Leo Computers Reports Page

Sam King, who was Works Manager at the Leo works at Minerva Road during the era of TRT, Pinkerton, Barnes, Caminer, etc, died in February 2009.

Murray Laver FBCS died on 23 November 2008 aged 93.
Murray, a significant figure in Government Computing from 1957, was a strong supporter of Leo Computers. An obituary can be seen here.

The 2008 Pinkerton Lecture was on 26 November 2008.

— "Using Social Media to Inspire Change"
by Alex Balfour, Head of New Media, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd, who has kindly provided the full transcript with slides here: www.slideshare.net/balf/pinkerton-lecture-2008-presentation

A Tribute to David Caminer. - report on the recent Computer Conservation Society event at The Science Museum.

David Tresman Caminer OBE, Computer Systems Pioneer, died 19 June 2008. aged 92.
He will be well remembered by all ex-Leo employees.
An obituary by Frank Land is reprinted here.
There were also obituaries in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Times, The New York Times, The Financial Times and The Guardian

Colin Tully who played an important part in the success of the LEO III range died on December 27th 2007.
A tribute based on an article "Land, F. (2008), Appreciation of Professor Colin Tully 1936- 2007" to be published in the Computer Journal, is available here in pdf form.

The 2007 REUNION.

A combined Anniversary/Reunion event to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of J Lyons agreement to provide funding for the project, in October 1947, which led to the building of LEO 1.

A change of venue for the 2007 reunion. It was held on 19 October 2007 at the Bramah Café and Museum in Southwark, London.
Possibly as a result of the change and the lower cost, we had a record turnout. After the early applications had reached 120 we had started a waiting list and eventually turned people away! The reduced cost was due to a generous donation from the Association for Information Technology, assistance with administration costs from the BCS Computer Conservation Society and very reasonable charges from Don Riley, the owner of the Bramah Café and Museum and ex-Leo employee.
The event started in the 5th floor penthouse, with a general gathering of old friends and viewing of assorted Leo memorabilia. This was followed by two interesting talks on the Edsac and Leo computers, and some of the personalities associated with them, by David Hartley of the BCS and Frank Land, of the LSE and an early Leo employee. Later we moved down to the restaurant area for more reminiscing and food & drink. (An early post-reunion email from one happy guest said that "the beef stew was out of this world!")

some photos here

The 2005 LEO REUNION.

Pictures of the 12th LEO Computer Society reunion, held at HAC, London, 22 April 2005

50 YEARS OF COMPUTER PAYROLL.

Report and pictures of the reception and seminar held on February 26 2004.

John Gosden, software pioneer, died in New York on December 18th 2003 at the age of 73.
Obituary

LEO in the Guinness Book of Records.

Guinness World Records have accepted the evidence provided by Frank Land that LEO I was the first ever business computer - and we have a certificate to prove it!
The first of its many business applications was the valuation of the weekly output of bread and cakes from Lyons' bakeries in November 1951

The 2002 LEO REUNION.

Report and pictures of the 11th LEO Computer Society reunion, held at HAC, London, 20th September 2002

The 2001 LEO Conference on Business Computing and the 2nd John Pinkerton Lecture