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{{short description|Civil servant, chief executive, computer scientist}}
{{short description|Civil servant, chief executive, information technologist}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox person
⚫
'''Brian Wynne Oakley''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|FBCS|FInstP}} (10 October 1927&nbsp;– 17 August 2012)<ref name="The Daily Telegraph">{{cite news| title=Death announcement: Brian Oakley| newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=21 August 2012| accessdate=21 August 2012|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/153058/oakley-brian-wynne-10.10.27}}</ref> was a British civil servant and industrialist who took a leading role in the area of information technology, especially the 1980s [[Alvey Programme]].
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Brian Wynne Oakley
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|FBCS|FInstP}}
| image =
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| landscape =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1927|10|10}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2012|08|17|1927|10|10}}
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
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| nationality =
| other_names =
| citizenship = [[United Kingdom]]
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Exeter College, Oxford]]
| occupation = [[Civil servant]]<br/>[[Businessman]]<br/>[[Information technologist]]
| years_active = 1950–2000
| era =
| employer = [[Royal Signals]];<br/>[[Telecommunications Research Establishment]];<br/>[[Government of the UK]]; [[Logica]]
| organization = [[British Computer Society]] (President, 1988–89);<br/>[[Computer Conservation Society]] (Chair, 1996–2000)
| agent =
| known_for = [[Alvey Programme]] (1983–87); Helping to save [[Bletchley Park]]
| notable_works =
| awards = [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]];<br/>Honorary doctorate, [[Sheffield Hallam University]] (1994);<br/>Honorary doctorate, [[University of Essex]] (1998)
| style =
| height =
| boards = Computer Centre, [[University of London]];<br/>[[Logica]]
}}
⚫
'''Brian Wynne Oakley''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|FBCS|FInstP}} (10 October 1927&nbsp;– 17 August 2012)<ref name="The Daily Telegraph">{{cite news| title=Death announcement: Brian Oakley| newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=21 August 2012| accessdate=21 August 2012|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/153058/oakley-brian-wynne-10.10.27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416181144/http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/153058/oakley-brian-wynne-10.10.27|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> was a British civil servant and industrialist who took a leading role in the area of information technology, especially the 1980s [[Alvey Programme]].


==Career==
⚫
In [[World War II]], Oakley served with the [[Royal Signals]] as a [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]].<ref name="resurrection">{{cite journal| first=Martin | last=Campbell-Kelly | author-link=Martin Campbell-Kelly | title=Obituary: Brian Wynne Oakley | journal=Resurrection: The Bulletin of the [[Computer Conservation Society]]| volume=60 | page=34 | date=Winter 2012 }}</ref> He then studied science at [[Exeter College, Oxford]].<ref name="essex">[http://www.essex.ac.uk/honorary_graduates/or/1998/brian-oakley-oration.aspx Honorary Graduates — Brian Wynne Oakley, CBE], [[University of Essex]], UK, 9 July 1998.</ref> Later he became a Fellow of the [[Institute of Physics]] and the [[British Computer Society]]. In 1950 he joined the [[Telecommunications Research Establishment]] (TRE)<ref name="resurrection" /> where he undertook research in [[telecommunications]] and civilian applications of military research. He then worked in [[Whitehall]] as a civil servant, joining the [[Ministry of Technology]] under the [[Harold Wilson]] government in 1969. Subsequently, he became the chief official of the [[Science and Engineering Research Council]] (SERC).
===Military service and education===
⚫
In [[World War II]], Oakley served with the [[Royal Signals]] as a [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]].<ref name="resurrection">{{cite journal| first=Martin | last=Campbell-Kelly | author-link=Martin Campbell-Kelly | title=Obituary: Brian Wynne Oakley | journal=Resurrection: The Bulletin of the Computer Conservation Society| volume=60 | page=34 | date=Winter 2012 }}</ref> He then studied science at [[Exeter College, Oxford]].<ref name="essex">[http://www.essex.ac.uk/honorary_graduates/or/1998/brian-oakley-oration.aspx Honorary Graduates — Brian Wynne Oakley, CBE], [[University of Essex]], UK, 9 July 1998.</ref>

===Information technology===
In 1950, Oakley joined the [[Telecommunications Research Establishment]] (TRE)<ref name="resurrection" /> where he undertook research in [[telecommunications]] and civilian applications of military research. He then worked in [[Whitehall]] as a civil servant, joining the [[Ministry of Technology]] under the [[Harold Wilson]] government in 1969. Subsequently, he became the chief official of the [[Science and Engineering Research Council]] (SERC).


Oakley was director of the United Kingdom [[Alvey Programme]] (1983–87), a [[British government]]-sponsored research programme for projects in the area of information technology, initiated as a reaction to the Japanese [[Fifth generation computer]] project.<ref>Brian Oakley and Kenneth Owen, ''Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative'', [[MIT Press]], 1990. {{ISBN|0-262-15038-7}}.</ref><ref>[[Martin Campbell-Kelly]], [https://www.jstor.org/pss/3115764 Review of ''Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative''], ''[[Business History Review]]'', Vol. 64, No. 3, pages 570–572, Autumn, 1990. [[JSTOR]].</ref>
Oakley was director of the United Kingdom [[Alvey Programme]] (1983–87), a [[British government]]-sponsored research programme for projects in the area of information technology, initiated as a reaction to the Japanese [[Fifth generation computer]] project.<ref>Brian Oakley and Kenneth Owen, ''Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative'', [[MIT Press]], 1990. {{ISBN|0-262-15038-7}}.</ref><ref>[[Martin Campbell-Kelly]], [https://www.jstor.org/pss/3115764 Review of ''Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative''], ''[[Business History Review]]'', Vol. 64, No. 3, pages 570–572, Autumn, 1990. [[JSTOR]].</ref>
He went on to be chairman of the software company [[Logica]].<ref name="resurrection" />
He went on to be chairman of the software company [[Logica]].<ref name="resurrection" />
He chaired the managing board of the Computer Centre of the [[University of London]], an important UK supercomputing centre, and was a director of the [[European Initiative for Quantum Computing]].
He chaired the managing board of the Computer Centre of the [[University of London]], a major UK supercomputing centre, and was a director of the European Initiative for Quantum Computing.{{fact|date=August 2024}}


From 1988–89, Oakley was president of the [[British Computer Society]].<ref>[http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.1635 BCS Past Presidents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003141357/http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.1635 |date=3 October 2007 }}, [[British Computer Society]], UK.</ref>
From 1988 to 1989, Oakley was president of the [[British Computer Society]].<ref>[http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.1635 BCS Past Presidents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003141357/http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.1635 |date=3 October 2007 }}, [[British Computer Society]], UK.</ref>
In 1991, on hearing that [[British Telecom]] planned to dispose of its site at [[Bletchley Park]] for housing, together with [[Tony Sale]], he helped to save the site<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/brian_wynne_oakley_obituary/ | title=RIP Brian Wynne Oakley: Saviour of Bletchley Park | first=Gavin | last=Clarke | work=The Register | location=UK | date=29 August 2012 | accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref> and establish the Bletchley Park Trust and became a director of the Trust.<ref name="resurrection" /> He was chairman of the [[Computer Conservation Society]] from 1996 to 2000.
In 1991, on hearing that [[British Telecom]] planned to dispose of its site at [[Bletchley Park]] for housing, together with [[Tony Sale]], he helped to save the site,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/brian_wynne_oakley_obituary/ | title=RIP Brian Wynne Oakley: Saviour of Bletchley Park | first=Gavin | last=Clarke | work=The Register | location=UK | date=29 August 2012 | accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref> establish the Bletchley Park Trust, and became a director of the Trust.<ref name="resurrection" /> He was chairman of the [[Computer Conservation Society]] from 1996 to 2000.


==Awards and recognition==
Oakley was a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]. He received honorary doctorates from [[Sheffield Hallam University]] (1994)<ref>[http://www.shu.ac.uk/hallampeople/honorary/ Honorary Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608234721/http://www.shu.ac.uk/hallampeople/honorary/ |date=8 June 2009 }}, [[Sheffield Hallam University]], UK.</ref> and the [[University of Essex]] (1998).<ref name="essex" />
Oakley was a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]. He received honorary doctorates from [[Sheffield Hallam University]] (1994)<ref>[http://www.shu.ac.uk/hallampeople/honorary/ Honorary Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608234721/http://www.shu.ac.uk/hallampeople/honorary/ |date=8 June 2009 }}, [[Sheffield Hallam University]], UK.</ref> and the [[University of Essex]] (1998).<ref name="essex" />


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[[Category:Fellows of the Institute of Physics]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Institute of Physics]]
[[Category:Presidents of the British Computer Society]]
[[Category:Presidents of the British Computer Society]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Corps of Signals officers]]
[[Category:20th-century British businesspeople]]
[[Category:People associated with Sheffield Hallam University]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Essex]]

Latest revision as of 10:34, 6 August 2024

Brian Wynne Oakley
CBE FBCS FInstP
Born(1927-10-10)10 October 1927
Died17 August 2012(2012-08-17) (aged 84)
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Alma materExeter College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Civil servant
Businessman
Information technologist
Years active1950–2000
Employer(s)Royal Signals;
Telecommunications Research Establishment;
Government of the UK; Logica
Organization(s)British Computer Society (President, 1988–89);
Computer Conservation Society (Chair, 1996–2000)
Known forAlvey Programme (1983–87); Helping to save Bletchley Park
Board member ofComputer Centre, University of London;
Logica
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire;
Honorary doctorate, Sheffield Hallam University (1994);
Honorary doctorate, University of Essex (1998)

Brian Wynne Oakley, CBE FBCS FInstP (10 October 1927 – 17 August 2012)[1] was a British civil servant and industrialist who took a leading role in the area of information technology, especially the 1980s Alvey Programme.

Career

[edit]

Military service and education

[edit]

In World War II, Oakley served with the Royal Signals as a subaltern.[2] He then studied science at Exeter College, Oxford.[3]

Information technology

[edit]

In 1950, Oakley joined the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE)[2] where he undertook research in telecommunications and civilian applications of military research. He then worked in Whitehall as a civil servant, joining the Ministry of Technology under the Harold Wilson government in 1969. Subsequently, he became the chief official of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC).

Oakley was director of the United Kingdom Alvey Programme (1983–87), a British government-sponsored research programme for projects in the area of information technology, initiated as a reaction to the Japanese Fifth generation computer project.[4][5] He went on to be chairman of the software company Logica.[2] He chaired the managing board of the Computer Centre of the University of London, a major UK supercomputing centre, and was a director of the European Initiative for Quantum Computing.[citation needed]

From 1988 to 1989, Oakley was president of the British Computer Society.[6] In 1991, on hearing that British Telecom planned to dispose of its site at Bletchley Park for housing, together with Tony Sale, he helped to save the site,[7] establish the Bletchley Park Trust, and became a director of the Trust.[2] He was chairman of the Computer Conservation Society from 1996 to 2000.

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Oakley was a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He received honorary doctorates from Sheffield Hallam University (1994)[8] and the University of Essex (1998).[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Death announcement: Brian Oakley". The Daily Telegraph. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Campbell-Kelly, Martin (Winter 2012). "Obituary: Brian Wynne Oakley". Resurrection: The Bulletin of the Computer Conservation Society. 60: 34.
  3. ^ a b Honorary Graduates — Brian Wynne Oakley, CBE, University of Essex, UK, 9 July 1998.
  4. ^ Brian Oakley and Kenneth Owen, Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative, MIT Press, 1990. ISBN 0-262-15038-7.
  5. ^ Martin Campbell-Kelly, Review of Alvey: Britain's Strategic Computing Initiative, Business History Review, Vol. 64, No. 3, pages 570–572, Autumn, 1990. JSTOR.
  6. ^ BCS Past Presidents Archived 3 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, British Computer Society, UK.
  7. ^ Clarke, Gavin (29 August 2012). "RIP Brian Wynne Oakley: Saviour of Bletchley Park". The Register. UK. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  8. ^ Honorary Awards Archived 8 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
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