Espionage. Enigmatologist. Puzzle solver. Code breaker. Spy.  These are not words we often use to describe a St Aidan’s girl, but every one of them fits Judith Roe, Class of 1939. During World War II, Judith became Australia’s first female cryptologist. She worked in secret at Central Bureau in Brisbane, cracking Japanese codes to help keep Allied pilots safe in the Pacific.

The mathematician

After leaving St Aidan’s, Judith went on to the University of Queensland, where she was one of only two girls studying Mathematics. She graduated with Honours in 1942.

With the war in full swing, Judith then joined the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS). Her mathematical mind was about to be put to extraordinary use.

Central Bureau, Ascot

The United States Army had established Central Bureau, the Allied codebreaking hub, at Ascot Racecourse in Brisbane. It was, in effect, a spy club right on our doorstep.

Judith was involved in breaking the complex Japanese weather codes. Knowing the weather mattered enormously in the air war, and this intelligence was of great use to our pilots in the Pacific, at a time when far too many young airmen were losing their lives.

A puzzle that could save lives

Judith was the only female cryptologist working in a male-dominated environment. She worked shifts from 5pm to 2am, living at home but working under tight security.

It was complex intelligence work: looking for patterns and repetition, sorting messages, making educated guesses, and searching for the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle that could save lives.

Her skills were recognised. Judith was promoted to Sergeant and then to Lieutenant, with pay that reflected her qualifications. She was, you might say, the original girl boss. Throughout the war, Judith gave her best to the war effort, using her mathematical and analytical skills.

After the war

So what does a codebreaker do when the war is over? For Judith, espionage gave way to marking first-year university assignments. Home responsibilities and raising children soon became her new challenge, as they did for many women after the war.

Judith’s first husband, Eric Russell, died in 1948. She later married William Anthony Carson, known as Tony, who had been a codebreaker at Bletchley Park in England. Judith and Tony lived in Perth from 1978 until Tony’s death in 1994. If you would like a glimpse into Tony’s wartime world, look out for the film Enigma, set among the codebreakers of Bletchley Park.

This Armistice Day, we remember Judith and the many women whose wartime service was carried out quietly, often in secret. Her story shows our girls that a sharp mind and a love of puzzles can change the course of history.