Mavis Batey née Lever

Mavis Lever, fluent in German and Italian, was one of Dilwyn ‘Dilly’ Knox’s Girls who worked in the Cottage Research Section on Italian naval Enigma and ISK.

Some of her most notable accomplishments included breaking messages between Belgrade and Berlin, and helping to work out the wiring of the Abwehr Enigma. She was also heavily involved with codebreaking efforts leading up to and during the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941.

Mavis met her husband Keith, who was also a codebreaker, while working at Bletchley Park. In later life, she worked in the Diplomatic Service and as a Garden Historian.