Charlotte “Betty” Webb MBE, a World War II codebreaker who dedicated her youth to unraveling enemy communications, has passed away.
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Webb, one of the last surviving codebreakers from Bletchley Park, died on April 1, as confirmed by the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association per the BBC.
She was 101 years old.
All at GCHQ are deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of @BletchleyPark codebreaker Charlotte ‘Betty’ Webb MBE at the age of 101.
— GCHQ (@GCHQ) April 1, 2025
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Webb, a native of Wythall, Worcestershire, began her career at the Buckinghamshire operations base at just 18 years old. She later contributed to deciphering Japanese codes at The Pentagon in the United States. In recognition of her remarkable service, she was awarded France’s highest honor, the Légion d’Honneur, in 2021.
The Women’s Royal Army Corps Association praised Webb as a trailblazer who “inspired women in the Army for decades”.
“Her efforts to ensure that the story of what she and her colleagues achieved is not forgotten,” said Bletchley Park Trust CEO Iain Standen of Webb, per the BBC.
“Betty’s passion for preserving the history and legacy of Bletchley Park has undoubtedly inspired many people to engage with the story and visit the site,” he added.
Charlotte “Betty” Webb Volunteered Out of a Sense of Duty Over ‘Making Sausage Rolls’
In 2020, Webb told the BBC she knew nothing about Bletchley Park, Britain’s wartime code-breaking center, before joining as part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Studying near Shrewsbury at the time, she volunteered out of a sense of duty, feeling it was more meaningful than “making sausage rolls.”
Her mother had taught her German during childhood, and before her assignment, she recalled being escorted “into the mansion [at Bletchley] to read the Official Secrets Act.”
“I realized that from then on there was no way that I was going to be able to tell even my parents where I was and what I was doing until 1975 [when restrictions were lifted],” she told the outlet then.
She told the family she was staying with that she worked as a secretary.
After serving four years at Bletchley Park analyzing German communications during WW2, she moved to the Pentagon in 1945 to paraphrase and transcribe decoded Japanese messages. As the only ATS member sent to Washington, she called it a “tremendous honor.”
After the Allies’ victory, Webb returned to the UK and worked as a school secretary in Shropshire.
In 2021, over 50 years later, Webb was one of 6,000 British citizens awarded the Légion d’Honneur, following President François Hollande’s 2014 decision to honor British veterans who helped liberate France.
In 2023, she and her niece were among 2,200 people from 203 countries invited to Westminster Abbey for King Charles III’s coronation.That same year, she marked her 100th birthday with a celebratory party at Bletchley Park.