Reading Museum Search for Former DEC Employees For Reading's Digital Revolution Celebration
READING MUSEUM set to mark the 60th anniversary of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) opening its first UK office in 1964, a transformative moment that set Reading on a course to become Europe’s largest tech cluster in the Thames Valley.
In 1964, DEC began its journey in the UK with just two employees located above Bilbey’s furniture store at 11 Castle Street in Reading. Over the next two decades, DEC grew exponentially, employing more than 2,000 individuals in Reading and playing a pivotal role in the region's technological transformation.
Reading Museum, in collaboration with DEXODUS, DECUS (UK), and the National Museum of Computing (TNMoC), has received a £87,145 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support an exciting heritage project including a Museum Exhibition titled Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution.
To commemorate the milestone and celebrate DEC's impact on Reading's history, Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution project and exhibition are looking for former DEC employees to contribute to uncovering the company's history and its profound influence on the UK's ICT industry.
The project invites former DIGITAL UK employees to answer a short questionnaire to capture their experiences and insights into life at DEC between 1964 and 1998. By sharing their stories, participants will contribute to preserving the legacy of a company whose impact still resonates today. Their contributions will play a crucial role in shaping the narrative of DEC's influence on Reading and the broader ICT industry.
The Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution project is scheduled to culminate in 2025 with a major exhibition and a series of education and outreach activities in partnership with The National Museum of Computing.
Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Leisure and Culture, said: "This is going to be an exceptional project honouring the legacy of DEC and ensuring its impact on Reading's history is preserved for future generations.
I encourage anyone who worked at or knows family, friends or neighbours who worked at DEC to contribute their first-hand experiences and who were pivotal to Reading’s DIGITAL Revolution.”
Former DEC/DIGITAL UK employees are invited to complete the questionnaire by 30 November 2023 https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/digital60
DEC is recognised as one of the leaders in computing equipment development and manufacture. By 1988 it was named the second largest computer company in the world, just behind IBM. DEC was acquired in June 1998 by Compaq, in what was at that time the largest merger in the history of the computer industry. Compaq subsequently merged with Hewlett-Packard in May 2002.
Notes to editors
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.
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