Founded in 1945 by Gilbert Tomes and Alec Tidmarsh, Centronic, or Centurion Tubes as it was then known, started life in the back bedroom of Gilbert Tomes' house in Kent, England.Gilbert Tomes had worked in the research laboratory of Baird Television, pioneering the early development of television technology, before working with Alec Tidmarsh at Cinema Television Ltd. where they manufactured and developed photocells. His innovation combined with his hobby of beekeeping led to the invention of a "Queen Bee Detector", which made use of Geiger counter technology adapted from the work of the German scientists Geiger and Müller. The "Queen Bee Detector" enabled monitoring of movement within a hive by detecting the radioactivity from a spot of luminous paint applied to the body of the queen bee.His work on electron tubes within the television industry and his interest in radiation detection led to the creation of Centurion Tubes for the commercial development and manufacture of cathode ray and Geiger-Müller tubes. He became sole owner of the company in 1949 when it became a limited company, 20th Century Electronics Limited. By concentrating on chosen specialities of radiation detection and optical sensing, the company grew rapidly to become a world leader in its area of expertise, with many cutting edge innovations arising on the way. With over 50 years’ experience in meeting the challenge of change, the company continues to be as much as ever a "hive of activity".