Raymond Bird, the engineer behind the UK’s first mass-produced business computer, the Hollerith Electronic Computer (HEC), has passed away at the age of 101. Born in 1922, Bird’s work on the HEC series marked a significant milestone in the development of commercial computing in the UK.
In 1951, Bird prototyped the HEC near the end of the year but didn’t publicly demonstrate it until 1953. The machine was designed for crystallographic calculations and was initially used by Andrew Booth, a lecturer at Birkbeck College, London University. Bird’s employer, the British Tabulating Machine Company (BTM), had acquired Booth’s Automatic Purpose Electronic Computer design in exchange for punch-card machinery.
The HEC series was produced relatively small quantities compared to other computers of its time. The company delivered around seven or eight systems, including models sold to GE Research Laboratories and the Indian Mathematical Institute. The HEC 4 was later renamed the ICT 1201 after BTM merged with Powers-Samas in 1959.
Bird went on to design several other computer families, including the ICT 1301 series, which were sold in the 1960s. His work on data translating apparatus and patents has been preserved and is now available online.
The National Museum of Computing announced Bird’s passing, describing him as an engineer who “engined” the HEC to get it working. Bird’s legacy highlights the importance of innovation and perseverance in the development of early digital computers.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/11/hollerith_electronic_computer_designer_raymond_bird