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Mavis Batey, was born in Dulwich, England. Her parents were Stanley Fredrick Lever and Lily Elizabeth Lever (maiden name Day).
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Mavis Lever was registered to go to the University College in London, England. She applied to study German and French. -
As most working men were sent out as soldiers during this time period, many jobs were left unattended. Mavis Lever applied as a nurse because she wanted to aid the war effort. -
Neville Chamberlain, the current Prime Minister of Britain during this time, sent out a radio podcast declaring war on Germany. -
Despite having applied for a job as a nurse, Mavis Lever was sent to the British Code and Cypher School due to her language skills. When decoding a message, she impressed the higher-ups by discovering that a place called St. Goch was actually Stgo Ch, or Santiago Chile, she was sent to Bletchley Park. -
Mavis Lever was sent to Bletchley Park, an essential codebreaking station during the second world war after impressing her superiors at the Code and Cypher School. She was assigned to Cottage 3 to work under Dilly Knox, one of the leading codebreakers of the time. His first words to her were, "Hello, we're breaking machines. Got a pencil?" -
Mavis Lever met Keith Batey, who worked in Hut 6 at the time when she was working on a code she was stuck on. She believed she needed a mathematician's input to solve the problem. Though cross-hut communication was severely discouraged, Mavis Lever ended up working with Keith Batey, with the two of them eventually cracking the code. Their bond would soon grow into something more. -
The Italian Naval Enigma, which detailed plans of a surprise attack by the Italian fleet, was broken by Mavis Lever. This success allowed for British victory in the battle of Matapan. Dilly Knox wrote a poem to honor the victory, in which one of the stanzas thanks Mavis Lever. -
Mavis Lever was married to Keith Batey despite the war and confidentiality of Bletchley Park. They remained married until Keith's death in 2010. -
When Germany, Britain's main enemy during WWII surrendered, there was much celebration all throughout the country. Most of the Bletchley Park machines were destroyed or relocated as there were fewer Enima messages to break. Mavis Batey stayed in Intelligence for a few more years before leaving to start a family with Keith Batey. -
Mavis Batey died of natural causes while at her home, located in West Sussex, England.