In 1939, the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS) was established at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, with just 180 people. By the end of 1944, Bletchley Park's employee population had grown to over 10,000. It was also home to two of the earliest 'super' computers.
The Bombe was designed by mathematician Alan Turing, now widely recognised as the father of computer science and AI. This electromechanical machine helped crack the impenetrable Enigma code. And Colossus, built by Max Newman, was the first programmable electronic computer. The size of an average living room, it had approximately the same computing power as today's desktop PCs.
The development of this technology, supported by many fine intellects, helped change the course of the war and laid the foundations for today's GCHQ, which came into being when GC&CS was disbanded after the war. Initially based in London, we relocated to Cheltenham in 1952.
We're proud of our heritage, but we constantly have to look to the future. We're working to stay ahead of the online criminals, computer hackers, terrorists, drug smugglers and any organised crime threatening the UK.
So, whichever role they're in, our people are true pioneers - developing new technologies and new solutions to help protect our nation. And as our world of work continues to evolve, so can yours.