Giant Alan Turing mural unveiled at GCHQ as he becomes first LGBT person on UK banknote

A 10-metre artwork of wartime hero Alan Turing has been unveiled at the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, as he becomes the first LGBT person to be depicted on a UK banknote.

The mural features Turing’s face inside the wheels of the British Bombe, the machine he designed to break German Enigma-enciphered messages, painted in the rainbow colours of the Pride flag.

“He helped to shorten the war and save countless lives,” GCHQ said.

The new £50 notes featuring the man often considered to be the father of modern computer science will be issued from Wednesday.