Bletchley Park secures Turing papers

25 February 2011, 06:00 | Updated: 7 March 2011, 17:38

Papers - written by one of the men who's credited with helping Britain win the Second World War - have been bought by the place where he worked during the conflict.

Bletchley Park's raised more than £350,000 to secure the work by Alan Turing - who helped break German codes.

There was a chance the work would go to a private collection - because it was so expensive. When the papers were put up for auction last year an online fundraising campaign started - which raised £28,500 from members of the public. Google also stepped in with a sizeable donation - but it wasn't enough to purchase the items.

But now the National Heritage Memorial Fund has awarded the Code Breaking Centre £213,437 so they can buy the work privately and put it on display.

Bletchley Park's Director Simon Greenish told Heart:

"It's quite likely that this is the last of the Turing material that's ever going to become available. So to get a substantial collection like this is absolutely perfect."

"I think in the real world if somebody had come in and put the right money on a table then [going to a private collection] is what would have happened. So it's been an interesting ride getting all this money put together but this is the right place for them."