The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Codebreaker hits century milestone
Aformer Second World War codebreaker, who now l ives in Perthshire, has celebrated her 100th birthday.
Jane Ewart-Evans, who lives at Balhousie Dalnaglar care home in Crieff, celebrated her milestone on Wednesday.
A piper helped the former Bletchley Park codebreaker commemorate her centenary and among the many cards and flowers she received was a birthday card from the Queen.
Born in Calgary in Canada, Jane travelled to England in 1932.
She later taught English for a family in Berlin, where she learned to speak German.
She returned home to England before the war broke out in Europe.
In 1940, at the age of 25, Jane, alongside her sister Diana, went to work at B le tch ley Park in Buckinghamshire.
Jane was in the wartime section of the Government Code and Cypher School of the secret base, working from “Hut Six”.
She was tasked with the solution of German army and air force Enigma machine cyphers.
Jane married Denis in 1943.
The couple celebrated their union before Jane returned to Bletchley Park, and Denis returned to his regiment in the Army.
After the war, Jane celebrated VE day with Diana in London.
The sisters joined the crowds outside Buckingham Palace.
An excerpt from Diana’s diary read: “( We) enjoyed the celebrations and were proud to have seen the King and Queen on the balcony.”
However, the momentous occasion was a bittersweet one for Jane.
While she was relieved the war was over, she had yet to be reunited with Denis. Her husband did not return home until later in 1945.
Denis continued to serve in the Army after the war, with the couple travelling all over the world, before they settled in Kent with their three daughters.
Jane later moved to Carroglen, her eldest daughter’s estate in Comrie, in 2011, before her move to Dalnaglar care home.