“GCHQ has been by far the most valuable source of intelligence for the British Government ever since it began operating at Bletchley during the last war. British skills in interception and code-breaking are unique.”

Denis Healey, House of Commons, 27 February 1984.

The important and unique Falklands War “code-breakers” O.B.E. awarded to Miss Maureen Jones, an original member of G.C.H.Q. from Bletchley Park and one of only 26 women honoured for the South Atlantic operations

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, on Lady’s bow, in its Royal Mint case of issue, extremely fine £800-1000

O.B.E. London Gazette 8 October 1982:

‘In recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic ... Miss Maureen Mary Jones, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.’

Miss Maureen Mary Jones received her O.B.E. as a Senior Principal at G.C.H.Q., the “code-breakers”, and Britain’s most secret intelligence agency - the only such award for the Falklands conflict.

According to the Gloucestershire Echo 11 October 1982, which headlined her Falklands award above those to the Old Cheltonians Major-General Sir Jeremy Moore and Colonel Mike Rose:

‘The vital role played by the top secret Government Communication Headquarters in Cheltenham during the Falklands conflict is shrouded in mystery. But staff at G.C.H.Q. did work closely with the Ministry of Defence in providing communications support to the Armed Forces, it has been revealed. And a Cheltenham woman, Miss Maureen Jones who is a senior principal at G.C.H.Q. has been made an O.B.E. in the Falklands honours list. Miss Jones was born in Crewe, Cheshire and educated at Nantwich and Acton Grammar School. She joined the Civil Service as a temporary clerk in 1943 and transferred to G.C.H.Q. on its inception ... Miss Jones’ O.B.E. is just one of 833 Falklands awards to servicemen and civilians whose actions were crucial to victory.’

According to that day’s Daily Telegraph just 26 of the 833 gallantry and distinguished service Honours & Awards for the Falklands War were awarded to women.

Government Communications Headquarters is the top-secret successor to the famous wartime code-breaking organisation, the Government Code and Cypher School (G.C. & C.S.) at Bletchley Park (Station X). The G.C. & C.S. was officially renamed G.C.H.Q. in 1948 (a cover name it had used during the War) but its existence and that of Bletchley was not acknowledged until the 1970s. It is Britain’s largest but most elusive intelligence service. Officially a part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it commands more staff than the Security Service (M.I.5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (M.I.6) combined.

Miss Maureen Jones served with G.C. & C.S. and G.C.H.Q. for over 41 years, from the Second World War through the Cold War to the Falklands War, retiring in 1984. She died in Cheltenham in May 2012, aged 87 years. Her closest relative, her unmarried sister who accompanied her to the investiture at Buckingham Palace, was already deceased.




Falklands War 1982 and the sinking of the “Belgrano”

The exact nature and extent of G.C.H.Q.’s successes in interception and code breaking during the Falklands War has never been officially revealed. Richard J. Aldrich gives some indication in his recently published but unauthorised GCHQ – The Uncensored Story of Britain’s Most Secret Intelligence Agency. Following a security gaffe by an M.P. in the House of Commons during the April 1982 Falklands debate the Argentinians ‘improved their cipher security, their material became harder to break ... They improved their procedures, changed their codes more frequently and in some cases double enciphered, but to little avail, since their actual machines were compromised. Commander Robert Denton Green, who was the Intelligence Officer at Fleet Headquarters in Northwood, offers the best assessment:

‘But amid all this difficulty, G.C.H.Q. managed to break the Argentine codes. They were not terribly sophisticated, but we got a lot of very high quality political and battle-planning intelligence. It took us between twelve and twenty-four hours to decipher and translate the messages, so we were always trying to extrapolate forward to see what they meant for us now.’

Denton Green concludes that although the material was sometimes ambiguous, G.C.H.Q. intercepts gave it a reasonable picture of what was going on inside the minds of the main Argentine commanders.

One example is the vital role that G.C.H.Q. played in protecting the vulnerable Task Force through the sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano by the submarine H.M.S. Conqueror on 2 May 1982, as related by Aldrich:

‘Events largely turned upon a sequence of Argentine Navy signals that were intercepted and read by G.C.H.Q. On 1 May 1982 the Argentine Navy was told to locate the British Task Force around the Falklands and launch a ‘massive attack’ as soon as possible. The Belgrano was ordered south and into the Exclusion Zone. This alarming signal was intercepted by G.C.H.Q., and strongly informed the government’s deliberations. Shortly afterwards, the War Cabinet met at the Prime Minister’s country residence, Chequers, and authorised an attack on the Belgrano. Sigint showed that, although at this moment she still lay outside the Exclusion Zone, her orders were clear, and she constituted a serious threat.’

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s O.B.E. warrant, in the name of ‘Miss Maureen Mary Jones’, and dated 11 October 1982, together with some letters to her from the Central Chancery; a letter from the Principal Private Secretary at 10 Downing Street, Robin Butler (now Lord Butler of Brockwell K.G., G.C.B.), dated 20 September 1982, informing her that the Prime Minister ‘has it in mind on the occasion of the special honours list to recognise services rendered in connection with the South Atlantic Operation to submit your name to The Queen with a recommendation that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire’; a letter from the Director Government Communications Headquarters, Sir Peter Marychurch ,K.C.M.G., the internationally renowned cryptologist, dated 7 May 1985, addressed to ‘My dear Maureen’ on the occasion of her retirement after ‘more than 41 years service with G.C.H.Q.’ - ‘It is always sad to bid farewell to a colleague of long standing and this is particularly so when it is someone I have known, admired and respected over a very long period ... You will be greatly missed by us all, not only for your expertise and wisdom, but also as a friend’; a photograph of Miss Jones, her sister and a friend after her investiture at Buckingham Palace in October 1982; and original October 1982 newspapers and cuttings from the The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Gloucestershire Echo containing the list of the Falklands War awards and photographs following her investiture.