At the beginning of 1980 I had completed a degree in Physics, and I obtained a job as an electronics engineer with Marconi Radar Systems Ltd in Chelmsford. I had great adventures working on a fast patrol boat project in Portsmouth and Egypt for a few years after which I spent a few years in the Sultanate of Oman working on large surveillance radars. In 1985 I started a new job working as a Sales Engineer for a German company, Rohde & Schwarz, which made high specification test equipment. During this time, I visited a wide range of companies and was privileged to meet a huge number of very bright engineers working on some fantastic projects.

In the 1980s there were numerous British companies that led the world with advanced technology in a wide range of fields (ships, aircraft, avionics, radar, communications systems, computers …). This was a massive industry and produced leading edge products that were sold all around the world bringing vast amounts of overseas currency into the UK to pay the bills and help everyone maintain a good standard of living.

I look back now, and most of these companies no longer exist. During the 1980s and 1990s I had a bird’s eye view and watched as large companies failed one by one.

This talk is about my observations of a complex combination of events which brought about the demise of what was once a fantastic industry.

Could it have been saved? I don’t know but it is a great topic for discussion.

Much of this is covered in my book about my memories of the 1980s. The last chapter covers my views and opinions on what could have been done differently. A free pdf copy can be downloaded from my website:

https://jjhc.info/theupsanddownsofjeremyjames1980