Exhibition: Churchill’s Finest Hour 1940 – 1945

Bletchley Park is to host a photographic exhibition called “Churchill’s Finest Hour 1940 – 1945”, produced by Danish photographer, Niels Bjerre.

Sir Winston Churchill famously visited Bletchley Park in secret on 6 September 1941 to see the work of the codebreakers.  It was after this eventful visit that he released more funding for the work taking place at Bletchley Park, which enabled them to continue their work that shortened the war by two years.

The late John Herivel, a codebreaker at Bletchley Park, described the visit as “Our Finest Hour” and had the honour of being introduced to the Prime Minister. He describes the visit in his book Herivelismus. “We saw before us a rather frail, oldish looking man, a trifle bowed, with wispy hair – then he spoke briefly but with deep emotion.”

Niels Bjerre has been interested in Churchill’s life since the early 1990´s. However, it was visits to the Cabinet War Rooms in London in 1987 that gave him the keen interest in and admiration for this “Greatest Briton”.

“Like many other countries which were occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War, we Danes see Winston Churchill as the saviour of the free world. He succeeds in not only kindling the spirit of the British people, but also everyone else who wants to fight against dictatorship!”

The exhibition will be on display until 25 October 2011 in Hut 8.