Blighty's National Museum of Computing names first director

Ex-BCS prez David Hartley to lead collection at Bletchley Park

The National Museum of Computing has appointed its first director just after celebrating its fifth birthday.

Dr David Hartley has been named director of the institute, which is based at Bletchley Park and home to the rebuilt Colossus - the machine that decrypted German military messages during the Second World War and is the first electronic digital computer that could be programmed.

A museum spokesman told The Reg Hartley's job will be predominantly "outward facing" and he'll take a leading role in activities central to development, including finance and fund raising.

Hartley will work alongside existing operations manager Lin Jones.

The spokesperson said Hartley was exactly the person the museum had wanted, as he is both a general history buff and a computer heritage expert.

The museum, created in 2007 as is an independent charity that doesn't receive lottery funding, describes its role as a collector and restorer of computer systems, particularly those developed in Britain "to enable people to explore that collection for inspiration, learning and enjoyment".

Hartley is a chartered engineer in the field of computing who served as a director of Cambridge University's Computing Service in addition to work in government and computer conservation. Hartley has been an adviser to government and was president of the British Computer Society and chairman of the computer conservation society for four years until 2011. ®