Denis Oswald (codebreaker)

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Denis Oswald
Personal information
Full name
Denis Geoffrey Oswald
Born12 November 1910
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Died5 February 1998(1998-02-05) (aged 87)
Uppingham, Rutland, England
BattingRight-handed
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1931Oxford University
1931–1932Hertfordshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 21
Batting average 21.00
100s/50s –/–
Top score 16
Catches/stumpings –/–
Source: Cricinfo, 7 July 2019

Denis Geoffrey Oswald (12 November 1910 – 5 February 1998) was an English first-class cricketer, educator and a codebreaker at Bletchley Park.

Early life and first-class cricket[edit]

Oswald was born at Stanley in the Falkland Islands to Louis and Lillian Oswald. He left the Falklands for England with his family when he was 8 years old aboard the SS Inca.[1] He was educated in England at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, before going up to Wadham College, Oxford.[2] While studying at Oxford, he made two appearances in first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1931, playing against Leicestershire and the touring New Zealanders at Oxford.[3] In addition to playing first-class cricket, Oswald also played minor counties cricket for Hertfordshire in 1931 and 1932, making a total of nine appearances in the Minor Counties Championship.[4] After graduating from Oxford in 1932, Oswald took up the post of languages teacher at Uppingham School.[5]

Bletchley Park[edit]

Oswald served in the Intelligence Corps during the Second World War, initially as a private. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1941.[6] In Autumn 1942, Oswald, alongside Ralph Tester, Jerry Roberts and Peter Ericsson, founded the Testery section at Bletchley Park.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Certificates of Nationality Issued in 1919" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Player profile: Denis Oswald". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Denis Oswald". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Denis Oswald". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Major Denis Oswald: The Bletchley Code-Breaker" (PDF). OU Magazine. No. 40. Uppingham: Uppingham School. 2012. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. ^ "No. 35269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 September 1941. p. 5213.

External links[edit]

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