Archives UK:-The following web links provide search facilities covering most of the UK’s and Ireland’s official archives: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ and http://copac.jisc.ac.uk
LEO Foundation.:-LEO Foundation. Established by David Tresman Caminer to promote the memory ofLEO and use revenue from the publication of the McGraw-Hill published books on theLEO story to that end. The Foundation organised the 50th anniversary conference of thefirst LEO application at the London Guildhall with sponsorship from the City of Londonand the Wall Street Journal. […]
LEO Computers Society.:-LEO Computers Society. http://www.leo-computers.org.uk/ The Society has amembership of over 600 interested in the story of LEO. Chair of the Society is PeterByford. The Society publishes a regular Newsletter – editor Bernard Behr, HilaryCaminer and Vince Bodsworth and from Spring 2019 called LEO Matters – describing aspects of the LEO story. One of its chief […]
Centre for Computing History Cambridge (CCH):-Centre for Computing History Cambridge (CCH): Note: CCH when referred toin any part of LEOPEDIA stands for The Centre for Computing History and any otherdesignation should be changed such as CCH Museum should be as above.www.ComputingHistory.org.uk Contact: leo@computinghistory.org.ukThe CCH and LEO Computers Society entered a partnership in the summerof 2018 for the storage and archiving of LEO […]
EXTOURS: Virtual Tours, Alan Donohue (2020), Sharing tales from Computer History:-25th November, 2020, The LEOComputer. A 45-60 minute tour of an historic location ormuseum to reveal interesting stories and anecdotes related to the theme. Tours aredesigned to be interactive, so audience participation is encourage Tours are recordedand will include pre-recorded interviews with our invited guests , who include PeterByford, Mary Coombs, Chris Monk, Neville Lyons […]
Chegg Study:-Chegg Study: Expert Solutions. A student service taking a text and setting questionsfor students studying the text and providing expert answers. The question the studentshave to answer citing s Case Study is: “which was the first business computer”. Thetext is the paper A Case Study in User Driven Innovation by F.F. Land publishedin IEEE Annals […]
British Library :-British Library, holds various LEO related items in its archives. Including oralHistories of Mary Coombs and Frank Land. BL also maintains an archive of selectedpatent application including LEO patents lodged by John Pinkerton. See BL ExploreArchives and Manuscripts catalogue. The catalogue number is Add MS 89294http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS032-003391654https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C18119
Archives IT :-An organisation devoted to the collection, archiving and disseminationof information relating to the history of UK IT. The archive includes the OralHistories of many UK’s eminent IT personal who made that history including fromLEO Ninian Eadie and Frank Land. The Director of Archive IT is Paul D Janner,Director@archivesit.org.uk. See his article Capture the Past to […]
National Archive for the History of Computing, Manchester:-LEO Computers, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=history-of-computing-uk;ca4a4c3.0012provides a listing of documents held by the library.http://archives.li.man.ac.uk/ead/html/gb133nahc-leo-p1.shtmlAs part of the library’s special collections, the Archive is located in the main buildingof John Rylands University Library of Manchester, http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/Burlington Street (building 18 in the campus map. Note that none of the collectionshave been digitised, but can be viewed by arrangement with the […]
National Archive for the History of Computing, Manchester:-LEO Computers, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=history-of-computing-uk;ca4a4c3.0012provides a listing of documents held by the library.http://archives.li.man.ac.uk/ead/html/gb133nahc-leo-p1.shtmlAs part of the library’s special collections, the Archive is located in the main buildingof John Rylands University Library of Manchester, http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/Burlington Street (building 18 in the campus map. Note that none of the collectionshave been digitised, but can be viewed by arrangement with the […]
Time-Line Computer Archive:-Aims are to collect, restore and exhibit all types of early ComputersElectronics and associated peripherals. Their collection includes some LEO circuit boards.We hope that our website will give an insight to the development of computing and will help give inspiration to other people to collect rather than throw out historical electronics. We also would like […]
The Computer Conservation Society-has collected technical and other backgroundInformation about all early UK computers including LEO. It holds monthly meetings atthe British Computer Society Headquarters in London at which various aspects of itsactivities are presented. See http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ andhttp://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ A website is devoted to the UK ComputerHeritage and includes information about the origins of LEO and summaries of the […]
The Computer History Society-has established an archive search facility of computing history websites. The link to the search facility is http://www.ithistory.org/search/site/Searching LEO brings up http://www.ithistory.org/search/site/Leo with many LEOentries.
University of Warwick, Modern Records Centre,-John Simmons Papers (1924-1994), Ref: GB 152 GB 152 MSS.363,https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/80e05c8d-6acf-3e84-8999-1a9a8321cad5.See John Simmons Archive at Warwick University Modern Records Centre Showcase:Pioneers: Innovators in Science and Technologyhttp://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/images/pioneers/ for anumber of items on LEO, now digitised, seewww.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/digital/leoBoxes of manuscripts from David Caminer and John Aris are catalogued at http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/ARI/2 Note (April 2019) 9 boxes have beentransferred to Cambridge […]
The Jim Austin Computer Collection-The Jim Austin Computer Collection is a preservation of over 500 machines fromsmall micros to mainframes and super computers. Some of the items can be seen onthe web site http://www.computermuseum.org.uk/ . The Collection acquired someLEO III items in July 2012. Visitors are welcome on request
The Shady Old Lady’s Guide to London-http://www.shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=617 notes the site of the FirstBusiness Computer at Cadby Hall with a short piece about the origins of LEO
Internet Scripophily Museum of Computing (ISMOC)-Internet Scripophily Museum of Computing (ISMOC), a virtual museum createdby Franky Leeuwerck on computing history represented by bond and sharecertificates. In 2017 J. Lyons and LEO Computers were added to the website with achronology of the LEO story. See Internet Scripophily Museum of Computing
Neville Lyons-Neville Lyons – descendent of the original Joe Lyons gave a series of public lectureson the History of the Lyons Company and on LEO Computers. Information about the8th June 2016 lecture can be found at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-joe-lyonsstory-food-for-thought-tickets-24424562524# and for the 22nd June 2016 lecture athttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-story-of-leo-the-worlds-very-first-business–computer-tickets-24424811268# X
U3A-There is a u3a plan for my zoom talk on the Joe Lyons Story for 23rd March, tobe followed hopefully with LEO talk later on. Publicity for JL talk is now on u3awebsite including full synopsis that I sent them. See www.u3a.org.uk/events
Institute of Administrative Management (IAM),-Institute of Administrative Management (IAM), started life in 1915 as OfficeMachinery User’s Association. John Simmons acted as chair and president for manyyears and some of its members including Wills were early LEO users. Its journalincludes two articles on the history of IAM including many references to JohnSimmons and the Lyons/LEO story. See Gibson in previous […]
London Remembers-London Remembers – aiming to capture all memorials in London. It includes theLEO plaque laying ceremony near Cadby Hall including links to the video and othermaterial about J. Lyons & Co. Seehttps://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/leo-world-s-first-business-computer
Getty Images. A collection of high quality photographs including a number of earlyphotographs of-2002 Seizing the Moment: The Far Reaching Effects of Broadband ofEconomy and SocietyDavid Cleevely Analysis Group2004 Intellectual Property, Entrepreneurs and Company successes HermannHauserDirector, Amadeus Capital Partners Ltd IET.tv footage2005 ICT Use in Rural India: Innovations Bridge the DigitalChasm Professor SubhasBhatnagar Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad IET.tv footage2006 e-Science and Cyberinfrastructure Professor Tony HeyVP Scientific Computing, […]
IET Pinkerton Lectures Bangalore, India-2012 Connecting Computers with the human brain Prof.Kevin Warwick(University of Reading)http://conferences.theiet.org/pinkerton/
2014 Internet of Things-Jim Mornish, Founder and Chief Research Officer, Machina Researchhttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.967205353308482.1073741831.586954168000271&type=3
Intriguing History Website-Intriguing History Website cites “the very brave and innovative decision to promotethe development and use of commercial computers” taken by the Board of J. Lyons & Co.in 1947. See http://www.intriguing-history.com/leo-computer-jlyons-co/
Wikiwand Website-Wikiwand Website provides a brief history of LEO including bibliography and links.See http://www.wikiwand.com/en/LEO_(computer)
Marconi-Marconi maintain a Marconi History website which includes a section devoted toLEO Computers and is regularly updated with news from the LEO Computers Society.Access is restricted to password holders including Frank Land,marconiincomputersandautomation
Andrew Wylie – Mister Transistor-collects and records information about earlytransistor computers, including LEO III – seehttp://www.wylie.org.uk/technology/computer/LEO3/LEO3.htmBroken Link
Thornhill, T., Daily Mail, (2011)-Thornhill, T., Daily Mail, (2011), LEO the world’s first business computer celebrates its60th birthday, a comprehensive ‘obituary’ of the Lyons LEO enterprise retrieved by NevilleLyons from the London Metropolitan Archives and published 18th November 2011.. XXX1019Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063320/LEO-worlds-business-celebrates-60th-birthday.html#ixzz34oXECD52
The I love ICL Website:-The I love ICL Website http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl3a holds acollection of documents including LEO III Intercode and CLEO training manuals.These include the following:LEO III Paperwork at: http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl2nLEO 326 11 Mag Tape boards at: http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl44fcLEO III 3 Boards at: http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl41LEO III 1 Tape , 211 LEO II/III Tapes and 1 Tape front at http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl42
LEO II Machine Plaque at:-http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl42bThe site is maintained by Pete Wooledge a member of the LEO Computers Society,who notes (December 2020) “212 LEO II/III Tapes and 1 Tape front at: http://www.vintage-icl–computers.com/icl42The Museum Collection here is now lucky enough to have 212 of these LEO Computers Ltd Tapes!!!The separate EEL type of tape turns out to be for the EE […]
LEO II at Stewart and Lloyds,-LEO II at Stewart and Lloyds, Corby Heritage Centre: Exhibition of LEOmemorabilia and the story of the first LEO delivered to a customer held at Corby inJuly/August 2015. Exhibition entitled Corby & ElectronicBrain Also a description of the system at Ravenscraig
London Metropolitan Boroughs-Hackney was part of the North East London Computer Scheme (NELCS) along withthe boroughs of Haringey and Tower Hamlets. NELCS had emerged in 1966 out of theLondon Boroughs Joint Computer Committee’s (LBJCC) that was formed in 1962 andhad developed systems running on a LEO III/94 computer. NELC was managed by theLondon Boroughs Management Services Unit […]
University of Stafford April 14th 2016-University of Stafford April 14th 2016, Inaugural Lecture: Fifty Glorious YearsStaffordshire’s Role in the Development of Computing. The Lecture, by ProfessorAlan Eardley, includes references to English Electric, LEO, Kidsgrove. Photos of LEOand extracts from an interview of Frank Land by Alan Eardley.
Vintage ICL Computers:-Vintage ICL Computers: includes photographs of large range of computers whichmade up the ICL group, including some photos of LEO items. See http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl42 and http://www.vintage-icl-computers.com/icl42a. Forfurther information contact Peter Wooledge tabbs-firefly@outlook.com andhttp://www.vintage-icl-computers.com
Retronaut Website-Retronaut Website: 1952 Behind the Scenes at Lyons. Pictures and text about Lyonswith a mention of them as computer pioneers. https://retronaut.com/content/1952-behind-the-scenes-at-lyons – link broken
Historic Tech.com,-HistoricTech.com This site is not an online museum and all items are (or were) forsale. Instead Edd Thomas goes in search of iconic, rare, unique and sometimes justfascinating pieces that help to tell the story of the global Technology andElectronics Revolution of the last century or so. It is a story that combines science anddesign […]
Interviews with Mary Coombes,-Mary Coombes – 3 mins Mary Coombs shares her story – YouTube Mary Coombes, more – 4 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHiCMfHydlo
Charles Babbage Institute and University of Minnesota Libraries Digital Conservatory,-Charles Babbage Institute and University of Minnesota Libraries DigitalConservatory, provides links to any LEO material held in the Library including the Pinkerton Oral History. Seehttp://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/59493/browse?type=subject&value=LEO(Computer)
Association for Information Systems (AIS).-,the body representing the academic Information Systems discipline world-wide, publishes two journals, the high repute AIS Journal and the Communications of the AIS. Both journals have published articles on LEO or referring to LEO, and it organises major conferences annually on the discipline. The AIS provides an annual award to members who have made significant […]
The Museum of Communication, Berlin.-unites past and present of communication in its permanent exhibition: therefore it illustrates the origins, the development, and the future perspectives of the information society. Appealing rotating exhibitions cast light on different aspects of communication. The permanent exhibition features a cabinet that shows the history of digitalization. Within this cabinet information about and pictures of […]
Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.-Purchased a Microprogram Module from a standard LEO III in 2013. The item is not on display but shown on its website together with a brief account of the LEO story written by Barbara Ainsworth. Seehttp://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/12682 The curator is (2018)Nicholas Crotty: ncrotty@museum.vic.gov.au
Australian Computer Museum Society.-(www.acms.org.au). The society has an extensive collection of 10,000 artefacts collected over the last 25 years but currently lacks a catalogue of its collection. Contact Sebastian Boell
Heinz Nixdorf Museum (HNF), Padeborg Germany.-Claims to be the largest Computer Museum in the world. But currently its only LEO holding is the Caminer et al LEO book in the Museum Library. Its Director, Dr Jochen Viehoff is keen toestablish a LEO presence to show the LEO role in the history of computing.http://www.hnf.de/en/home.htmlA member of its staff, Ralf Buelow, publishes […]
Computer History Museum, SiliconValley-http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/The Museum holds and displays a number of LEO II relics including part of LEO II/3the Corby Stewarts & Lloyds Machine, and various LEO books and documents. Itsrecord of holdings with photos is well organised and include the oral history of LEOveteran Chris Date (see Oral Histories below) and can be found onhttp://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/early-computer-companies/5/110/468http://www.computerhistory.org/search/?q=LEO+Computers&site=chm_collection&client=chm_collection&output=xml_no_dtd&submit.x=2&submit.y=2 TheMuseums senior […]
University of Melboune Archive: -holds collection of Shell Oil Australia Archive, including material relating to the purchase and use of LEO III in Australia
University of Melboune Archive: -holds collection of Shell Oil Australia Archive, including material relating to the purchase and use of LEO III in Australia
Private Holdings -Many individuals, dead and alive; members of the LEO Computers Society or ex LEO employees, have private collections of LEO artifacts, documents and photographs, some of which are of historical importance. They include:
Peter Bird -private archive, indexed and boxed and held at Cambridge Centre for Computer History.
David Caminer -private archive, collected by Ray Hennessy and Hilary Caminer, part indexed and boxed, and part of the collection scanned and indexed at the Cambridge Computer History collection
John Aris -private archive, collected by Ray Hennessy
Frank Land-private archive, held by Elisbetta Mori.
Ernest Lenaerts -100 notebooks, quarto, compiled in manuscript, dating from 1949 to the early 1950s. The notebooks have been donated to the LEO Computers Society by Paul and David Lenaerts, Ernest’s sons, and have been scanned into digital format by Bill Purvis, a member of the Computer Conservation s They can be viewed at http://www.billp.org/LEO“
Wally Dutton-Wally’s daughter Andrea has donated her father’s collection of LEO memorabilia including published papers dating back to 1954, newspqper articles and photographsThere are many other private hoards and the LEO Computers Society would welcome information about such holdings.
Birmingham Museum -J. Lyons donated some LEO I items to the Museum in 1965. Documentation relating to the donation is held by Peter Byford of the LEO Computers Society, and photographs of LEO I hardware items are held by Chris Burton of the Computer Conservation Society. The items themselves are currently (October 2018) not available for viewing […]
Science Museum, London. -The Museum opened a new Gallery The Information Age, which features amongst other exhibits tracing the evolution of the information age, a special section devoted to LEO, including recordings of a teashop manageress reflecting on the changes the Teashop Job (L3) made to her life. The new Gallery is sponsored by a number of members of […]
National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh.-The Museum has LEOlll/33 (Phoenix Insurance), as well as three LEO III circuit boards, one of which is on display, and three circuit boards from LEO IIs. The museum holds a number of LEO related documents including manuals which as yet not catalogued. The Senior Curator of Modern Science and Computing is Dr Tacye Phillipson: t.phillipson@nms.ac.uk Website: […]
The National Museum of Computers (TNMOC), Bletchley. -LEO hardware items at TNMOC are listed at Hardware May 2010.pdf (3MB) and flowcharts of LEO I microinstructions at http://leo.settle.dtdns.net/LeoCode/MicroProgs.htm Information about LEO related items and activities listed at V http://www.tnmoc.org/search/node/. Trustee of Museum and Secretary of Computer Conservation Society is Kevin Murrell,kevin.murrell@tnmoc.org I Website: http://www.nms.ac.uk/
The Swindon Museum of Computer History,-founded in 2003 is a small museum which aims to preserve the history of computing, to be used as a valuable educational resource and as an information repository for historians, collectors and the media, and to illustrate this history in an entertaining way. Its collection includes a LEO magnetic tape reel. It can see it on display […]
The ICL Computer Museum.-A private online facility established by Peter Wooledge to display a very large range of material relating to computer history, Items displayed include software manuals, hardware items, manuals, journal and magazine articles and a number include material related to LEO and its successors. The full contents can be explored at: http://www.vintage-icl-computers.comIncluded are details and photos […]
Museum of London, London. -The Museum has parts of LEO III/45 ( Wedd, Durlacher, Morduant & Co.) including the console ondisplay Museum CollectionsWebsite: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ Curator: Vyki Sparkes vsparkes@museumoflondon.org.uk
