Announcement

Items of interest that the Society want to bring to peoples notice

The LEO Computers Society and the Centre for Computing History have been awarded “Highly Commended” in the UK IT Industry awards for 2023., charities sector.

IT Industry awards 2023

John Paschoud, Vince Bodsworth, Peter Byford and Bernard Behr attended the Black tie event on November 8th at the Evolution Centre in Battersea Park

UK IT Industry Award 2023 Read More »

The LEO Computers Society and partners Centre for Computing History are delighted to announce that their film about LEO, the world’s first business computer has won the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) Video of the Year Award 2022. 

LEO, otherwise known as the Lyons Electronic Office, was a pioneering British computer developed in the early 1950s by J. Lyons & Co., famous for tea, cakes and the teashops that were once part of the fabric of British life. 

The film was commissioned as part of a lottery-funded project ‘Swiss Rolls, Tea & the Electronic Office’, which is preserving, cataloguing and making accessible the heritage of this remarkable machine so as to raise awareness of this relatively unknown British story. 

Judges commented that the film was “an absorbing and textured piece with excellent and evocative archive footage”. It aims to introduce a whole new generation, from secondary school age upwards, to the remarkable story of the birth of a technology that, today, we take for granted.

Lisa McGerty, manager of the project said: “We’re honoured to have had the LEO film we commissioned – and which was expertly made by Richard Hollingham and Jamie Partridge of Boffin Media – recognised as the Association of British Science Writers’ Video of the Year. LEO’s story really is remarkable and it is a privilege for us to work with some of the surviving pioneers on this project, as well established film producers like Boffin. The first LEO computer was an astounding feat not just of engineering but also of vision by a company that had the foresight to recognise just how computers could revolutionise business at a time when computers didn’t really exist. Everyone should know about it.”

The film is freely available to watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzu68nRVwtE. It will be signposted to schools and colleges as part of The Centre for Computing History’s learning programme.

Notes
1. The film has been created by Boffin Media, an award-winning production company specialising in science and space. The Producer is Richard Hollingham and the Director is Jamie Partridge.

2. The LEO Computers Society is committed to promoting and protecting LEO’s history. Membership of the Society is open to all ex-employees of LEO Computers and its succeeding companies, anyone who worked with a LEO computer and anyone with a specific interest in the history of LEO Computers. Among its members are pioneers from the very early days of computing and membership is currently free of charge. Visit www.leo-computers.org.uk. Follow @leocomputers51.

3. Established in 2006, the Centre for Computing History is a charitable heritage organisation with a strong focus on learning. Since opening in Cambridge in August 2013, the Centre has helped people understand how tech has shaped the modern world and revolutionised the way we live, work and play through interactive displays and exhibitions, our schools programme, learning events and workshops, and an astonishing collection of computers old and new. Visit www.computinghistory.org.uk. Follow @computermuseum 

4. Using money raised by the National Lottery, The National Lottery Heritage Fund inspires, leads and resources the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

 For further information on the museum, the Society, the LEO project or for images, please contact: Lisa McGerty (lisa@computinghistory.org.uk, 01223 214446 / 07825 794791) or Peter Byford (peter.byford@leo-computers.org.uk, 07944 038489).

We won Video of the year Read More »

We are organizing a new series of Zoom Meetings.

See Below

Wednesday Online celebrations!

During the past year we have discovered that online forums and presentations have been a great way to get our members together. Zoom has allowed former colleagues, now living in different continents to reminisce together and for, 22nd September 17.00 BST AGM including updates on all our activities and a vote for Trustees. This will be followed by a discussion among members on ideas for the future. 

Tuesday, 19th October 10.30 BST   We hope to bring you a tour of The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. As many of you will know, TNMoC has a reconstruction of EDSAC, the computer built at Cambridge which Lyons helped to fund so that they could develop a commercial computer for themselves.

Wednesday, 17th November 15.00 GMT  Our new LEO Film! By this date in 1951, LEO was almost ready to run its first regular clerical run working on the Lyons Bakery Valuations Job.  As part of our National Lottery Heritage Fund programme, we have had a 15 minute film made about LEO. This will be given its press launch in late November to chime with the actual anniversary itself, but we have managed to arrange for our members to be given an exclusive pre-launch viewing. The film will be followed by an opportunity for members to comment and for a discussion with the filmmakers.


 

Zoom For LEO Computers Society Members Read More »

The BBC programme Antiques Road Trip made a stop off at Cambridge to visit the Cambridge Computer History Museum and interviewed Jason Fitzpatrick the Museum founder. Jason covered many interesting topics including early calculators, EDSAC, LEO and the BBC Micro and ARM chips.

You can hear and view the section from Cambridge Here

Antiques Road Trip Read More »

2021 marks LEO’s 70th Anniversary Year – unfortunately the Trustees felt they had to postpone the Reunion from 2021 but replace it with a series of Zoom events to celebrate the events of 1951 (see the post on the new Zoom dates) The new date for the Reunion at the Victory Services Club is Sunday, 10th April 2022

See Here for the new Zoom dates

70th Anniversary Read More »

Time/Date December 17th at 14:00

Speaker Dan Hayton et al

Location Via Zoom

Each year the CCS looks for a selection of films and videos relating to the History of Computing. This year, following on from the October’s lecture “The Evolution of LEO, the World’s First Business Computer” we’re taking a look at LEO on film. 

This year’s programme gives us a chance to see how others and ourselves in the computer industry view and depict our chosen work environment. We’re grateful to the Computer History Archive for permission to use two of their “reels”. We have “gleaned” other items from public sources. Thanks too to Peter Byford of the LEO Society for suggesting, encouraging (and chasing me up) on the theme of this year’s show. 

About the speaker
Dan Hayton is the CCS’s media manager and is usually to be found at the back of the room with a video camera. Once a year we release him from this duty and allow him to take centre stage – partly because he has earned a rest from his normal duties, but mostly because he is an entertaining raconteur who delights his audience. Apart from his role in the CCS he is also a leading member of the Newcomen Society and of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society. A man of many talents, not to be missed. 

Book a ticket here

Seminar on Films about LEO Read More »

WANTED:    all ex-Intercode programmers.
(CLEO people might be interested too)
A message from Ray Smith with Ken Kemp and John Daines.
Further details can be seen HERE

Intercode Programmers Read More »

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