Founder of Bletchley Park turned down for a blue plaque

Hero spy who founded Bletchley Park codebreaking unit with his own money =
and warned government against dangers of Hitler is 'too white' for a =
blue plaque

-English Heritage say Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair not significant enough =
in history
-A blue plaque was denied at his former home in Queen Anne's Gate, =
London
-Iraq War hero Colonel Tim Collins says the refusal is 'despicable =
revisionism'
-He claims plaque was denied because Sir Hugh was 'too white' and 'too =
male'=20

DAILY MAIL (U.K.)
By Chris Hastings for The Mail on Sunday and Sarah Oliver For The Mail =
On Sunday
18 November 2017

One of the most influential spymasters in British history has been =
turned down for a blue plaque =E2=80=93 sparking claims he was deemed =
=E2=80=98too white and too male=E2=80=99 for the honour.

Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, the second head of MI6, founded the wartime =
Bletchley Park codebreaking HQ with his own money and set up the unit =
that became the Special Operations Executive, responsible for a =
devastating campaign of sabotage in German-occupied Europe.

But English Heritage ruled that he was not =E2=80=98historically =
significant=E2=80=99 enough to be recognised with a blue plaque at his =
official London residence in Queen Anne=E2=80=99s Gate, which was linked =
by a secret tunnel to MI6 headquarters.

Iraq War hero Colonel Tim Collins suggested the plaque through his =
military training company New Century, which now owns the building.

He accused the quango of being too politically correct, as the snub =
coincides with moves to boost the number of black and Asian figures =
recognised with blue plaques.

Calling Sir Hugh=E2=80=99s efforts =E2=80=98war-winning stuff=E2=80=99, =
he said: =E2=80=98I can only assume he has been turned down for an =
honour because he was too white, too male and too Establishment.

=E2=80=98What these people are doing is undermining our heritage. It=E2=80=
=99s despicable and it=E2=80=99s revisionism.=E2=80=99

Sir Hugh joined the Navy in 1886 aged just 13 and had a distinguished =
career in naval intelligence, eventually becoming head of MI6, or =
=E2=80=98C=E2=80=99, in 1923. In the late 1930s, he played a vital role =
in alerting the Government to the threat posed by Adolf Hitler when much =
of the Establishment was committed to appeasement.

In 1938, Sir Hugh used his own money to buy Bletchley Park in =
Buckinghamshire and set it up as a codebreaking centre after the =
Government refused to fund the idea.=20

Experts there went on to crack the Nazis=E2=80=99 Enigma code, which =
would prove vital in winning the war. Sir Hugh died of cancer in 1939, =
so did not see its fruits.

Anna Eavis, English Heritage=E2=80=99s blue plaques secretary, last =
month confirmed: =E2=80=98After careful discussion, the panel came to =
the view that Sir Hugh=E2=80=99s overall historical significance was not =
quite of the order [required].=E2=80=99

Last night, she added: =E2=80=98All blue plaques are awarded purely on =
merit. No one has ever been turned down for a plaque because of their =
race or ethnicity, nor will they be.=E2=80=99

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