For some
time a number of
people have felt
that in any
discussion about
the origins and
history of the
‘Cambridge
Phenomenon’ of
scientific and
electronics
companies, the
contribution of
the Pye Group
seemed to get
overlooked; most
seem to think that
the success of
these East Anglian
companies began in
the 1960s with
organisations like
Acorn Computers
and Clive Sinclair
etc.
But there
were other
companies who much
earlier laid
the foundations
for industry in
the area including
Pye, Marshall and
the Cambridge
Instrument
Company.
The Pye
Story Project aims
to put the record
straight by
carefully
researching the
history of Pye and
creating a
permanent
exhibition in
Cambridge to
celebrate the many
and wide ranging
activities of the
Pye Group of
companies.
Mr. W. G.
Pye, a
scientific
instrument
maker at the
Cavendish
Laboratory, started
his business in
1896 and it
eventually grew to
be a very large
group of
companies.
By 1960 over 60 UK
companies, 20
overseas companies
and 30,000
employees were
involved and the
group had a
significant number
of technological
‘firsts’ in
various fields of
electronics and
scientific
instruments.
Today, a
small team of 4
ex-Pye people are
co-ordinating the
detailed research
among ex-Pye group
employees into the
history of the
Company in order
to create the
material for a
permanent Pye
exhibition.
Any exhibition is
at least 2 - 3
years away and there is
much preparatory
work to be done
to research the
history of the
organisation to
improve our
knowledge of the
many Pye Group
activities and
to interview a
range of
ex-employees to
capture their
memories, and
any Pye
documents or
products in
their possesion.
More
specifically the
objectives are:
1. Create
a timeline for the
group as a whole,
a list of all Pye
operating
companies (UK and
worldwide) and
their outline
details
2. Create a
profile and
timeline for
each major Pye
Group company
to show when
and how the
company was
formed, the key
milestones in
its history, and
its most
significant
technologies and
products
3. Create
and maintain a
list of contacts
of people who
could contribute
to the project (or
would like to be
kept in touch) and
any who have any
products/photos/memorabilia
which they could
contribute or loan
to the project
4.
Develop a list
of people we
would wish to
interview as
part of the Oral
History
programme
(objective –
complete 50
interviews by
the end of 2014)
