Ed: going even further back, the Babbage Difference Engine, or to be correct, Engines plural:
http://tinyurl.com/2aapa8d
Charles Babbage was a British mathematical and engineering genius, born in the 18th century, whose designs were never fully built during his lifetime, but the Science Museum built an engine for the 200th anniversary of Babbage’s birth. It worked perfectly and still does:
http://tinyurl.com/oxv2629
All of which demonstrates that innovators, innovation and ideas ahead of their time have always been rarely recognised in this country. But I completely agree with you about Tommy Flowers, Ed.
Richard: I remember the Wilson – Callaghan governments in 1974 – 79. I left the army in ’76 and had what the kids today would call a “gap year” which was actually about 5 months of being a total idiot, affected by leaving a family. I decided to retrain as a Motor Engineer and Callaghan had created a large number of Skill Centres throughout the country, to retrain people into all kinds of work. I carried on 6 months of training in the local Skill Centre into work as a mechanic and continued with courses at a local Technical College. I got my qualifications as a certified IMI Automotive Engineer whilst I was still working full time. But that Skill Centre set me on the path which eventually saw me employed as a workshop foreman, managing a large, independent garage business. All the machinery within the various centres was new and mostly state of the art. They were absolutely brilliant places which should have been given more time to retrain enough people, but the next Conservative government closed them all and sold off all the machinery, tooling and plans, mostly abroad.
Nothing changes.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
.
