A rare personal blog post today, to mark the fact that I started working at Imperial College of Science and Technology (as it was then known) 60 years ago, today. As can be seen, I’d received the letter informing me that an official communication offering me the position would follow in a few days. I’ve just realised that there were only a very few days between the date of this letter and my scheduled start date, which was Monday, October 4th, 1965.
At the time, I had not realised that I would be starting in the Heavy Electrical Engineering Laboratory on level one, that was the laboratory of Professor Eric Laithwaite. Hence, my lifelong connection and cooperation with him until his retirement.
The letter that I’d received was from one of the longest-serving members of college staff, John Ganley (1909-1995), who is seen here speaking at his retirement in 1976 (he came to Imperial in 1924). He was the Departmental Superintendent in the Department of Electrical Engineering, where I was to work for most of my life. John Ganley was an enthusiast of the upcoming world of Hi-Fi and video. Almost at the same time that I had started working there, the department had acquired one of the first non-commercial videotape recorders made by Philips.
CCTV was starting to take shape in the newly formed Audio-Visual Aids section within the department. John Ganley got to know of my interests in this area and moved me upstairs to join Eddie Bristow, who then headed this new section and needed some permanent help. I’m in the photo, posing in a white lab coat behind one of the Pye CCTV cameras. The photo is from August 1967 and I’m really not sure why we even wore lab coats back then! Eddie Bristow is standing next to me as we pretend to make adjustments to the telephoto lens.
Colin Grimshaw 4 October 2025