STV NewsA modest hero has celebrated her 102nd birthday in the Highlands.
Jean Munro, a World War Two codebreaker at Bletchley Park, now lives at a care home in Grantown.
She worked in Hut 6 with the team that deciphered German army and German air force Enigma messages.
Due to the Official Secrets Act, it was decades later that she was finally able to speak of her wartime role.
Earlier this year, Dr Munro took part in a podcast to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, in which she revealed she had been unable to share details of her work until the 1980s.
STV NewsHistorians believe that breaking the Enigma code may have shortened the war by two to four years, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
“I never thought of it that way but if I think about it now, I think I’m really glad,” Dr Munro said.
In recognition of her service, she has been awarded the Freedom of Bletchley Park – a rare honour conferred by the Bletchley Park Trust – and presented with a specially made veterans’ pin badge.
STV NewsLynemore Care Home manager Pamela Cummings said: “We feel deeply honoured to have celebrated not only this milestone birthday but also the presentation of such an incredible honour in recognition of Jean’s vital work as a codebreaker.
“It was an emotional occasion to share this double celebration with Jean and her loved ones. She is a remarkable lady.”
Dr Munro was born in 1923. She was brought up in London by Scottish parents, later studying at university in London before completing her PhD at Edinburgh University.
A distinguished historian and author, she has also had senior roles with the Scottish History Society, the Scottish Local History Forum and the Scottish Genealogy Society as well as The National Trust for Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. She was also president of The Grantown Society.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
