In 1963 the Department was housed within the Lanchester Building, but with growth it also occupied part of the new Faraday tower for Engineering, where on the eighth floor our “clean room” was created. Later the Physics Department moved to a splendid new building across the road and we colonised most of their old one – next to the old galvanised “hut” which had housed our Department in its embryonic period.

Next came an additional set of “Portakabins” in part compensation for the fire-loss of the old hospital wards, and also a number of houses in Highfield Road. In all, by 1974, we were housed under more than 20 different roofs in these locations and I was left wondering where the new “electronics building”, that at my interview in 1963 I was promised by 1968, had gone! It eventually arrived some 20 years later only to suffer, some years on, the most expensive fire in any UK University’s history – another departmental record – but not the sort you would seek to achieve! We felt distinctly undervalued during the period about which I am writing, though morale stayed high and the department remained united. On one occasion I explained our plight to (the late) Lord Jackson of Burnley, when he was visiting Southampton, and his response still lives with me “Never mind Sims” he said, “a little bit of hardship never did anyone any harm”. A Job’s comforter?…....certainly, but he was probably right.

We remained under-funded by the University, too, probably in part a consequence of the modesty of the Department in its early days. All departments were funded individually by the University’s centre at that time and there were some dreadful anomalies, based more on historical perceptions than the reality of the times. When I became Dean of Engineering in 1967 I managed with the support of the other Professors of Engineering to persuade the system to give the Engineering Faculty a block grant, which we ourselves would then share out between the departments to reflect our different needs. A formula was devised and accepted between us and, with several departments prepared to sacrifice considerable sums to help the more needy, the position of our department was improved dramatically. I cannot speak too highly of the Engineering Professoriate at that time – such altruism is a rare quality!