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Running Key - the complete text and explanation

Part 1 Segments (with associated CV)

 

RK1 (CV1): Is Mr A nuz ban hearcy o' the daemon Q (the question is answered by RK2)

                          Is mystery news ban hearsay of the daemon ?

RK2 (CV2): A: Siks talk o' thut sixty cix

                          A [=Answer]: 6/66 (the D-Notice or letter); talk o' thut=say "of that" - ie - "/"

RK3 (CV3): Naughty E

                              the cryptographer is telling us that a particular letter (in this case E) can misbehave - a documented feature of Running Key systems

 

Part 2 Segments - the X Y conundrum (with associated CV)

 

RK4 (CV4): Nature's Y.... (continues into RK5)

RK5 (CV5): is X; Y befor aught I'm Qrd of, so for-                   (continues into RK6)

RK6 (CV6): -get why. I'm X. By myself, I'm the loving letter.

 

The 3 parts of the conundrum are explained thus:

 

Nature's Y is X

At first sight a contradiction (male=female?), Y is the daughter of AG Denniston (Head of GC&CS 1921-1942), who gave the nickname Y to his first child (before birth) – explaining that it was then an unknown quantity. Born in June 1925, Margaret was known as Y until at least 1961 and probably beyond. [On the death of her father in 1961, eminent US cryptanalyst W F Friedman paid tribute to Denniston's war work, writing to Margaret and addressing her simply as “Dear Y”.]

 

Y befor aught I'm Qrd of, so forget why

    Y before aught I'm cured of, so forget Y

 

The cryptographer responsible for the Dorabella cipher spent a number of years attached to the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, whose regimental home is Berwick. He is saying he is cured (=Qrd) of the habit of putting a ‘Y’ before everything (as in Geordie/North-East speech - eg - “weh aye, man”), so forget why (="Y").

 

    [A Geordie relative informs me that today's Geordies have to an extent shed the habit. I hope nobody is offended by the Keytext!]

 

I'm X. By myself I'm the loving letter.

Quite simply, X on its own is a kiss! [Coincidentally, Dorabella is the Variation X of the Enigma Variations.]

 

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