In 2011, the then Head of Department, John McDermid, commissioned a History of the Department of Computer Science. Bill Freeman was tasked with producing the history, and received contributions from other ex members of staff, including John Willmott and Ian Wand.

The history remains a work in progress, but is presented here for wider consumption in the hope that some of the gaps in the data can be filled.

More recently, the first Head of Department, Professor Ian Pyle, has supplied various pieces of information relating to the origins of the department.

We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to contribute to the record of our first 50 years.