Turing was, through his undaunted code-breaking at Bletchley Park, one of the hidden heroes of the Second World War who by his brilliance and dedication saved countless allied lives. The official bigotry he received in return and the conviction and chemical mutilation that led to his premature death was utterly tragic.
There have been quite a few tributes to Turing and piecemeal recognitions here and abroad and also pieces concerning his pardoning or 'rehabilitation' - but of course it is the government at the time that needs the pardoning and the attitudes of those days towards sexual orientation that need the rehabilitation if that were possible.
Despite an official Government apology in 2009 by way of a statement in the House of Commons there remains a strong case for a full hearted and unequivocal recognition of Turing's contribution not only to cryptanalysis but to computing science, mathematics and wider inspiration that is evident to the population as a whole.
So I was delighted to discover that there is an e-petition to feature Turing on the £10 note. You can sign it at epetitions.direct.gov.uk The petition is open until the 21st of March 2013 and there are some 20,000 signatures so far - so there is a good chance of reaching the crucial figure of 100,000 by that time.
While it is the Bank of England that decides who is featured on banknotes, they could hardly ignore a positive vote in Parliament in a debate triggered by the requisite 100,000 signatures from members of the public. Let's hope that we can get there - Alan Turing's memory deserves no less.
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