John Aspinall

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Cecil known as John, was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa in 1918. ^[1][2][3]He was the son of Florence May Aspinall and James Edwin Brooks.

John achieved a lot in his life after a tragic start. His mother and an aunt were murdered in March 1920 in a revenge killing and his stepfather was hanged for their premeditated murders in November 1920. John's grandfather died the same year and he was raised by his grandmother, Mary Aspinall until her death in 1929 when he was about 11 years old. After that John was raised by his aunts Doris and Gladys Aspinall, and believed they were his sisters.

John was educated at Potchefstroom Boys High School in Potchefstroom, South Africa before sailing from Durban to England where he attended university. He married an English woman, Edith Mabel Dorothy Firth (known as Dorothy and Dot) in Leeds, Yorkshire, England on 11th December 1937. ^[4]They had 2 children.

During WWII, John worked at Bletchley Park. It has been said that John joined the Royal Signal Corps in 1941 and that he was permitted to wear civilian clothing at Bletchley Park. However, the Roll of Honour at Bletchley Park lists him as a civilian. John led a team of technicians for Hut C and Block C, maintaining the Hollerith data tabulators used to crack the Enigma code. Together with a colleague, Les Page, John designed the 'Snap' Line device, to regulate the number of lines per sheet on Hollerith print-outs. This modification is credited with increasing the speed of the machines. He was however, not a codebreaker. ^[5]

John was de-mobbed in March 1945 and returned to South Africa with his wife and young family. ^[6]In 1957 he founded the South African Computer Society, later known as The Institute of IT Professionals (IITPSA). He was also the first president of the society. ^[7]

John passed away in 2002 in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. ^[8] He had 8 grandchildren.

Sources

1. ↑ South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KYJ9-17G : 23 February 2021), Florence Mary Brooks in entry for Cecil John Aspinall, 17 Mar 1918; citing Baptism, Transvaal, South Africa, p. , William Cullen Library, Wits University, Johannesburg.
2. ↑ South Africa, KwaZulu Natal, Vital Records, 1868-1976", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6N8J-JLX6 : 8 August 2022), Florence Mary Aspinall in entry for Cecil John Brooks, 1918.
3. ↑ Birth and Death certificates held in family collection.
4. ↑ England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV8X-KJLS : 8 October 2014), Edith M D Firth and null, 1937; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1937, quarter 4, vol. 9B, p. 1038, Leeds South, Yorkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England
5. ↑ https://bletchleypark.org.uk/roll-of-honour/12313/
6. ↑ United Kingdom, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890-1960", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68PK-FVL7 : 28 October 2021), Mr C J Aspinall, 1950.
7. ↑ https://www.iitpsa.org.za/iitpsa-celebrates-its-60th-anniversary/
8. ↑ First hand information from living relatives (daughter and granddaughter).