Alastair Denniston
Encyclopedia
Commander Alexander Guthrie (Alastair) Denniston CMG CBE
RNVR (1 December 1881, Greenock
– 1 January 1961, Milford on Sea
) was a British codebreaker in Room 40
and first head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and field hockey
player. Denniston was appointed operational head of GC&CS in 1919 and remained so until February 1942.
, the son of a medical practitioner. He studied at the University of Bonn
and the University of Paris
. Denniston was a member of the Scottish Olympic Hockey team in 1908
and won a bronze medal.
in the Admiralty, an organisation responsible for intercepting and decrypting enemy messages. In 1917 he married a fellow Room 40 worker, Dorothy Mary Gilliat.
After World War I
, Room 40 was merged with its counterpart in the Army, MI1b, to become the Government Code and Cypher School in 1919. Denniston was chosen to run the new organisation.
On July 26, 1939, just five weeks before the outbreak of World War II
, Denniston was one of three Britons (along with Dilly Knox
and Humphrey Sandwith) who participated in the trilateral Polish-French-British conference held in the Kabaty Woods south of Warsaw
, at which the Polish
Cipher Bureau
initiated the French and British into the decryption of German
military Enigma
cipher
s.
in 1939, GC&CS greatly expanded and relocated to Bletchley Park
.
In February 1942, GC&CS was reorganised, and Denniston was placed in charge of a civil and diplomatic division in London, while Edward Travis
succeeded him at Bletchley Park, overseeing the work on military codes and ciphers.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
RNVR (1 December 1881, Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
– 1 January 1961, Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea is a large village and civil parish located on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. With a population of approximately 4500, Milford has a variety of shops, restaurants and pubs in its high street, which borders the village green.-Overview:Milford on Sea is village...
) was a British codebreaker in Room 40
Room 40
In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
and first head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player. Denniston was appointed operational head of GC&CS in 1919 and remained so until February 1942.
Early life
Denniston was born in GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, the son of a medical practitioner. He studied at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. Denniston was a member of the Scottish Olympic Hockey team in 1908
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
and won a bronze medal.
World War I and interbellum
In 1914 he helped form Room 40Room 40
In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
in the Admiralty, an organisation responsible for intercepting and decrypting enemy messages. In 1917 he married a fellow Room 40 worker, Dorothy Mary Gilliat.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Room 40 was merged with its counterpart in the Army, MI1b, to become the Government Code and Cypher School in 1919. Denniston was chosen to run the new organisation.
On July 26, 1939, just five weeks before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Denniston was one of three Britons (along with Dilly Knox
Dilly Knox
Alfred Dillwyn 'Dilly' Knox CMG was a classics scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and a British codebreaker...
and Humphrey Sandwith) who participated in the trilateral Polish-French-British conference held in the Kabaty Woods south of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, at which the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Cipher Bureau
Biuro Szyfrów
The Biuro Szyfrów was the interwar Polish General Staff's agency charged with both cryptography and cryptology ....
initiated the French and British into the decryption of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
military Enigma
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
cipher
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
s.
World War II
With the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, GC&CS greatly expanded and relocated to Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
.
In February 1942, GC&CS was reorganised, and Denniston was placed in charge of a civil and diplomatic division in London, while Edward Travis
Edward Travis
Sir Edward Wilfred Harry Travis KCMG CBE was a British cryptographer and intelligence officer, becoming the operational head of Bletchley Park during World War II, and later the head of GCHQ.-Career:...
succeeded him at Bletchley Park, overseeing the work on military codes and ciphers.
Honours and awards
- 7 January 1918 appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Commander Alexander Guthrie Denniston, R.N.V.R. Naval Intelligence Division, Admiralty.
- 2 January 1933 appointed a Companion of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Commander Alexander Guthrie Denniston, O.B.E., R.N.V.R. Head of a Department, Foreign Office.
- 12 June 1941 appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)Order of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
Commander Alexander Guthrie Denniston, C.B.E., R.N.V.R. (Retd.), Head of a Department of the Foreign Office.
External links
- The Papers of Alexander Guthrie Denniston are held at the Churchill Archives CentreChurchill Archives CentreThe Churchill Archives Centre is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. It is best known for housing the Churchill Papers, the massive archive of Sir Winston Churchill, as well as the private papers of Baroness Thatcher...
in Cambridge, and are accessible to the public. - DatabaseOlympics.com profile
- Thirty Secret Years: A. G. Denniston's work in signals intelligence 1914-1944