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Google backs Bletchley Park restoration fund

Mat Bettinson

by Mat Bettinson
Sunday, August 7th 2011 at 10:46PM

Google backs Bletchley Park restoration fund

Internet giant Google is to help fund restoration work on the historic pioneering computing and wartime code breaking Bletchley Park.

Some of the huts at Betchley Park, where vital German code breaking work was performed during the war, have been described as being in a dilapidated state. Google is set to help fund restoration work from the internet giant's philanthropic arm.

The company last month stepped in to buy a batch of computing pioneer Alan Turing's papers. At the time the firm described Turing and the Bletchley Park code breakers as heroes, adding "It was probably the most inspiring and uplifting achievement in scientific technology over the last hundred years."

Google said that the background of Alan Turing and Bletchley park was "close to the hearts of Google staff" due to the early work on algorithms and computer science.

"I think a lot of our staff feel that if they had been around during the war they would have wanted to work at Bletchley Park."

Google contributed $100,000 to help buy Turing's papers so they could be placed on display at Bletchley Park. During wartime operations over 10,000 staff worked at Bletchley, most of them women.

UCL computer sciencist Dr Sue Black told the Telegraph that since programming began the field was a 50/50 split between men and woman and that since then the field has become increasing male dominated. "It should be getting better, not worse," said Dr Black.

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Tags: Google, bletchley park, philanthropy

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