated her 102nd birthday by parasailing over the Bay of Islands with her youngest daughter. Lady Elizabeth had hoped for a big celebration for her 104th birthday but was thwarted by Covid-19 restrictions.
Born Ellen Elizabeth Langstaff in Canada, she was raised in the UK where she gained a first-class honours degree in French and German at Cambridge University. In 1939, aged 23, she was hired to work at the topsecret Bletchley Park facility in Milton Keynes, about 80km from London. Initially she was tasked with typing messages into code but later she translated deciphered German communications, a role previously left to men.
She was eventually promoted to personnel officer and personal assistant to Group Captain Eric Jones, who headed the famous Hut 3 responsible for intelligence on the Wehrmacht (German defence force) and Luftwaffe (air force).