British computer scientist and Internet Hall of Fame inductee Peter Kirstein died in January 2020 at the age of 86, after a nearly 50-year career at UCL. A few years before he died, he was commissioned by then Conversation technology editor Michael Parker (now director of operations) to write an in-depth piece originally intended as part of a special series on the internet. It wasn't published at the time, as the series was postponed, but now to mark Professor Kirsten's contributions we are delighted to be able to publish his reflections on the challenges he faced connecting the UK in the early 1970s to the forerunner of what would become the modern internet. The article was edited by Michael with oversight kindly provided by Professor Jon Crowcroft, a colleague of Professor Kirstein's.