Ode to Swansea - World Poetry Day | Bletchley Park

We're celebrating World Poetry Day (21 March), by sharing videos of staff and volunteers reading poems written by poets who worked at the historic top-secret codebreaking site during World War Two.  
For our final poem, we have curious 'Ode to Swansea', which was written by Codebreaker Vernon Watkins. This poem is read by Bletchley Park Veteran, Gwen Watkins.
Vernon Watkins worked in the Air Section at Bletchley Park.
He'd studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Prior to the war he worked as a banker, but had also published as a Poet.
He married Gwen Davies, also of Air Section, during the war. Watkins was one of the ‘Kardomah Gang’ of Swansea bohemians including Daniel Jones, who also worked at BP, and Dylan Thomas.
We've taken this opportunity to show off Bletchley Park's lakeside and spring flowers, with the poem itself being about Swansea and its seaside.
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About Bletchley Park -
Bletchley Park is a vibrant heritage attraction and museum, open daily to visitors.
It was the home of British World War Two codebreaking; a place where technological innovation and human endeavour came together to make ground-breaking achievements that have helped shape the world we live in today.
This unique site was previously a vast Victorian estate, where parts including the Mansion still survive, expanding during wartime to accommodate Codebreakers Huts and Blocks.
During World War Two, the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), now known as the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), was based at Bletchley Park. It grew from a small team of specialists to a vast intelligence factory of thousands of dedicated women and men. This extraordinary combination of brilliant and determined people and cutting-edge technology contributed significantly to Allied victory. In tough conditions, they provided vital intelligence and developed pioneering technological innovation that had a direct and profound influence on the outcome of the war.
The site continues to reveal secrets and tell fascinating stories of our national legacy.
The Bletchley Park Trust -
Bletchley Park Trust is a registered charity, heritage attraction and independent museum. As an independent charity, we rely on income from our visitors, Friends and supporters to secure the long-term future of the site.
Registered charity number: 1012743