Alan Turing documents saved to the United Kingdom

February 25, 2011, Last updated at 04: 03 GMT Alan Turing is credited with a key role in breaking German wartime codes, that a last-minute donation from national heritage Memorial Fund has saved the cards of computer genius Alan Turing for the nation.

The collection of scientific papers and material on the work of Turing on codebreaking war was in danger of going abroad.

He was one of the founding fathers of modern computing and a key figure in breaking the German Enigma code.

Donation of £ 200,000 of the national heritage Memorial Fund, filled the gap.

The documents have been put up for auction last year and a campaign on the internet comes into action.

The objective was to save documents to the Museum at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, where Turing worked breaking codes during the war.

Journalist Gareth Halfacree IT managed to raise £ 23,000 from public donations.

Continue reading the main story

despite its stature among the technical Community, I feel that the name Alan Turing is still not known "

Internet search firm corresponding order quote Rory Cellan Jones technology Google also pledged money but the money raised was £ 200,000 short of the seller's reserve price.

The Fund says that the cards will be valid as a permanent memorial to a man who has played a crucial role in the war.

Turing is famous for his work as a code-breaking at Bletchley Park during World War II, helping to create the car bomb that encrypted messages using the German Enigma cracker.

Committed suicide in 1954 at the age of 41, two years after being prosecuted for having intercourse with a man.

In 2009, thousands of people have signed a petition to Downing Street for a Government posthumous apology to Turing.

Turing Bombe machine is seen by many as the progenitor of the modern computer

The then Prime Minister Gordon Brown responded saying that he was sorry for how "terrible" Turing was treated for being gay.

Mr Halfacree, told the BBC: "these documents are extremely significant."

During the short life of Turing who published only 18 documents and Lilbelli of 15 of them, which have been given by Turing to his friend Professor Max Newman, are included in the collection.

Mr Halfacree said: "there are handwritten notes by Turing on them and one of them has his mother's signature on it."