Biography.guide
Home › People › Cryptanalyst › Geoffrey Timms
Portrait of Geoffrey Timms

Geoffrey Timms

1903 – 1982

British mathematician

CryptanalystMathematician
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Geoffrey Timms

Lived 1903 – 1982 (aged 79). Geoffrey Timms was a German cryptanalyst and mathematician.

Geoffrey Timms OBE FRSE (1903–1982) was a 20th century British mathematician and cryptoanalyst. In the Second World War he was one of the several mathematicians working alongside Alan Turing at Bletchley Park breaking the Enigma code.

Life

He was born in Bradford on 16 February 1903, son of Frederick Timms (1865-1947), Managing Director of a rope company, and Clara Louisa Barraclough (1867-1946). Both his parents were from Leeds.

He studied Mathematics at the University of Leeds graduating MA in 1925, then did postgraduate studies at Cambridge University, gaining his doctorate (PhD) in 1928. In 1929 he began lecturing in mathematics at St Andrews University.

In 1933 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were fellow physicians Herbert Westren Turnbull, Edward Thomas Copson, Alexander Craig Aitken and Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker.

A recognised mathematical genius he was seconded to work on the cracking of the Enigma code during the Second World War. He officially resigned from St Andrews in September 1945 to continue working with the Foreign Office, and got a position at GCHQ.

In retired in 1968.

He died on 2 December 1982 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Cryptanalyst, mathematician
Nationality
Education
University of Leeds, University of Cambridge
Positions held
Chairperson
Employers
University of St Andrews, Government Communications Headquarters
Awards
Officer of the Order of the British Empire; Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

People in Geoffrey Timms's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Geoffrey Timms's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Geoffrey Timms?

British mathematician

When was Geoffrey Timms born?

Geoffrey Timms was born on 16 February 1903.

When did Geoffrey Timms die?

Geoffrey Timms died on 2 December 1982 in Auckland.

What was Geoffrey Timms's occupation?

Geoffrey Timms was a cryptanalyst and mathematician.

What nationality was Geoffrey Timms?

Geoffrey Timms was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Geoffrey Timms

· Wikidata: Q37633919

· DBpedia: Geoffrey Timms

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Geoffrey Timms. https://biography.guide/geoffrey-timms/

MLA: "Geoffrey Timms." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/geoffrey-timms/.

Chicago: "Geoffrey Timms." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/geoffrey-timms/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:21 UTC