BBC Witness History
Coombs, M. and Lanchin, M., (2019), From cakes to computers, BBC Witness
History Coombs recalls her work as an early computer programmer on LEO, the first
electronic office system, pioneered by the Lyons catering company. In the early 1950s, the
leading British catering firm, J Lyons & Co, pioneered the world’s first automated office
system. It was baptised LEO – the Lyons Electronic Office – and was used in stock-taking,
food ordering and payrolls for the company. Soon it was being hired out to UK government
ministries and other British businesses. Mary Coombs worked on the first LEO and was the
first woman to become a commercial computer programmer. She tells Mike Lanchin about
her memories of those heady days when computers were still in their infancy
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csyx55
