In this engaging interview, Geoffrey Pidgeon explains how his father’s role in stores at Bletchley Park, combined with his teenage pastime of model building, led to a job offer with the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). After securing his parents' permission to leave school, Geoffrey accepted the offer. Initially joining the Communication Section, later known as Section VIII, he began working in the workshops at Whaddon Hall. At just 14, he was the youngest member of the team—and potentially the youngest in the entire SIS. This marks the beginning of an extraordinary wartime experience. Geoffrey eventually went on to work for the newly created Mobile Construction Team, installing wireless equipment in vehicles and aircraft to assist with the interception of enemy communications. His professional experiences, alongside his personal life in Stony Stratford, placed him in a unique position to witness and participate in the highly confidential world of wartime intelligence gathering. This enables him to provide a deeply insightful account of how wireless communication and its rapid development played a crucial role in the success of Allied operations, as well as the integral nature of the ‘Y’ Service and the work at Bletchley Park.

Born in Alsager, Cheshire, Geoffrey joined the Army to avoid working down the coal mines. He recalls moments of hope while fighting on the Europe frontline, such as the sight of a crucifix on the door of a French school in Cristot, miraculously unharmed despite heavy shelling. He also describes the difficult position of having to shoot his first soldier, when a group of three German troops feigned surrender and threw a hand grenade. Like with the deaths of his own regiment and friends, Geoff kept himself positive with one simple mantra: “I'm glad it’s not me”. After being shot in the leg in Belgium, Geoff was captured and transported in a cattle truck to Stalag IV-B, one of Germany’s largest POW camps. He describes the harsh conditions and overcrowding, as well as witnessing the camp’s justice system at work, after guards caught and shot a fellow prisoner accused of stealing rations.  In a cruel twist of fate, he also found himself forced to work somewhere he wanted to avoid at all cost - a coal mine. After surviving Stalag IV-B and the notorious ‘Death March’, Geoff returned safely home to Barnsley, weighing only 6 stone and 2 pounds.  Geoff’s optimism shines throughout this interview, despite his harrowing ordeal. He fondly remembers much of the camaraderie during his time in service, and still to this day expresses no regrets of his experience in Europe. He maintains respect for the Germans, for always keeping to their word.