A DUNDEE war veteran who helped to maintain machines that cracked the German Enigma code during the second world war has died at the age of 87.

Kennedy McConnell, who moved to Broughty Ferry at the end of the war, was known locally as the Enigma Man because of the lectures he gave on the subject.

Mr McConnell volunteered for the RAF in 1940, but was soon commandeered for the Enigma operation in 1941 because of his engineering expertise to work on the Turing-designed bombe decoding machines.

Throughout the war, the Germans never realised their codes were being broken and, despite the fact it helped to swing momentum towards the allies, it remained a secret until the 1970s, when MPs demanded to hear the true story behind the various rumours.

Mr McConnell was drafted into the highly classified project at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire in his capacity as an electrical engineer.

He was at the heart of the Enigma decoding operation, and, like his colleagues, maintained a vow of silence, during and after the war.

Only when the Enigma story came into the public domain in the 70s did he decide to speak out.

He began lecturing extensively across the country on the subject, telling people the true story.

In 2003 he produced a professionally filmed lecture series, which has been copied on to videotape and DVD.

The full series, comprising approximately seven hours of detailed historical analysis, can be viewed at Dundee Central Library.

There are additional copies of the film at the Bletchley Park Trust, the Scottish National Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the National War Museums of America, Australia, and Canada.

Mr McConnell, who was also an RAF sergeant, received the Freedom of Bletchley Park in 2001 and was awarded a Veteran’s Badge by the Bletchley Park Trust in 2005.

Recently, Mr McConnell helped a project to rebuild a bombe machine, offering his expert knowledge and some financial assistance.

The original bombes were dismantled for security reasons after the war, but Mr McConnell helped to construct a new model by using some parts he had saved as souvenirs.

Mr McConnell was a chartered electrical engineer and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineering.

After moving to Dundee, he worked as an engineering director with Sidlaw Industries. He was also a former managing director with Low and Bonar Textiles in Dundee.

He was a member of Abertay Probus Club, Broughty Ferry Bowling Club and Broughty Ferry Golf Club. His hobbies included bridge and local history research.

His wife Moira and sons Kenneth and Allan predeceased him. He is survived by grandsons Ian and Allan.