Harold Keen
Encyclopedia
Harold Hall "Doc" Keen was a British
engineer
who produced the engineering design, and oversaw the construction of, the British bombe
, a codebreaking machine used in World War II
to read German messages sent using the Enigma machine
. He was known as "Doc" Keen because of his habit of carrying tools and paperwork in a case resembling a doctor's bag. After the war he was awarded the O.B.E.
.
in east London
in 1894. By age 18 he had moved to Kentish Town
and began studying Electrical Engineering
. In 1912 he joined the British Tabulating Machine Company
(BTM), established to import and assemble American punched card
technology. In 1916, Keen joined the Royal Flying Corps
and was assigned to the ground staff of a bomber
squadron in northern France
. In 1919 he returned to BTM and married an Eva Burningham. In 1921, Keen moved with BTM to Letchworth
in Hertfordshire
. Two years later, he was appointed head of the Experimental Department, and his innovations there gained him the reputation as the leading British innovator of punched-card technology; Keen was granted more than sixty patent
s. In the 1930s he became Chief Engineer.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who produced the engineering design, and oversaw the construction of, the British bombe
Bombe
The bombe was an electromechanical device used by British cryptologists to help decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted signals during World War II...
, a codebreaking machine used in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to read German messages sent using the Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
. He was known as "Doc" Keen because of his habit of carrying tools and paperwork in a case resembling a doctor's bag. After the war he was awarded the O.B.E.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
Career before World War II
Keen was born in the borough of ShoreditchShoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1894. By age 18 he had moved to Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
and began studying Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. In 1912 he joined the British Tabulating Machine Company
British Tabulating Machine Company
The British Tabulating Machine Company was a firm which manufactured and sold Hollerith unit record equipment and other data-processing equipment...
(BTM), established to import and assemble American punched card
Punched card
A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
technology. In 1916, Keen joined the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and was assigned to the ground staff of a bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
squadron in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1919 he returned to BTM and married an Eva Burningham. In 1921, Keen moved with BTM to Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was first purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Two years later, he was appointed head of the Experimental Department, and his innovations there gained him the reputation as the leading British innovator of punched-card technology; Keen was granted more than sixty patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. In the 1930s he became Chief Engineer.
See also
- Cryptanalysis of the EnigmaCryptanalysis of the EnigmaCryptanalysis of the Enigma enabled the western Allies in World War II to read substantial amounts of secret Morse-coded radio communications of the Axis powers that had been enciphered using Enigma machines. This yielded military intelligence which, along with that from other decrypted Axis radio...
- Joseph DeschJoseph DeschJoseph Raymond Desch was an American electrical engineer and inventor. During World War II, he was Research Director of the project to design and manufacture the US Navy version of the bombe, a cryptanalytic machine designed to read communications enciphered by the German Enigma.-Early life:Desch...
was research director of the project to design and manufacture the US Navy version of the bombe during World War II