Christopher Morcom

Christopher Morcom
Morcom in 1927
Born	Christopher Collan Morcom (1911-07-13)13 July 1911 Fockbury, Worcestershire, England
Died	13 February 1930(1930-02-13) (aged 18) London
Burial place	Christ Church, Catshill
Education	King's Mead School, Seaford Sherborne School
Occupation	Student
Known for	His relationship with Alan Turing

Christopher Collan Morcom (13 July 1911 – 13 February 1930) was an English student known for being a childhood friend and the first love of Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science. Morcom was born to a wealthy family involved in the arts and sciences in Fockbury, Worcestershire; his mother was an artist and his father was an engineer. His maternal grandfather was Sir Joseph Swan, an inventor of the incandescent light bulb.

Morcom was educated at King's Mead School in Seaford, East Sussex, from 1922 to 1925, and Sherborne School in Dorset from 1925 to 1929. He excelled at Sherborne and was awarded several scholarships and prizes. In December 1929 he was awarded a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, but died before he could begin his studies there.

At Sherborne Morcom met Turing, who also studied at the school. The two bonded over mathematics and science, with examples of topics they discussed including chemistry experiments, astronomy, iodised salt, the orbits of planets and the age of stars. Turing became infatuated with Morcom, leading to Morcom becoming what has been described as Turing's first love, but Morcom did not reciprocate. Their relationship is depicted in The Imitation Game, a 2014 biographical film about Turing, but contains several inaccuracies.

At a young age Morcom contracted bovine tuberculosis after drinking infected cows' milk. He died from health conditions arising from the disease in 1930, at the age of 18. The death devastated Turing and some have speculated that it was the cause of Turing's atheism and materialism. In memory of Morcom, his mother commissioned a stained glass window, designed by the artist Karl Parsons, for a parish church in Catshill. It depicts Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child across a river on his shoulders; the face of the child was probably modelled after that of Morcom. The family also created the Christopher Morcom Science Prize at Sherborne School.

Christopher Collan Morcom was born on 13 July 1911, at The Clock House in Fockbury, Worcestershire, England,^[1] to a wealthy family involved in the arts and sciences.^[2] His mother, Frances Isobel Morcom (née Swan),^[1] was a child of Sir Joseph Swan, one of the inventors of the incandescent light bulb. Frances studied at Slade School of Art in London and worked for some time as a sculptor. She acquired and renovated several cottages in Catshill and ran a goat farm at the family's home. Christopher's father, Colonel Reginald Morcom, was an engineer involved in the Birmingham company Belliss and Morcom, co-founded by Christopher's paternal grandfather, Alfred Morcom. The company was involved in the manufacture of steam engines and air compressors.^[1][2] Reginald was the chairman of the company during Christopher's life^[2] and in the 1919 Birthday Honours was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).^[3]

Christopher's older brother Rupert attended Sherborne School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and whilst Christopher was at Sherborne, Rupert studied at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland.^[1][4] Rupert was an experimentalist and had a laboratory at the family home.^[4] Like Christopher, he had an interest in mathematics and science.^[1]

In 1909 the Morcom family began living in The Clock House,^[5] a modified manor from the 16th century in Fockbury.^[1] The Morcoms made several changes to the building, including but not limited to the addition of a new wing and a clock tower. The house had previously been the residence of the English poet A. E. Housman; he lived there for about six years in the 19th century. It was demolished in 1976 but the clock tower still remains.^[5]

Morcom was educated at King's Mead School in Seaford, East Sussex, from 1922 to 1925. In 1924 he successfully sat a scholarship exam to attend Sherborne School in Dorset. He began his studies there in May 1925, in the Upper Fourth form, and lived at Lyon House, one of the school's boarding houses.^[1] In 1927 he was a year ahead and appeared "surprisingly small for his form".^[6] He did not attend the school for most of January and February 1929 due to having a cold.^[7]

Morcom, who was mostly interested in science and mathematics,^[1] excelled at the school and was awarded several scholarships and prizes.^[7] He spent a week in December 1929 at Trinity College, Cambridge, to sit scholarship examinations,^[8] and was awarded a scholarship,^[9] but died before he was scheduled to begin his studies there.^[1]

Morcom conducted several scientific experiments with his brother Rupert in the family laboratory. In one instance the two worked on measuring air resistance, and in another project the two worked on analysing plasticine for an artist.^[9] Morcom played the piano and was a member of Sherborne's gramophone society.^[10]

Morcom had a four-inch telescope and was given a star atlas for his eighteenth birthday.^[11] He conducted astronomical observations from his dormitory at Lyon House and produced a star chart.^[1] In a 1929 letter addressed to his friend Alan Turing, he stated that he had seen the spectra of three stars and the Orion Nebula, and was in the process of making a spectrograph.^[9] In another letter he reported viewing a comet in the constellation Delphinus.^[9]

Another interest of Morcom's was photography. He took several photographs of Sherborne School and photographed the schoolmasters Donald Eperson and Clephan Palmer during lectures without their knowledge. Morcom showed a portrait to one of the masters, to which he responded that it was a "tribute rather than an impudence".^[1] In 1925 Morcom attempted to drop a rock down the chimney of a steam locomotive but instead hit the train driver, spurring an investigation by the railway police. In 1928 he exploded several flying balloons about a quarter of a mile away from Sherborne School for Girls.^[1]

In 1927, Morcom met the Sherborne student Alan Turing, who was a year younger than Morcom^[12] and who later became known as the father of modern computer science.^[13] In 1929, when Turing joined the same form as Morcom, Turing intentionally sat next to him in every class.^[10] The two bonded over numerous scientific topics, with examples including chemistry experiments, iodised salt, the orbits of planets and the age of stars.^[1][14] After Morcom's death, his housemaster wrote that "Most of [Morcom's] later work in School was done with Alan Turing". During Wednesday afternoons Morcom and Turing would often discuss their academic pursuits in the school's library.^[1] Together they read the books of Sir James Jeans and discussed several ideas about the nature of the universe but would often disagree.^[15] Morcom introduced Turing to astronomy.^[11]

Morcom has been described as Turing's first love,^[16][12] but the feeling was not mutual. Turing wrote at one point that he "worshipped the ground he trod on"^[16] and "Chris knew I think so well how I liked him, but hated me shewing it".^[17] According to the book Alan Turing: The Enigma, Turing would "never have dared" to "speak up for his own feelings" to Morcom.^[18]

Academically, Morcom performed better than Turing; Turing later wrote that "As always was my great ambition to do as well as Chris".^[19] In December 1929, Morcom and Turing spent a week together at Trinity College, Cambridge, to sit scholarship examinations.^[8] Morcom won the scholarship, but Turing did not,^[9] which would have led them to being separated for over a year.^[8]

Morcom's death caused Turing great sorrow.^[16] In a letter to Morcom's mother, Turing wrote: "I know I must put as much energy if not as much interest into my work as if he were alive, because that is what he would like me to do."^[20] Turing's relationship with Morcom's mother continued for years after Morcom's death. The two exchanged letters, which included the two remembering the late Morcom's birthdays, and at least on one occasion she sent Turing a present.^[21] Some have speculated that Morcom's death was the cause of Turing's atheism and materialism.^[22]

Morcom contracted bovine tuberculosis at a young age after drinking infected cows' milk. After observing the total solar eclipse of 29 June 1927, he had to undergo an operation as a result of health issues caused by the disease.^[23] When he returned to school two terms later, in late autumn, Turing noticed that he appeared extra thin.^[1][23] On the night of 6 February 1930, after attending a concert with friends, Morcom became ill and was taken to the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne for observation. The following day he was transferred to a hospital in London and soon underwent surgery for an intestinal obstruction, but had complications. He died in a nursing home on 13 February 1930, at the age of 18,^[1][9] and was buried two days later at Christ Church, Catshill. Both of his parents were later buried in the same grave.^[1]

Morcom's mother commissioned a stained glass window of Saint Christopher for a parish church in Catshill, in memory of Morcom.^[24] The art piece, made by Karl Parsons,^[1][18] depicts the saint carrying the Christ Child across a river on his shoulders. The face of Jesus was probably modelled after that of Morcom.^[1][18] The family also created the Christopher Morcom Science Prize at Sherborne to remember him; Turing was the first recipient.^[25][24] Morcom's mother created an anthology of Morcom, with input from Turing.^[26]

Morcom was played by Jack Bannon in The Imitation Game, a 2014 biographical film about Turing.^[27] The film's depiction of Morcom has several inaccuracies. It portrays a mutual romance between Morcom and Turing, when in reality it was only Turing who had the infatuation. In the film, Turing and Morcom connect over an interest in cyphers, but they actually bonded over mathematics and chemistry; it was another friend with whom Turing bonded over cyphers. In the film, Turing names a computer "Christopher", after Morcom, but this was entirely fictional.^[28]

• Hodges, Andrew (2012). Alan Turing: The Enigma. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-09-911641-7.