Margaret Rock
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Margaret Alice Rock | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 July 1903 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Died | 26 August 1983 (aged 80) Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
| Education | Portsmouth High School |
| Alma mater | Bedford College, University of London |
| Occupation | Cryptanalysis |
| Known for | |
Margaret Alice Rock (7 July 1903 – 26 August 1983) was one of the women mathematicians who worked in Bletchley Park during World War II.[1] With her maths skills and education, Rock was able to decrypt messages encrypted by the Enigma machine used by the German Army. Her work during the war was classified by the Official Secrets Act 1939, so much of her work was not revealed during her lifetime.[2]
Rock was born and raised in Hammersmith, London by her parents Frank Ernest Rock and Alice Margaret Simmonds.[3] Rock attended Edmonton elementary and North Middlesex School. Rock's father served in the Royal Navy as a surgeon between 1894 and 1896 while her mother took care of her and her brother.[3] Frank Rock would send letters to his children frequently, to stay in communication in 1914, just before World War I.
In 1917, Margaret, her mother and brother settled in Portsmouth, after moving frequently for three years.[3] Rock attended Portsmouth High School, an all female private boarding school. Her father died when the armed merchant cruiser HMS Laurentic sank off the coast of Ireland having struck two mines laid by a German U-boat.[4] Rock was encouraged by the letters her late father wrote to her, telling her to keep up with her studies and to be successful in the future. Her brother, John Frank Rock, became a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers.[3]
Education
Rock passed the London General School Exam in June 1919.[3] During high school, she received honours in the classes of French, mathematics, and music.[3] Rock went to Bedford College,[5] University of London, to earn a Bachelors of Arts Degree in 1921.[3]
After university, Rock was employed as a statistician by the National Association of Manufacturers (The Federation of British Industry).[3] Rock predicted the economic market and how different businesses and companies would respond to the market. In her free time, Margaret and her brother would travel to different countries such as Italy, France, Switzerland, and Sri Lanka.