{"id":40178,"date":"2019-10-15T08:10:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T12:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=40178"},"modified":"2019-10-15T08:10:13","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T12:10:13","slug":"paul-attends-the-secret-war-special-exhibit-at-the-science-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/paul-attends-the-secret-war-special-exhibit-at-the-science-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul attends “The Secret War” special exhibit at the Science Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Paul Evans<\/a>, who writes:<\/p>\n

From the SWLing roving foreign correspondent.<\/p>\n

A couple of weeks before going to London on our recent trip, I was idly looking through the Science Museum web site when I spotted a special exhibit ‘The Secret War’<\/a> put on by ‘members of GCHQ’. It had to be booked in advance (but was FREE), so I duly registered and printed out our tickets.<\/p>\n

Come the first full day of our visit, a short walk in Kensington took us to the museum and an 11am time slot. The exhibit was a little hard to find, way at the back of Floor 0 and down some stairs, however it wasn’t just shoved in a ‘lesser area’. Entry was through a computer check-in and helper. However, there was enough slack that anybody showing up could enter more or less ‘on demand’. The exhibit is limited to 100 visitors per hour (that’s the trick).<\/p>\n

Well, it was very well done and went all the way through the earliest coding in Greece and Egypt, through WWII and Bletchley to GCHQ and modern exhibits such as Edward Snowden’s laptop.<\/p>\n

We had the pleasure to hear G7VAK calling CQ on a straight key, so I went over and answered him and gave him a suitable signal report and we swapped cards. Paul is manning the show, it seems, through most of its run into next year [23 February, 2020]. We exchanged suitable quips about having to kill each other if we said what we couldn’t say. He had a letter about some questions asked at the exhibit printed recently in RSGB RadCom in the ‘The Last Word’.<\/p>\n

Overall the Science Museum has improved very much, having moved from a place stuffed full of (fairly) boring exhibits, to a more open and curated layout. They have also added snack bars (very good quality but pricey) on each floor.<\/p>\n

Well worth a visit to what is now one of the world’s best museums of any topic. One of the finest exhibits on the staircase entry to Mathematics is the recently finished Babbage machine. And it works!<\/p>\n

P.S. Personal bias. My Uncle Fred was at Bletchley Park, Hut 6 for a couple of years before being placed overseas, including a couple of trips to the USA (shhhhhhh!)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mum’s the word, Paul! Thank you for the quick review of this special exhibit.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to book a free ticket for this exhibit, go to the Science Museum<\/em> website and click on the “Book Now” link!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Paul Evans, who writes: From the SWLing roving foreign correspondent. A couple of weeks before going to London on our recent trip, I was idly looking through the Science Museum web site when I spotted a special exhibit ‘The Secret War’ put on by ‘members of GCHQ’. It had to be booked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[4184,1496,7864,8069,8068],"class_list":["post-40178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-enigma","tag-gchq","tag-paul-evans-w4-vp9kf","tag-science-museum","tag-the-secret-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-as2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40319,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/gchq-hidden-past-in-the-press\/","url_meta":{"origin":40178,"position":0},"title":"GCHQ “hidden past” in the press","author":"Thomas","date":"October 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who writes: You recently posted about the on going GCHQ exhibition at the Science Museum here in London. I now offer you two more GCHQ items. Both radio related. First one from BBC Radio: How Scarborough saved the world The Secret History of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/GCHQ-Benhall2-e1571676202625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/GCHQ-Benhall2-e1571676202625.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/GCHQ-Benhall2-e1571676202625.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/GCHQ-Benhall2-e1571676202625.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63122,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/voa-museum-exhibit-honors-dusty-rhodes-jim-labarbara-tv-kiese-wvxu\/","url_meta":{"origin":40178,"position":1},"title":"“VOA Museum exhibit honors Dusty Rhodes, Jim LaBarbara, TV Kiese \u2013 WVXU”","author":"Thomas","date":"June 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David, who shares a link to a piece from WVXU about a new exhibit at the Voice of America Museum in West Chester, Ohio. The exhibit highlights the legacy of Dusty Rhodes, Jim LaBarbara, and TV Kiese\u2014three local broadcasting legends whose voices helped shape\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41539,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/voa-museum-featured-in-atlas-obscura\/","url_meta":{"origin":40178,"position":2},"title":"VOA Museum featured in Atlas Obscura","author":"Thomas","date":"January 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source Atlas Obscura via Paul Evans W4\/VP9KF) The former Voice of America broadcast site at Bethany Station is now a museum. 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Tucked into the former equipment bays are row upon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-9-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-9-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-9-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29223,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/new-crosley-exhibit-at-voa-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":40178,"position":3},"title":"New Crosley Exhibit at VOA Museum","author":"Thomas","date":"November 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave, who shares this article by John Kieswetter at WVXU: Maybe you have one of those refrigerators with a TV screen built into the door\u2026 Or you like reading news stories from TV\/radio stations on your tablet or phone\u2026 Well, WLW-AM founder and Cincinnati\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/VOA-Bethany-1-1-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33305,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/voa-museum-rock-the-radio-fundraiser-gala-september-22\/","url_meta":{"origin":40178,"position":4},"title":"VOA Museum ‘Rock the Radio’ fundraiser gala September 22","author":"Thomas","date":"August 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Southgate ARC via Richard Langley) Event to be held on 74th anniversary of VOA-Bethany Station dedication Whether you engaged in dance parties in the 50s, sock-hopped through the 60s, or grooved to music of the 70s, chances are that radio provided the music of the moment. 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