Catalogue description Catalogue of the papers of WILLIAM RENWICK; (1924-1971); Including material relating to the EDSAC computer

SECTION A BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL CSAC 84.2.82/A.1 - CSAC 84.2.82/A.3

SECTION B RESEARCH NOTES AND LECTURES CSAC 84.2.82/B.1 - CSAC 84.2.82/B.5

SECTION C PUBLICATIONS

SECTION D THE EDSAC CSAC 84.2.82/D.1 - CSAC 84.2.82/D.5

Compiled by Jeannine Alton and Julia Latham-Jackson

The work of the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre, and the production of this catalogue, are made possible by the support of the following societies and institutions:

The Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

The Biochemical Society

The British Pharmacological Society

The Charles Babbage Foundation for the History of Information Processing

The Institute of Physics

The Institution of Electrical Engineers

The Nuffield Foundation

The Physiological Society

The Royal Society of London

We are pleased to acknowledge the help given by Dr. C.E. Phelps (Oxford University Computing Service) in identifying manuscript material, and by Mr. D.F. Osborne (Information and Library Services, Plessey Controls Limited) and Dr. D.F. Hartley (Cambridge University Computing Service) in providing information.

Renwick, William, 1924-1971, scientist and computer scientist

The material was received from Mrs. J.K.M. Renwick via Plessey Controls Limited and through the good offices of Professor M.V. Wilkes, FRS.

The published material in Section C was made available by the Plessey Library, Poole.

William Renwick was educated at Forth Primary and Lanark Grammar Schools, and at the University of Glasgow, 1941 - 43, where he graduated B.Sc. in Mathematics, Physics and Electronics. From 1943 to 1947 he worked on radar at the Admiralty Signals Establishment, and in 1947 was appointed University Demonstrator in the Mathematical Laboratory, Cambridge (M.A. 1949) where he became responsible for the direction and supervision of R. and D. in the Digital Computer Department and was one of the team which developed the EDSAC computer (see Section D). He became Senior Assistant in Research at the Mathematical Laboratory, and in 1958 joined the Plessey Company at the Electronic Research Laboratory, Roke Manor, Romsey. In 1965, on the formation of the Company's Automatic Group at Poole, he became its first Research Manager, the position he held at the time of his death in 1971 at the age of 47.

Renwick is commemorated by two annual prizes funded by the Plessey Company: the William Renwick Memorial Prize to the author of 'the highest quality technical paper published by its employees', and a prize at University College, Swansea 'to the candidate who has attained the highest standard in the honours examination in Computer Technology' (see CSAC 84.2.82/A.2).

Renwick was married, with two daughters.