Alan Turing the World War II code breaker who lived in Wilmslow has been granted a posthumous royal pardon.
The famous mathematician, who received a criminal conviction for having a sexual relationship with another man, has been granted a pardon by the Queen under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, following a request from justice secretary, Chris Grayling.
Alan Turing was most famous for breaking the German Enigma codes during the Second World War. In 1952, he was convicted of 'gross indecency' with another man and was forced to undergo chemical castration. His security privileges were also withdrawn meaning he could no longer work for the UK Government Communications Headquarters. Two years later, he killed himself with cyanide, aged just 41.
The pardon represents a change of heart because the Government rejected a request to officially pardon the World War II code breaker last year, arguing that a posthumous pardon was not considered appropriate as Alan Turing was properly convicted of what at the time was a criminal offence. He would have known, they argued, that his offence was against the law and that he would be prosecuted.
There had been a long and sustained campaign for Turing to be granted a pardon. In July a private members bill received a second unopposed reading in the House of Lords, an e-petition collected 37,404 signatures and in 1999, the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown issued an apology for the "appalling"and "utterly unfair" treatment he received.
The granting of a pardon is rare and usually only happens when the person is found to be innocent of the offence and the request has been made by a family member. However, on this occasion, a pardon has been issued without either requirement having been met.
In 1999, Time magazine named Turing as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century and last year, in the centenary of Turing's birth, a large number of events took place all over the world celebrating Turing's life and his achievements. More than 40 countries were involved in those celebrations which included an exhibition on his work at the Science Museum and the Royal Mail issued a commemorative stamp celebrating Alan Turing in February 2012.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
How about taking this opportunity to name the Wilmslow bypass after him?
I hope that we can have something that inspires young people to look more closely at communications, computer science, encryption and mathematics.
To have a monument that simply "remembers" the man and doesn't provoke curiosity will miss the point of his pure and applied research.
Maybe, just maybe it will inspire a young Wilmslownian will discover something that will change the world for the better. Inventing a blockbuster would be a fitting tribute to Alan Turing.
Finally, a vertical laser beam flashing his name, visible for miles and to aircraft passengers, would identify Wilmslow.
WTC have an opportunity to put Wilmslow on the tourist map, with a maginificent monument. Adjacent to the war memorial, on the corner, by the Manchester Rd island would be good. Even rail passengers would see it - road, rail and air transport ALL thanks to the power of modern computing.
Not as prominent as the angel of the north, but it ought to have some awe and gravitas.
Suggestions and ideas to WTC would be good IMHO.
It would also be good to see the High School name a maths or science section after him perhaps?
We should not forget there are other people who were unjustly persecuted under anti gay laws and still have criminal records affecting them today who should also be pardoned.
A decent statue and some public expression of gratitude wouldn't go amiss.
The correspondence in relation to the recent ‘Pardon’ must have been directed to a family member and not just public consumption??? Who is to say a statue is the best option? I think there should be some sort of recognition, absolutely .... and I think a statue could be appropriate..... but..... the remaining family members will best measure the hurt and damage caused from his treatment and may have another opinion that must be taken into account.
His Posthumous pardon for merely being who he was.... doesn’t reciprocate his personal posthumous pardon those responsible for causing the injustice he suffered.
I now favour Bank Square.