Alan Turing: Stolen Relics to be Returned After 36 Years

In 1984, Julia Turing stole 17 relics of Alan Turing, the codebreakers of Bletchley Estate in World War II from Britain, including the OBE medal.

According to US court papers and Sherborne School, Ms. Turing legally changed her name from Julie Schwinghamer to Julie Turing in 1988. She took the items without permission from the archives donated by the Turing family to the school in 1965. These items were to commemorate the school days Turing had spent there.

The items taken include a letter from King George VI to Turing, an OBE medal awarded to him, Turing’s Princeton University PHD certificate, school reports and photos.

In 2018, Ms. Turing intended to lend the items to the University of Colorado for display, claiming to be a relative of the mathematician. The suspicious University of Colorado did a background check and decided to call the police. The police conducted a search and found the above-mentioned items at her home in Conifer.

In the American civil court, Ms. Turing and the University of Colorado reached an out-of-court settlement (the university considered it a fraud).

Shelburne School archivist Rachel Hassall said that although the boys’ boarding school is not a party to a settlement agreement with Ms. Turing, it has been informed by the Department of Homeland Security Investigation that the items will be "in due course" returned to the school.

"We are sorry that Ms. Turing took away those files and denied generations of students and researchers the opportunities to consult them." she said. “After being returned to the school, she will ensure that everyone can view it in person or online.”

During a court appearance in Colorado last month, Ms. Turing described Turing as "the most outstanding beautiful man" and added: " He lived brightly in my heart throughout my entire life beginning at the age of between eight and nine years old.”

"I will give up my collection, because I don’t want to go against the wishes of Turing’s compatriots... I wish only the very best for the legacy of Alan Turing, that his belongings, I have had the privilege to be gifted and kept in my presence all these years and deeply cherished throughout my life with the very best of care that I could provide, may now... be handed over to the rest of the world to see and also admire as I did. That is my wish."

Ms. Hathor said: " Alan Turing is one of Sherborne School's most distinguished alumni and there is no denying that he was a very individual boy, as he proved when, due to no trains running during the General Strike in May 1926, he cycled, aged 13, 65 miles from Southampton to Sherborne for his first day of term. "