Warfare in News
Posted on Tuesday 24th December
In 1952 Alan Turing was convicted of gross indecency after admitting having a sexual relationship with a man. Sixty-one years on, he has been granted a posthumous royal pardon.
The mathematician played a major role in breaking the Enigma code, which arguably shortened the war by at least two years. He has been granted a pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy by the Queen, following a request from Chris Grayling, the justice secretary.
As a form of 'treatment', Turing was given experimental chemical castration. He was no longer able to work for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) - where he had been employed following service at Bletchley Park during the war - after his criminal record resulted in the loss of his security clearance. He took his own life in 1954, and died of cyanide poisoning at the age of 41.
The mathematician played a major role in breaking the Enigma code, which arguably shortened the war by at least two years. He has been granted a pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy by the Queen, following a request from Chris Grayling, the justice secretary.
As a form of 'treatment', Turing was given experimental chemical castration. He was no longer able to work for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) - where he had been employed following service at Bletchley Park during the war - after his criminal record resulted in the loss of his security clearance. He took his own life in 1954, and died of cyanide poisoning at the age of 41.
Further Reading
Only £19.99
Secret Days
(Hardback - 256 pages)by Asa Briggs
The Bletchley Park memoir of Lord ASA Briggs will be one of the most important documents to be published in 2010. Lord Briggs has long been regarded as one of Britain's most important historians. He has never, however, written about his time at Bletchley Park.
The publication, which will coincide with Lord Briggs 90th birthday, is a meticulously researched account of life in Hut Six, written by a codebreaker who worked there… Read more...
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