John Tiltman
John Hessell Tiltman | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "The Brig" |
Born | London, England | 25 May 1894
Died | 10 August 1982 Hawaii, United States | (aged 88)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1914–1946 |
Rank | Brigadier |
Service number | 11225 |
Unit | King's Own Scottish Borderers |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Military Cross (1917)[1] OBE (1930)[1] CBE (1944)[2] CMG (1954)[3] Legion of Merit (1946)[4] |
Spouse(s) |
Tempe Robinson (m. 1926) |
Children | Tempe Anne Denzer |
Biography
Tiltman's parents were from Scotland, though he was born in London. He joined the British Army in August 1914, initially with the London Scottish Regiment, and saw service at the front during World War I with the 6th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers. He won the Military Cross for bravery at The Third Battle of the Scarpe in May 1917, where he was severely wounded. He was seconded to MI1 shortly before it merged with Room 40.
From 1921 to 1929, he was a cryptanalyst with the Indian Army at Army Headquarters, Simla. The analysts were reading Russian diplomatic cypher traffic from Moscow to Kabul, Afghanistan and Tashkent, Turkestan. Tiltman worked with a modest group of people and was involved in directing interception and traffic analysis as well as working on cyphers; he said he was exceptionally lucky to have this experience in other branches of Signals Intelligence.
After a decade as a War Office civilian at GC&CS, the interwar cryptographic organization, Tiltman was recalled to active service. Although he did not have a university education, his extensive experience of cryptanalysis was expected to be useful.[7] He assisted in many areas of endeavour at GC&CS and was considered one of Bletchley Park's finest cryptanalysts on non-machine systems.[8]
Tiltman was an early and persistent advocate of British cooperation with the United States in cryptology. His advocacy helped achieve smooth relations during World War II.[9]
In 1944, he was promoted to brigadier and appointed deputy director of GC&CS. He continued in 1946, as assistant director of the
In 1951 Tiltman met
After reaching normal retirement age, Tiltman was retained by GCHQ from 1954 to 1964. From 1964 until 1980 he was a consultant and researcher at the
Tiltman made the transition from the manual ciphers of the early 20th century to the sophisticated machine systems of the latter half of the century; he was one of a very few who were able to do so. "The Brig", as he was affectionately known in both countries, compiled a lengthy record of high achievement.
On 1 September 2004, Tiltman was inducted into the "NSA Hall of Honor", the first non-US citizen to be recognised in that way. The NSA commented, "His efforts at training and his attention to all the many facets that make up cryptology inspired the best in all who encountered him."[9]
References
- ^ a b "John H. Tiltman" (PDF). Cryptologic Quarterly. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "No. 36309". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1943. p. 20.
- ^ "No. 40053". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1953. p. 5.
- ^ "No. 38359". The London Gazette. 20 July 1948. p. 1.
- ISBN 978 1 39908 961 6.
- ISBN 978-1-4846-3559-9.
- ISBN 978-0-470-46589-9.
- ISBN 978-1-85109-732-6.
- ^ a b c d "Hall of Honor 2004 Inductee – Brigadier John Tiltman". National Security Agency/Central Security Service. 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- Erskine, Ralph; Freeman, Peter (October 2003). "Brigadier John Tiltman: One of Britain's Finest Cryptologists". S2CID 33070660.
- Nicoll, D. R. (2004). "Tiltman, John Hessell (1894–1982)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
- D'Imperio, M. E. (1978). The Voynich Manuscript: An Elegant Enigma (PDF). National Security Agency.
External links
- Clabby, John F. (2007). "Brigadier John Tiltman: A Giant Among Cryptanalysts" (PDF). Center for Cryptologic History. National Security Agency.
- "Brigadier John Tiltman (1/4): Oral History Interviews" (PDF). Center for Cryptologic History. National Security Agency. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2015.
- "Brigadier John Tiltman (2/4): Oral History Interviews" (PDF). Center for Cryptologic History. National Security Agency. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2015.
- "Brigadier John Tiltman (3/4): Oral History Interviews" (PDF). Center for Cryptologic History. National Security Agency. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2015.
- "Brigadier John Tiltman (4/4): Oral History Interviews" (PDF). Center for Cryptologic History. National Security Agency. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2015.