Frederic Calland Williams


Sir Frederic Calland Williams, , known as F.C. Williams or Freddie Williams, was an English engineer, a pioneer in radar and computer technology.

Education

Williams was born in Stockport, and educated at Stockport Grammar School. He went on to the Victoria University of Manchester where he was awarded Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1936 when he was a postgraduate student of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Research and career

Working at the Telecommunications Research Establishment, he was a substantial contributor during World War II to the development of radar.
In 1946 he was appointed as head of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Manchester. There, with Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill, he built the first electronic stored-program digital computer, the Manchester Baby.
Williams is also recognised for his invention of the Williams tube, an early memory device.
He died in Manchester, aged 66.

Awards and honours

Williams was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1950. His nomination reads