© 2008 Museum of Communication

Retiring from the University in 1985, Harry was attracted to Bo’ness by the intended plans of Bo’ness Heritage Trust (BHT). He and his wife Jean moved to Bo’ness, complete with collection, in 1987. An exhibition was opened in a BHT building in Union Street, Bo’ness and ran from 1989 to 1994, opening at weekends and staffed by volunteers. Unfortunately, the BHT plans did not develop quite as intended and the plan for an industrial museum that would contain the communications collection were shelved.

Harry had to look in other directions so that his dream of a Communications Experience could come into being.

The beginnings of the Museum of Communication go back to 1972 when Harry Matthews, then employed in the Electrical Engineering Dept of the University of Edinburgh, came across an old friend in the form of an EKCO radio lying in a dustbin in Edinburgh.  This radio was one he had helped to design in his pre-war days. He simply could not see it being dumped so he rescued it and then started collecting other artefacts which represented the background to the development of communications..

With the opening of the Union Street attraction, Harry started to gather a band of like-minded people round him. It was decided that there should be a formal structure to the group and in 1993 the Museum of Communication Foundation Trust (MoCFT) was formed. It is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.

Though the Union Street exhibition was closed in 1994 a new opportunity arose soon after. A fortunate coincidence of names and interests brought together Harry Matthews and Rod Matthews, CEO of the then recently formed Scottish Telecom Company. This led to the opening in 1997 of what the MoCFT expected

to be a permanent exhibition at Saltire Court in Edinburgh under the generous sponsorship of Scottish Telecom. However, fate stepped in once again in 1999 when a different CEO replaced Rod Matthews. The new CEO decided the company could no longer support the Saltire Court venture and pulled the plug.

Throughout all the ups and downs of the MoCFT, Harry Matthews remained ever optimistic and never lost his enthusiasm or reduced his support for the venture that he had started in the 1970s. He continued to come to meetings of the MoCFT Board, offered suggestions for its development and maintained a close

interest in its progress. And, as had always been the case, Harry continued to restore artefacts from the collection so that as many of them as possible could be demonstrated in working order.

Sadly, Harry died on the 15th February 2000. We miss him very much but his spirit lives on in the Museum which he started and which we carry on developing in his memory.