Margaret Macfarlane was a Scottish woman who worked secretly during World War II as one of the Enigma codebreakers alongside Alan Turing at Bletchley Park, as depicted in the film “The Imitation Game.”
- Died: July 20, 2023 (Who else died on July 20?)
- Details of death: Died in the United Kingdom at the age of 102.
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Margaret Macfarlane’s legacy
Macfarlane’s contributions to the Allied victory in WWII remained a secret even from her own family until decades after the fact. Born in Old Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Macfarlane was a 22-year-old secretary when she was recruited to help the team at Bletchley Park’s Government Code and Cypher School. As depicted in the film “The Imitation Game,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, that small team of experts was tasked with breaking the seemingly unbreakable Nazi codes.
Macfarlane was one of the few women allowed to use the top-secret Enigma code machine. By deciphering those codes into understandable messages in English, Macfarlane’s work helped inform major decisions in the war. However, her contributions were kept classified until the 1970s, when the work that took place at Bletchley Park was finally made public.
Macfarlane was honored with a medal in 2010 and is now listed on the Roll of Honour at Bletchley Park.
Tributes to Margaret Macfarlane
Full obituary: The Press & Journal
