Edna Ramsier worked for the examination unit from its creation in June 1941 till her contract was not renewed in January of 1942. [1] She was a pioneering code breaker who had worked with Yardley breaking Japanese codes during the first world war at the American Black Chamber. Yardley had specifically requested that she work with him because he “needed a woman with a good head”.
Her termination was not a reflection of her work but her choice of company. Edna and Herbert were not-so-secret lovers. It had been their mutual passion and aptitude for code breaking that had brought them together, though it is unclear when they began seeing each other, it is clear that they were together during their time together at the Examination Unit. Herbert and Eda married the year after their termination and were together until his death 1958.
Unfortunately Edna Ramsier's life is largely eclipsed in the historical record by that of Herbert Yardley's. What is clear is that she was a brilliant code breaker who contributed to the foundation of Canadian Communications Intelligence.
She passed away in 1990 at the age of 87. [1]
[1] AP. (1990). Edna R. Yardley, 87, Aide to Code Breaker.(Obituary)(Obituary). The New York Times, p. The New York Times, March 22, 1990.