Codebreakers to shed light on Enigma legend

The Allied Codebreakers deciphered a vast number of German secret messages and used the intelligence gained to hasten the Allied victory. 

The Germans had entrusted their secret communications to an ingenious ciphering machine the Enigma, which was portable, easily operated, and could be set up in millions of ways. 

The codes were used and every one was changed every 24 hours.

An expert in the field, speaker Dr Mark Baldwin has made a detailed study of the Enigma machine and the code-breaking work at Bletchley Park. 

From his research, Dr Mark Baldwin has prepared an entertaining and instructive show and has built up a unique collection of slides which illustrate the main features of those important facts of the Second World War. 

The talk is followed by a question and answer session, plus there will be an opportunity to get involved with a hands-on demonstration of one of the very few surviving Enigma machines.

Having delivered over 500 presentations, Dr Baldwin is currently one of Britain's most experienced speakers on the Enigma machine and the work of the WW2 codebreakers. 

He has travelled widely throughout Britain addressing a variety of audiences - professional, educational, commercial and the general public - including many in theatres, arts centres and festivals.

Only about 300 Enigma machines are known to survive worldwide; of these, only about a dozen are in public collections in Britain. 

As these machines are so rare, Dr Baldwin is providing an unusual opportunity for the audience not just to view, but also to operate, an original 1944 4-rotor Enigma machine – The actual machine which appeared briefly in the film The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game was released last year and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as real life British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who decrypted German intelligence codes for the British government during World War Two.

The talk takes place on Tuesday (October 20) at 7.30pm. 

Tickets are £16 and can be booked at www.rotherhamtheatres.co.uk or by phone on 01709 823621 or in person at the Box Office, Rotherham Visitor Centre on Bridgegate.