This one-of-a-kind footage is believed to be the only video in existence showing the private lives of MI6 operatives working at a top secret country house during World War Two.
The incredibly rare, 11-minute silent film, should not exist at all – owing to the highly secret nature of the Buckinghamshire facility where it was taken.
The site, Whaddon Hall, was intimately connected with nearby Bletchley Park, the iconic nineteenth-century mansion which hosted codebreakers who broke the German Emigma code and shortened World War Two.
Operatives at Whaddon Hall were members of MI6 Section Eight, they worked to send decrypted intelligence between the Bletchley Park workers and Allied command.
The footage, believed to be a compilation of clips recorded between 1939 and 1945, shows off duty men and women, many of whom are dressed in civilian clothes, smiling and talking.
This one-of-a-kind footage is believed to be the only video in existence showing the private lives of MI6 operatives working at a top secret country house during World War Two. Pictured: An unidentified off-duty member of MI6 featured in the film
The incredibly rare, 11-minute silent film, filmed mostly in black-and-white, should not exist at all – owing to the highly secret nature of the facility, at Whaddon Hall (pictured) in Buckinghamshire, where it was filmed
It also features members of the Whaddon fox hunting club, and cricket and football matches being played in beautiful summer sunshine.
Due to the intense secrecy of their work, photography and film was banned at Bletchley Park and associated sites.
The film is the only known wartime footage of any site linked to the historic facility.
Members of Section 8, who were permanently based at Whaddon Hall, sent messages decrypted by Bletchley Park codebreakers on to battlefield commanders.
Despite its crucial role, there were never more than one hundred people working at Whaddon, whereas at Bletchley there was more than 1,000 by the end of the War.
The site was intimately connected with nearby Bletchley Park (pictured), the iconic nineteenth-century mansion which hosted codebreakers who broke the German Emigma code and shortened World War Two
Operatives at Whaddon Hall were members of MI6 Section Eight and they worked to send decrypted intelligence between the Bletchley Park codebreakers and Allied command. Pictured: An unidentified servicewoman featured in the incredible video
The footage, believed to be a compilation of clips recorded between 1939 and 1945, shows off duty men and women, many of whom are dressed in civilian clothes, smiling and talking
The operatives are also seen taking part in a football match
Dr. David Kenyon, a research historian at Bletchley Park, highlights the rarity of the find: ‘No other film footage of a site intimately connected with Bletchley Park exists.
‘We don’t know who filmed it and the footage doesn’t gives away any state secrets or any clues about the work the people in it are doing.
‘If it fell into the wrong hands, it would have given little away.
‘But for us today, it is an astonishing discovery and important record of one of the most secret and valuable aspects of Bletchley Park’s work.’
The reel of wartime footage, preserved in its original canister, has been donated to Bletchley Park Trust, by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
What role did Whaddon Hall play during the Second World War?
During World War Two Whaddon Hall in Whaddon, Buckinghamshire, played a crucial role in getting top-secret information to Allied commanders fighting across the world.
The Grade-II-listed mansion, built in 1820, was home to an MI6 unit, Section 8, which did some of the most secret work to help the war effort.
In 1939 the War Office, now known as the Ministry of Defence, leased the building to deal with increased wireless traffic.
During World War Two Whaddon Hall in Whaddon, Buckinghamshire, played a crucial role in getting top-secret information to Allied commanders fighting across the world. Pictured: Codebreakers at work at nearby Bletchley Park
The Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, later decided to take advantage of its rural location in 1940 and used it as a secure wireless station.
The radio station at Whaddon Hall was codenamed Main Line.
The team were responsible for communications between Bletchley Park, the top-secret home of codebreakers including Alan Turing, and the rest of the world.
Workers at Bletchley had famously decrypted the German Enigma code.
Messages decrypted by those at Bletchley was then sent six miles away to Whaddon Hall.
The MI6 staff, commanded by Brigadier Richard Gambier-Parry, would then convey the information through wireless to generals on the battlefields.
The leading wireless engineers in the country worked from the Windy Ridge hut nearby with around 20 operators tapping out the morse code for the messages to go where they needed to go.
There were never more than 100 people, most of them young, working at the mansion. They were doing some of the most top-secret work of World War Two.
None of the workers and no one in the village spoke of their work and they were able to go undetected throughout the war. The secret workers ate their meals at the village hall.
Whaddon Hall returned to private hands after the war and is now made up of four houses.
And to help authenticate the film, Bletchley Park showed the footage to World War Two veteran Geoffrey Pidgeon, who started working for MI6 Section 8 at Whaddon Hall, aged 17.
The film movingly includes the only known film footage of Geoffrey’s father Horace ‘Pidg’ Pidgeon.
Horace also worked at Whaddon Hall from July 1940 until December 1945, managing MI6 wireless stores and providing radio equipment for agents in the field.
Speaking as part of the film, Mr Pidgeon said: ‘I’d never seen my father on a cinefilm before.
‘I was very surprised and moved to watch it for the first time. It’s a remarkable find.’
The silent film has been analysed by a forensic lip reader, enabling subtitles to be added where possible to help bring it to life.
The film shows members of the Whaddon fox hunt, and a cricket match being played in beautiful summer sunshine
Due to the intense secrecy of their work, photography and film was banned at Bletchley Park and associated sites. The film is the only known wartime footage of any site linked to the historic facility
Identified figures in the film include Brigadier Richard Gambier-Parry, head of Section 8, as well as Bob Hornby, First Engineer, who was in charge of workshops, and Ewart Holden, Stores officer.
But several figures in the film have not been identified – and now, Bletchley Park Trust is appealing for anyone who recognises someone in the film to get in touch.
The film will be preserved as part of Bletchley Park’s collections, and made accessible for research, when the museum and heritage attraction reopens.
The footage was showed to World War Two veteran Geoffrey Pidgeon, who started working for MI6 Section 8 at Whaddon Hall, aged 17. The film movingly includes the only known film footage of Geoffrey’s father Horace ‘Pidg’ Pidgeon (pictured)
The reel of wartime footage, preserved in its original canister, has been donated to Bletchley Park Trust, by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous
Members of MI6 Section 8 had an integral role in sending decrypted information to Britain’s military commanders. Pictured: One of the section’s members
Dr. David Kenyon, a research historian at Bletchley Park, highlights the rarity of the find: ‘No other film footage of a site intimately connected with Bletchley Park exists’
Peronel Craddock, head of collections and exhibitions at Bletchley Park said: ‘The Whaddon Hall film is a really significant addition to our collection.
‘Not only does it show us the place and the people in wartime but it’s the first piece of film footage we’re aware of that shows any of the activity associated with Bletchley Park at all.
‘We’re delighted it has been donated to Bletchley Park Trust where it can be cared for and help tell the story of the huge team effort that underpinned Bletchley Park’s successes during World War Two.’