Welchman Prize Revealed

The final of the second Annual Welchman Prize has been won by James Ruddell (C3 L6). The competition is entered by all pupils studying Further Mathematics A level in the Lower Sixth and each has to submit an extended article and give a presentation on its contents.

Gordon Welchman (C3 1920-25), for whom the prize is named, is Marlborough College’s most important mathematical alumnus.

A lecturer in algebraic geometry at Cambridge University, his academic career was interrupted by the Second World War when he worked at Bletchley Park. His book, The Hut Six Story, was the first to give detailed information about the operations to crack German ciphers. In 2015, a BBC documentary called Bletchley Park: Code Breaking’s Forgotten Genius paid tribute to his secretive endeavours. While in charge of Hut Six, he recruited Marlborough College’s brightest mathematics pupils via his old teacher, Alan Robson (CR 1911-47).