LEO editor

Interviewee: Mike Gifford                                                                 DOB: 1936

Interviewer: Dag Spicer

Date of Interview: 30^th September 2017

Editors: Bob Marsh (P1) and Frank Land (p2) Nov 2017

Joined LEO: 1959 or 1960

Role in LEO: Started as temporary assistant at Minerva Road, then trained as consultant at Hartree House and rose rapidly working as consultant in a variety of locations including the Midlands, North West London ICL region. Finishing work with ICL as Chief Executive of ICL Australia for two and a half years, before leaving computer industry.

Left LEO/ICL: 1975

Abstract: After Grammar School education opted for National Service in Royal Navy before taking his place at University.  Seconded to work in Aircraft Carriers and specialised in meteorology.  Following two years National Service went to London School of Economics for a B.Sc. in Economics.  Greatly influenced by Karl Popper’s ideas on Scientific Methods.  His father suggested looking for a job up in a rising industry – either computing or microbiology.  Selected computing and following an advertisement started a temporary job with LEO at Minerva Road. See above for role in LEO which included working as the LEO consultant with customers such as Cerebos Salt. Tote Investors, Eveready Batteries and Heinz and abroad the Czech steelworks. Identified early as potential high flyer by David Caminer. Following the merger with ICL he took charge of one of the major marketing regions. Following a number of senior appointments was Appointed Managing Director ICL Australia (1974).  After a successful two and a half years left the Computer Industry on appointment as Managing Director of the newly merged Cadbury Schweppes Australia Company.  More senior management positions followed back in the UK culminating in being appointed Chief Executive of the Rank Organisation, an enterprise he transformed from an ailing enterprise to be highly successful.

Repository:http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/53392/Mike-Gifford-Interview-30th-September-2017-53392/

Copyright: LEO Computers Society

Restrictions:  None Known

Interviewee: Mike Thompson, 

Interviewer: Elisabetta Mori
Date of interview: 6 December 2017
Length of recording: 1h3m56s
Format: original .m4a recording 141.85MB (transferred to .mov video for presentation on YouTube 233.94MB)
Copyright in recording content: Mike Thompson and LEO Computers Society

Transcript editor: unknown

Abstract: Joined LEO Computers in 1962 as an operator on LEO III/1 and later trained other operators, staying through the various mergers until moving to work for Diebold Corporation. After spending 3 years in Zambia, returned to working on LEO III/4 for London Boroughs as a manager in Systems and Programming.

Date : 6th December 2017

Repository: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/70217/Mike-Thompson-Interview-6th-December-2017-70217/

Interviewee: Jean Elliott (Cox)                                                                                                             DOB:

Interviewer: Elisabetta Mori

Joined LEO: Probably 1948/49 having been a Lyons clerk

Role in LEO: Clerical assistant to John Pinkerton

Abstract: One of the earliest to join the LEO team as a clerical assistant involved in a variety of tasks such as filing and note taking for the design team comprising John Pinkerton, Ray Shaw Ernest Kaye and Ernest Lenaerts. Even permitted to do some soldering.  Always remembers with great fondness working with LEO

Repository:http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/53391/Jean-Cox-(Jean-Elliott)-Interview-17-July-2017-53391/

Copyright: LEO Computers Society

Restrictions:  None known

Interviewee: Alan Hooker                                                   DOB: 23rd May 1934

Interviewer: Paul Bygrave

Date of Interview: 21st November 2018

Editors: David Phillips (P1) and Mike Jackson (P2)

Joined LEO: May/June 1958

Role in LEO: Programmer on LEO I, LEO II and LEO III rising to Programming Manager.

Left LEO: 1965

Abstract:  After failing to take a Physics degree at Bristol University followed by National Service in Royal Engineers as commissioned officer, a chance meeting with a fellow Bristol student Brian Mills who had been recruited by Lyons for LEO, took the LEO aptitude test and after interview by David Caminer joined LEO as a maintenance programmer on LEO I. Worked in Betty Cooper’s team whom he describes as one of the best managers he ever worked for.  Converted LEO I programmes to run on LEO II, then involved in programming a number of service bureau applications and the Standard Motor LEO II/8. Involved at a more senior level with the LEO III to demonstration to prove to the Post Office LEO IIIs multiprogramming capability. Became Programming Manager leading team of 25  charged with producing standard business routines. Left LEO after merger with English Electric,  Moved to DataSolve as Technical Director. Returned to ICL after grand merger as Project Manager at Data Skill.   

Repository :

http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/68654/Alan-Hooker-Interview-21st-November-2018-68654/

Copyright: Leo Computers Society.

Restrictions: None known             

Interviewee:  Alan Jacobs                                                                D.O.B. 16.06.1931

Interviewer: David Phillips

Date of Interview: 17.10.2018

Editor: Frank Land

Joined LEO:  1957

        Abstract: Alan, born in Stoke, took a degree in History at St John’s, Oxford, commencing in 1950, after National Service in the RAF and tried a number of jobs as management trainee, but was not inspired by them. Tempted by LEO advert and after interview was invited to join as programmer.  Involved with a succession of service jobs rising in seniority.  Despite his admiration and like of working at LEO decided to further his career by leaving LEO, first for BEA and then other organisations none of which had the sense of knowing what they were doing he had found at LEO.  When the opportunity came in 1962 he re-joined BAOC to join the team being built by Peter Hermon to develop a comprehensive Airline Reservation System.  Alan headed a team developing ground-breaking Airline Departure system.  Alan left British Airways and was recruited by Sainsbury’s as their Director of IT helping to transform the business. After Sainsbury’s Alan retired

Restrictions:   None known

Repository: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/56451/Alan-Jacobs-Interview-17-October-2018-56541/

Interviewee: Frank Land DOB: 24.10.1928

Interviewer: Thomas Lean, British Library

Date of Interview: 2010 

Reference: C1379/17

Role in LEO: Programmer, Systems Analyst, Marketing, Consultant

Joined LEO: 1953

Abstract: This is a full oral history of the life of Frank Land as part of the British Libraries Oral History series on the life of selected British Computer scientists.

Repository: British Library, National Life Stories, an Oral History of British Science

Type of recorder: Marantz PMD661 on secure digital 

Recording format: WAV 24 bit 48 kHz 

Total no. of tracks 18 Stereo 

Total Duration: 15 hours:06 minutes:31 seconds

To view the transcript of this interview, click on the following link :

External Link : Click Here >>>

Please Note: This item is not in the LEO Society collection and is included here for signposting purposes only.

Date : 2010

Interviewee:  Brian Mills                                                                   DOB: 1933

Interviewer:  David Phillips

Date of Interview:

Editor: Frank Land, September 2018

Joined LEO:  July 8^th 1957

Abstract After completing Grammar School from a primarily languages stream, Brian completed his National Service of two years in the Royal Corps of Signals with the rank of 2^nd lieutenant. A degree in Economics from Bristol University followed, completed in 1956. A number of jobs, followed, some in marketing, one teaching Hungarians English for the Coal Board, but none of them wholly satisfactory.  Tempted by advert to try for a job with LEO and following interviews by Alan Jacobs and Doug Comish accepted a job offer a trainee programmer joined LEO in July 1957. His programming career started with a number of payroll systems under the tutored by LEO Fantl. Later he joined Leo Fantl in South Africa as systems manager on the LEO III in November 1960.  Returned to England after two years to join the consultants’ marketing LEO IIIs, and included Freeman’s Mail Order amongst his successes. Shortly after the return from South Africa LEO became EELM, a move Brian did not enjoy, deciding to join consultants Coopers and Lybrand.  This was the beginning of a long and successful career outside LEO embracing a number of companies, culminating with head of management services for British Oxygen.  After leaving British Oxygen Brian set up his own venture capital business

Repository: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/56450/Brian-Mills-Interview-27-February-2018-56450/

Interviewee: John Durham                                                    DOB: 31st August 1939

Interviewer: David Phillips

Date of Interview: 22.02.2019

Editors: Michael and Helen Jackson

Joined LEO: 1963

Role in LEO: Programmer then sales and marketing

Left LEO: 

Abstract: After a degree in Industrial Economics at Nottingham University University joined LEO, having been impressed by the drive of the team from LEO interviewing him as part of the milk-round recruiting new graduates. By the time he joined  as a  as a programmer LEO had merged with English Electric. Worked as part of the team programming the Premium Bond application for the Post Office, but finding himself a not very good programmer acted as informal PA to David Caminer and moved successfully into Sales & Marketing covering Eastern European countries. Later joined Software Sciences as European Marketing Manager. Then formed his own company. The oral history includes fascinating anecdotes of his career with LEO and its successor companies.

Repository: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/62993/John-Durham-Interview/

Copyright: Leo Computers Society.

Restrictions: None known

Interviewee:  John Gardner , FBCS  CITP                                                     D.O.B: 1937

Interviewer:  Graham Briscoe

Date of Interview:  Unusually, because of the Covid-19 lockdown, the oral history consists of answers to questions sent by the interviewer in March 2020.

Editor:  Frank Land

Abstract: Trained as an apprentice engineer and spent 7 years working with EMI.  Saw advert from LEO for engineer but wanted to leave engineering and applied to join LEO as a bureau programmer at Hartree House.  Joined LEO in 1962 just as LEO ii/5 wasw being pkased out for LEO III/1.  Worked, using first Intercode, then CLEO on a number of bureau applications including Heinz production control, and on the transfer of the Heinz bureau jobs from LEO II to their own LEO III.  Progressed rapidly becoming responsible for payroll and share registration applications. With the long-term future of LEO dubious enticed to Honeywell (UK) by a job offer that could not be refused, to work on their H200 operating system.  After 7 months I moved on to be a consultant for Hoskyns System Management which was being set up as a subsidiary to Hoskyns Consultancy and where the LEO experience was much more relevant.  Worked for them for seven years, but then found that the nomadic life that was required of consultants to advance was not compatible with having a young family so joined London Transport IT where and  worked for them for 20 years until retirement.  

Restrictions: Non known

Repository:http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/62259/John-Gardner-Interview/

Interviewee: Barry Fox                                                     DOB 1935

Interviewer: John Daines

Date of Interview: 19th July 2017

Editors: David Phillips (P1) and Frank Land (P2)

Joined LEO installation: 1958

Role at LEO: Programmer

Left LEO:       1966

Abstract: Graduated from Birmingham University with a Maths degree before National Service in where he learned programming on an Elliott 402 machine.  Enjoying programming he applied for a programming job with LEO.  His prior  programming experience allowed him to pass the LEO aptitude test with ease and after surviving an interview with David Caminer was immediately taken on as a programmer. His programming career started with working on LEO II applications including the Glynn Mills Officers payroll under John Lewis and then progressed toto systems software working at Minerva Road.  After working on the Intercode translator took a key role in the design and programming of the CLEO compiler for LEO III. After the formation of EELM worked on System 4. Moved to Kidsgrove, keeping up his interest in the design of computer languages and as as a result of his expertise was assigned as an EELM representative under John Pinkerton  on ECMA. Continued working in this field until in the mid 80s interest in language and compiler design faded and as a result took early retirement at age 55.  Whilst at LEO married fellow programmer Margaret James, started family life and had 3 children.  In retirement he joined Congleton Sustainability Group and runs a Green Living course for Congleton U3A, and has acted on his life-long interest in cycling as secretary of the local cycling club.

Repository:http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/64032/Barry-Fox-Interview-19-July-2017-64032/

Copyright: Leo Computers Society.

Restrictions: None known