Stan Baylis

Yesterday I went up to Green Point near Gosford on the Central Coast, north of Sydney to visit some of my Australian family. Uncle Stan and Auntie Maureen, Stan is actually my Gran's cousin, so I dunno what that makes him officially to me, but I've always called him Uncle?

Stan showed me the badge and letter he was sent by the British Priminister for his work in during the Second World War. It was really amazing to hear about the work he did a wireless opperator and Code Cracker in Brisbane and Darwin, as part of the highly secret Bletchley Park unit back in England, which broke the Enigma Code. He was sworn under the Official Secrets Act, which meant he wasn't allowed to tell any one anything about it for 30 years. Stan would listen into Japanese radio signals and help break the codes. Some would result in Code breaking, warnings of attacks and sinking ships or submarines.

The idea that the information Stan handled and passed on may have resulted in the sinking of vessles did seem to trouble him, it really made me realise what a different time we live in now and what some people had to do through. I really wish I'd taken more time to ask both my grandfathers about their part during the war.