Bletchley Park’s saviour who rebuilt Colossus computer dies aged 80

One of the masterminds behind the rebuilding of a computer that hastened the end of the Second World War has died.

Tony Sale, 80, was instrumental in the successful 1990s rebuild of Colossus – the world’s first operational computer and a vital part of the war effort from 1944 onwards.

He also helped save Bletchley Park, Britain’s war-time codebreaking centre, for the nation.

Mr Sale, described as remarkable by his colleagues and peers, recognised the importance of saving Bletchley Park at a time when its historic relevance was not fully understood.

Simon Greenish, director of the Bletchley Park Trust, of which Mr Sale was a founder member, said: “Tony’s contribution to the early days of the development of the trust when the site was under very real threat was fundamental, and without him the Bletchley Park site and its hugely important history would perhaps not have survived.

“His work on rebuilding Colossus was an enormous challenge and took many years to complete.”

As a teenager Mr Sale was educated at Dulwich College in London.

From an early age, he showed a remarkable aptitude for engineering and electronics and produced his first robot, George I, from Meccano.

Finances prevented him attending university, so he entered the RAF instead.

He went on to work for Marconi and later joined MI5 where he became principal scientific officer.