1. Education

2. Wartime work

3. Academic and social policy work

4. Historical research

5. References

Education

Ann Williamson was born in Oxford on 19 November 1922 to Herbert Stansfield Williamson and Winifred Lilian Williamson (née Kenyon).^[2] She was educated at Headington School in Oxford from 1930–1939 before winning a place to study mathematics at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford (1940–1943). At the time relatively few women went to Oxford and even fewer studied maths. There were only five women in Ann Williamson's year at Oxford and she remarked that the men coming to university had been taught maths much better at school than the girls.^[3] Indeed, it was suggested to her by the headmistress of her school that studying maths was "unladylike" and her parents had to overrule her school to allow her to take up her place at Oxford.^[3][4] An excellent swimmer, while at Oxford she swam for the university team.

Wartime work

Ann Williamson was recruited to work at Bletchley Park in September 1943 after she graduated from Oxford and for two years until May 1945 she worked in Hut 6 on German Army and Air Force Enigma decryptions.^[3] She was recruited as a temporary worker with the Foreign Office on an annual salary of £150 (increased to £200 after her 21st birthday).^[5] A lot of her work involved converting 'cribs' into 'menus', the operating instructions for the Bombe decryption devices to identify what that day's Enigma settings might be ('Bletchley Girls', p.116-7). After the war, like others who worked at Bletchley, she was instructed to forget about her work there and never to talk about it.^[6] However, once the work at Bletchley became public and the ban was lifted she gave many illustrated talks and interviews about her wartime role.

Her story is included in the book "The Bletchley Girls: War, Secrecy, Love and Loss: The Women of Bletchley Park Tell Their Story" (2015) by the broadcaster Tessa Dunlop.

Academic and social policy work

In the 1950s, she worked as a marriage guidance counsellor with the Scottish Marriage Guidance Council (now known as Relate Scotland) ('Bletchley Girls', p.295). In the 1970s she returned to university to study social policy^[7] and in 1980 she graduated with a Master of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.^[1]. Between 1980 and 1984 she was Research Associate at the Department of Social Administration in the University of Edinburgh. She worked and published extensively on the subject of marriage breakup and divorce, and in particular on children's experience of family breakup. This work "had a profound influence on family law in Scotland" (Janys Scott QC, in 'Divorce Observed'; 2014 Scots Law Times News 33). Her books include “Someone to Turn To: Experiences of Help before Divorce” (Aberdeen University Press, 1981); "When Parents Split Up" (Chambers, 1982); “Children in the Middle” (Tavistock Publications Ltd, 1985); "Coping with Separation and Divorce" (Chambers, 1986); and "Families" (Chambers, 1987)^[8]. They have been translated into a number of languages.

Historical research

In her seventies, Ann Mitchell researched and wrote about the history of Edinburgh. She published two books, "The People of Calton Hill" (1993) and "No More Corncraiks: Lord Moray's Feuars in Edinburgh's New Town" (1998).^[9]

References

• 2004 Oklahoma state elections
• 2004 Ole Miss Rebels football team
• 2004 Olympic medal table
• 2004 Olympics Swimming schedule
• 2004 Omiya Ardija season
• 2004 Ontario Men's Curling Championship
• 2004 Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts
• 2004 Ordina Open
• 2004 Ordina Open – Men's Singles
• 2004 Oregon State Beavers football team
• 2004 Orlando Predators season
• 2004 Pacific Handball Cup
• 2004 Pacific Islanders rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand
• 2004 Pacific Life Open - Women's Singles
• 2004 Pacific Life Open – Women's Doubles
• 2004 Palauan constitutional referendum
• 2004 Palau Soccer League
• 2004 Palm Beach Gardens Challenger
• 2004 Palopo cafe bombing
• 2004 Pan American Judo Championships
• 2004 Pan American Women's Youth Handball Championship
• 2004 Paris-Nice
• 2004 Parramatta Eels season
• 2004 PB112
• 2004 PBA Draft