Engineer’s family uncovers his secret role in Colossus computer development

The family of an electrical engineer stated it was “really quite extraordinary” to discover his involvement with the Colossus codebreaking computer during World War Two. Fred Martin’s contribution at Bletchley Park’s clandestine wartime facility was revealed in 2012, nearly four decades following his passing. “It’s such a shame we couldn’t have conversations about it,” remarked his son, Peter Martin, who is scheduled to attend an event at the National Museum of Computing this Saturday. The event commemorates the 80th anniversary of the world’s first electronic, digital computer. His sister, Jane Martin, anticipates meeting other descendants of Colossus designer Tommy Flowers and individuals whose family members participated in the project. Mr. Flowers conceived and constructed Colossus to assist in deciphering encrypted German communications exchanged between Hitler and his generals. Concurrently, Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman’s Bombe machine played a role in cracking the German Enigma code. Both devices were recognized for their role in acquiring crucial intelligence that shortened the war and preserved countless lives. Both Mr. Flowers and Mr. Martin were employed as research engineers at the General Post Office. Peter affirmed that his father “certainly worked with Tommy Flowers.” Jane and Peter remained unaware of their father’s wartime accomplishments due to the Official Secrets Act. Jane recounted, “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.” Peter mentioned having extensively researched the Colossus machine prior to uncovering his father’s participation. He observed, “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 further stated that Mr. Flowers and his team undertook “considerable risk in making the thing.” He quoted, “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?'” Jane recounted, “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 certain that their mother, who passed away before the information became public in 2012, was also unaware of her husband’s involvement with Colossus. A family acquaintance, employed in the telecommunications sector, assisted them in uncovering the facts. “He found dad’s name at Bletchley Park and got a certificate for us all,” Jane stated. “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.” She further remarked, “It was really quite extraordinary when all those years later we should find out that he worked there.”