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We never knew our dad helped to build the Colossus computer

November 9, 2024


National Museum of Computing Peter Martin and his partner standing in front of the Colossus computer at the National Museum of Computing. Peter has grey tousled hair and a beard and is smiling cheerfully at the camera. He is wearing navy jeans and a blue coat. He has his arm around his partner, a woman with a bob haircut and fringe, wearing a red anorak and blue jeans. The computer is a about 4m long x 1.5m tall and has multiple sets of valves and buttons. It is mostly silver with red valves.National Museum of Computing

Peter Martin, right, is joining celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Colossus code-breaking computer used in WW2

The family of an electrical engineer said it was “really quite extraordinary” to discover he had worked on the Colossus codebreaking computer in World War Two.

The contribution of Fred Martin at Bletchley Park’s secret wartime centre only came to light in 2012, almost 40 years after he died.

“It’s such a shame we couldn’t have conversations about it,” said his son Peter Martin, who is attending an event at the National Museum of Computing on Saturday to mark the 80th anniversary of the world’s first electronic, digital computer.

His sister, Jane Martin, is hoping to meet other descendants of Colossus designer Tommy Flowers and those whose family members worked on the project.

Jane Martin Fred Martin pictured as an older man, wearing a pair of 1960s style glasses with thick frames on top and no frame below. His hair is slicked to one side and he is looking just off camera with a gentle smile. It appears to be in black and white. He is wearing a dark suit and tie and white shirt.Jane Martin

Electrical engineer Fred Martin died in 1975, decades before his family discovered he had worked on the Colossus computer during WW2

Mr Flowers designed and built Colossus to help decipher encrypted German messages between Hitler and his generals, while Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman’s Bombe machine helped to crack the German Enigma code.

Both machines were credited with helping glean vital information that cut short the war and saved thousands of lives.

Mr Flowers and Mr Martin both worked as research engineers at the General Post Office, and Peter said his father “certainly worked with Tommy Flowers”.

Jane and Peter knew nothing of their father’s wartime achievements due to the Official Secrets Act.

“The house was full of electrical things. He made a TV for us, a hairdryer, an electric blanket. I knew how to rewire a plug from the age of about six,” recalled Jane.

Jane Martin Fred Martin stands for a photo with a group of four other young men. It is a black and white image and they are standing outdoors with an old house in the background, off to the side. Fred is looking sideways at the group and chuckling, while the others look at the camera smiling. Fred is wearing glasses and a suit, with his hair parted and slicked to one side. The other men wear suit jackets or winter coats, shirts and ties.Jane Martin

Fred Martin, second from right, pictured with other Post Office staff at RAF Hucknall

Peter said he had read quite a lot about the Colossus machine before discovering his dad’s involvement.

“The first time I saw Colossus, I noticed the metal framework on which the contraption was built was very similar to a framework dad had in the garage.”

He said Mr Flowers and his team took “considerable risk in making the thing”.

“Someone said ‘You can’t do that’, and Tommy said ‘You can – with valves’.

“There were a lot of problems to solve in terms of ‘How do you make this work?'”

JaneMartin A group of Post Office engineers from the 1940s, in black and white. They are all wearing long overcoats, ties and white shirts. Fred Martin is on the back row wearing glasses and staring at the camera. Many of the men are also smiling.JaneMartin

The family of Fred Martin (back row, centre) believe this photo was taken with his Post Office colleagues, and wonder if any others also worked at Bletchley Park

Jane said: “I remember asking dad what he did during the war – he said ‘I worked on various radio stations and had a lot of fun with the Wrens, letting down people’s lilos as pranks’.”

Jane and Peter are convinced their mother, who had died before the news came out in 2012, was also in the dark about her husband’s work on Colossus.

A family friend, who worked in telecoms, had helped them to discover the truth.

“He found dad’s name at Bletchley Park and got a certificate for us all.

“We were quite excited and really rather sad that we couldn’t talk to our father about it, so we quickly went up to Bletchley Park. A lot of what was there was familiar.

“It was really quite extraordinary when all those years later we should find out that he worked there,” she added.



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