The battle to save Bletchley Park

09 September 2009

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Sinclair McKay attends the 70th anniversary reunion of the men and women who broke the Enigma code, and asks why the government won’t fund their museum

Turing is currently getting publicity thanks to a campaign to make the government apologise for the fact that he was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1952. Turing was, unusually for the time, quite open about his sexuality. As part of his sentence, he was made to undergo some nightmare hormone therapy — in essence, chemical castration. Worse though was the fact that his security clearance was taken away from him. He committed suicide via the baroque method of an apple steeped in cyanide. So should the government say sorry?

‘He had a rough ride,’ says one veteran. ‘In that period, it was simply an unacceptable thing to be.’ Ruth Bourne agrees, adding: ‘It’s difficult, because there was a bigoted attitude at the time. They should never have taken away his security clearance.’ And as well as recognising Turing’s contribution, perhaps the current campaign will have the knock-on effect of publicising the Park and its work.

To make a donation, www.bletchleypark.org.uk or call 01908 272677. To sign the petition for Alan Turing, http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/turing/. Sinclair McKay is writing a history of Bletchley Park, to be published by Aurum next spring.

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Sue Black

September 10th, 2009 5:17pm Report this comment

Fabulous article! Thank you so much for describing the situation so eloquently and poignantly.
Please see http://savingbletchleypark.org for details of the campaign to save Bletchley Park. It includes details of how to write to your MP asking them to sign Early Day Motion 1935 which asks for short term operational funding for Bletchley Park from Government. You can also follow Bletchley Park on Twitter @bletchleypark @stationx and @Dr_Black, search #bppark and #bpark70

Many thanks

Sue

David Short

September 10th, 2009 7:25pm Report this comment

Why does the Spectator publish articles asking for government funding?

Did it become socialist all of a sudden?

Jeremy

September 10th, 2009 10:49pm Report this comment

I thought that was an excellent article.

I sincerely hope that Bletchley receives the funding that the efforts of those involved so richly deserve.

EM Needle

September 10th, 2009 11:45pm Report this comment

Yet another article on Bletchley without a mention that most of the important work on cracking the enigma code had already been done by the Poles before they handed the machines over.

David B. Wildgoose

September 11th, 2009 1:27pm Report this comment

EM Needle, there is a Polish memorial at Bletchley Park, which is well worth a visit.

And although the information provided by the Poles was vital, it was NOT "most of the important work" by a long stretch.

KIM HAMMILL

September 11th, 2009 3:49pm Report this comment

A wonderful article! Why is the campaign for funds not front page news? This is our true legacy, not some ghastly Blair-Brownite nonsense! The makers of the film have, I feel, a moral obligation to make a massive donation, and perhaps Mick Jagger could also be persuaded to write a cheque (if he has not already done so). this is exactly the sort of cause which merits Lottery Money, and we should ALL be demanding that the Government addresses the matter as a matter of great national importance.

GK

September 11th, 2009 4:09pm Report this comment

You shouldn't think that the war was won because of ULTRA Churchill's goose with the golden egg. For example, because of it they knew when the invasion of Crete will happen and waited for them but this doesn't mean that the British won the battle.
Victory depends on numbers of ships, aeroplanes, tanks etc
and all that was overwhelmingly on the Allies side, the final outcome was a matter of when not if.

Helen

September 12th, 2009 4:45pm Report this comment

Well its obvious why this government don't want money to go to Bletchley Park: it makes the British proud; in a quiet happy way proud.

The marvellous people who worked to shorten the war were self-effacing and brilliant; "clever". That is another problem. Too clever.

Bletchly workers weren't obsessed by cheap fame or infamy or things, they used their minds to save us. Poor Mr Turing ("Alan" to Mr Brown), used as a sop by the Labour government in a worthless "apology" and no money to maintain his and his comrades legacy. What an insult to a great man.

These attitudes are anathema to this goverment who want us cheapened and beaten and stupid and distracted from what matters.

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