Our famous school computer – as featured on Tomorrow’s World

Write about your first computer.

My school had its own computer in 1963

It was a cause of great excitement

At least it was for some.

I couldn’t see the point myself

All it could do was sums.


It was a very big machine

And soon a famous one.

There weren’t a lot around just then

And almost none in schools.

So a school with its own computer

To some seemed really cool.


It was so big it occupied

A classroom to itself.

It took the whole of a science lab

With banks of flashing lights.

Something to do with binary maths

And lights flashing on and off.


They let us watch it do its stuff

Fed big numbers in it

Waited while it flashed and hummed

Spewed reams of paper out.

I couldn’t see the point myself

All it did was sums.


Our school had its own computer

It soon attracted fame.

It featured on Tomorrow’s World

The TV cameras came.

It caused a fuss

Bought fame to us

But all it could do was sums.

Read more about our famous computer here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0154hns