Eleanor Gwendoline Hollington, née Paxton (1 February 1919 – 12 June 2014) was a Cambridge graduate in Modern and Medieval Languages who worked as a civilian translator for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park from 1941 to 1945.
Gwen Hollington | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eleanor Gwendoline Paxton 1 February 1919 |
| Died | 12 June 2014 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Roedean School |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Civilian translator |
| Years active | 1941–1945 |
| Organization(s) | Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park |
| Spouse | Barrie Hollington |
Biography
editBorn on 1 February 1919, Gwen Paxton won a scholarship to Roedean School and went on to study French and German at Girton College, Cambridge. During her studies, she spent a year at the University of Freiburg to improve her German.[1] At Cambridge, she earned blues in lacrosse and lawn tennis.[2]
In an interview in 2011, she stated: "Before the war I had lived in Germany for a year studying at Freiburg as part of my degree and I made a lot of friends. A lot of the Germans I knew were charming, so it was difficult to think of them as the enemy."[3]
Upon graduation she was recruited to work as a civilian translator at Hut 4, Bletchley Park, translating decrypted German naval communications into English. She worked there for four years, while billeted with a family in Woburn Sands.
After the war, she worked for a publishing company as a literary assistant. She married Barrie Hollington (died 1964), with whom she had five children. She died on 12 June 2014.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Obituary in The Times, 25 June 2014. Accessed 17 November 2014.
- ^ Old Roedeanean Obituary Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 26 June 2014. Accessed 17 November 2014.
- ^ Katie Linsell, "Bletchley Park remembered by Harpenden woman" Archived 14 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Hertfordshire Advertiser, 13 March 2011. Accessed 17 November 2014.