IS it the tailfin of a crashed plane . . . or the back of a giant dart drilled into the ground?No, it's the start of work on a monument that will pay tribute to the wartime pioneers who helped develop the world we all enjoy today.

IS it the tailfin of a crashed plane . . . or the back of a giant dart drilled into the ground?

No, it's the start of work on a monument that will pay tribute to the wartime pioneers who helped develop the world we all enjoy today.

The monument has been the talk of the town in Kesgrave but eager residents will have to wait until June for it to be unveiled in all its glory.

The people of Kesgrave have been left baffled by the bizarre sculpture which is in fact a tribute to pioneers of the first computer.

The new Grange Farm monument, situated on the St Isidores roundabout in Kesgrave, is set to be completed by the late summer to commemorate the people responsible for the development of the first electronic digital computer.

The site was chosen because Colossus, the first electronic computer, was constructed by the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill in London, which was later moved to Martlesham, now the BT research centre.

The building work has sparked interest among residents. One, calling themselves, 'Ivor Gripe' wrote to the parish magazine, claiming: “Sum folks tell me it's a monnimento the compooter but Oi can't see 'ow it even looks anyfing loik a compooter, or even any thingummy inside one!”

Whereas Claire and Simon Allsop said: “It is without doubt that this work is a significant contribution to contemporary art in Great Britain.”

The idea for it was first thought up ten years ago, and Jork Andrews, an 80-year-old resident from Kesgrave and local historian is now looking forward to its completion. It has been privately funded by local landowners.

Mr Andrews, who once worked with one of the pioneers, Tommy Flowers, said: “It is a very good thing to have. Colossus was developed in 1943/44 but it was required to be a complete secret, which Mr Flowers kept for 30 years. “His first talk about it was in Martlesham in the 80s and that is partly why this monument is being put up here. Very few people know about the history.

“The object of the monument is to remind people where computers all started. Lots of people couldn't imagine a world without computers now.

“It is quite distinctive and it will be something people can be proud of. It is something worthwhile and worth waiting for.”

As well as the 30ft structure, whose shape is designed to reflect a fundamental concept in mathematics, there will also be 17 stations around it to inform people about those pioneers.

Tony Jolly, landowner, added: “We are in the process of building it. It has been in the planning for ten years and should be finished in the summer.”

What do you think of the new monument? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.

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