Nell White, a former Navy Wren who worked at the top secret Bletchley Park code-breaking centre, passed away on 14 January, 2010, aged 89.

Nell, from Aylestone Road, Leicester, was part of a 10,000-strong team who worked deciphering encrypted Nazi, Italian and Japanese military messages to give the Allies vital tactical information during the 1939 to 1945 conflict.

The Government and the Bletchley Park National Codes Centre, in Buckinghamshire, both offer commemorative medals to veterans as part of an initiative launched in 2009 to recognise their efforts in defeating the Axis Powers. They are credited with shortening the war and saving thousands of lives by handing the initiative to the Allied forces.

Mrs White had kept her role at Bletchley hidden from her husband Walter and son Steve for more than 30 years because she had signed the Official Secrets Act.

But Steve said once they discovered the part she played in the famous code-breaking scheme, they considered applying for a medal The idea was put on the back burner when Walter fell ill but now they say they feel it would be a fitting tribute to her.

Walter, who married Nell in 1944 after a chance meeting at Leicester’s Palais de Dance two years earlier, said: “I knew that she had been doing something secret during the war. I was of course curious but I realised she could not tell me because she signed the (Official Secrets) Act so I didn’t ask about it.

“When she eventually did break her silence it was a remarkable story. I was very proud of her for what she did - and for keeping quiet about it for so long.

“They scoured the country for the best most intelligent people to work at Bletchley and my wife was a remarkable woman.

“It would be so nice to get one of the medals for her now.”

Nell spent eight hours a day working with large electro-magnetic devices called Turing Bombes which countered the codes hidden by the famous German Enigma machines.

After the war Walter went back to his former work in the shoe industry in Leicester and Nell took up a career in teaching.

She worked at Oadby Launde Primary School, Wigston Fields County Infants, where she was deputy head, and then went on to become headteacher at both Churchill Infants School in Thurmaston and Overdale Infants School in Knighton before retiring in 1982.

The couple lived in Kibworth from 1977 until they returned to Leicester three years ago.

Son Steve said: “Mother was a very reserved person and she never made too much of what she did at Bletchley but we always felt her part should be properly recognised.

“There is a lot of sadness at her passing but it was peaceful.”

A spokeswoman for the Bletchley Park National Codes Centre said: “It is sad to hear of Mrs White’s death. There are two commemoration schemes - one from the Government and one we have ourselves. We will be able to award her our own commemorative badge and the Government medal too can be awarded posthumously to anyone who was alive when it was announced last year.”

Nell left Walter, Steve his wife Miranda, granddaughters Jessica, 31, Bella, 27, grandson Harry, 30, as well as great-grandchildren Gene, three, and two-year-old Finlay.