Nigel Nelson has revealed that he discovered his mother "was an MI6 spy during the war" as he uncovered a rare family secret.
Nelson told GB News that he always believed his mother was merely a "humble Foreign Office clerk" during her time at the codebreaking facility.
The truth emerged decades later during what he described as "a casual visit" to Bletchley Park.
"What I didn't know was that she turned out to be a spy," Nelson told GB News.
Nigel Nelson shared how he found out his mother was a WW2 spy
GB NEWS
His mother had maintained the clerk story throughout her life, claiming she simply plotted U-boat movements in the North Atlantic.
The revelation came when Nelson spotted his mother's name on the Roll of Honour at Bletchley Park, with a curious notation that "The Foreign Office is holding the file on her."
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When questioned, archivists confirmed the startling truth: "Oh, that means she was MI6."
Further investigation confirmed his mother's clandestine role at the historic codebreaking centre.
"She was the liaison officer in the naval hut, responsible for sending intelligence to MI6, who would then pass it on to the Admiralty—provided it didn't reveal that we had broken the Enigma codes," Nelson explained.
He has since returned to Bletchley Park multiple times to piece together his mother's secret past.
On one visit, he showed photographs to veterans who worked there during the war.
"I showed them pictures of my mother, and one of them recognized her as an MI6 officer from the naval hut. That was amazing," he said.
Nelson's mother's wartime service extended beyond Bletchley Park into post-war Germany.
He explained: "She'd gone to Germany immediately afterward. She was at the Nuremberg trials, helping to clear up the concentration camps. Her main job was to try and find German scientists and essentially 'buy' them back for Britain.
"She had to investigate whether they had an active Nazi past—in which case, we wouldn't touch them," he said.
Nelson's mother's wartime service extended beyond Bletchley Park into post-war Germany.
GB NEWS
These revelations about her post-war activities added another layer to his mother's previously concealed intelligence career.
The scope of her classified work spanned from codebreaking to war crimes trials and scientific recruitment operations.
Despite his discoveries, Nelson has been unable to access his mother's official records.
"When I went to the Public Record Office, I found that any papers which might mention her are all still classified," Nelson explained.
"I even approached MI6 and asked if they'd help me out. Nothing came of that."
