Code-Breaker Pardoned
December 24, 2013 by staff
Code-Breaker Pardoned, Second World War code-breaker Alan Turing has been given a posthumous royal pardon for a 61-year-old conviction for homosexual activity.
Dr Turing, who played a pivotal role in breaking the Enigma code, arguably shortening the war by at least two years, was chemically castrated following his conviction in 1952.
His conviction for “gross indecency” led to the removal of his security clearance and meant he was no longer able to work for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) where he had continued to work following his service at Bletchley Park during the war.
There’s been a long campaign to clear the mathematician’s (far right) name
Dr Turing, who died aged 41 in 1954 and is often described as the father of modern computing, has been granted a pardon – effective from today – under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy by the Queen following a request from Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.
He said: “Dr Alan Turing was an exceptional man with a brilliant mind. His brilliance was put into practice at Bletchley Park during the Second World War where he was pivotal to breaking the Enigma code, helping to end the war and save thousands of lives.
“His later life was overshadowed by his conviction for homosexual activity, a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory and which has now been repealed.
“Dr Turing deserves to be remembered and recognised for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science. A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man.”
Dr Turing died of cyanide poisoning and an inquest recorded a verdict of suicide, although his mother and others maintained his death was accidental.
Bletchley Park was Britain’s main decryption base during World War Two
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