London’s Lea Valley can boast more industrial first achievements than anywhere else in the world and is today the largest untold industrial story in the world. One of these many industrial firsts and by far the most important achievement was the invention of John Ambrose Fleming’s thermionic diode valve in 1904. This was developed at his factory in Duck Lees Lane, Ponders End, Enfield, in London. It can therefore justly be claimed that the Lea Valley was the birthplace of the third industrial revolution, however, his work is scarcely known today. It is therefore important to celebrate the achievements of Professor Fleming and his role in establishing the United Kingdom as a world leader in the electronics industry, long before the emergence of the giant technology companies in the USA and worldwide following World War 2. John Ambrose Fleming is rightly seen as the Father of Electronics, and an event will take place this summer (2025) at the University College London to celebrate this historic achievement.
