Voices from the past - historic recordings now available
Published: 19/06/2025
Four historic audio interviews now available from the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust (MSMT)
Twenty-five years ago the MSMT commissioned a series of audio interviews with ‘backroom boys’ of the motor business to record their life and times for future authors and historians.
The trust has now transferred four of these interviews to MP3 format, so that they are usable on most modern electronic devices.
The four interviews, conducted by broadcaster David Moss, are available free-of-charge as file attachments on application to: [email protected]
Roger Menadue (1912-2003) recorded 2000, 2h 0m, 276Mb
Mechanic and right-hand man to Donald Healey, Menadue was in charge of prototype build, including Austin-Healey and competition cars (among them the third-placed Nash-Healey at Le Mans in 1952).
Alex Moulton (1923-2024) recorded 2000, 1h 57m, 270Mb
Collaborator with Alec Issigonis, devising rubber suspension for the Mini, and later Hydrolastic and Hydragas for a range of BMC/Leyland cars. Inventor and manufacturer of the Moulton bicycle, (pictured).
Theo Sherwen (1910-?) recorded 2001, 2h 0m, 278Mb
Engineer and draughtsman in the small team that built the Squire sports car, 1935-36. Apprenticed to Riley, transmissions specialist, later work on aircraft, tractors and agricultural machinery.
Ken Smith (1923-2014) recorded 1999, 1h 58m and 1h 12m, 212Mb
The key figure in Citroën’s UK production at Slough. Deeply involved with development of the Citroën DS, expert in hydropneumatic suspension, adviser on right-hand-drive cars after Slough production ceased in 1965.
The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is a charity, not a membership organisation, run by volunteer Trustees who between them have huge experience of writing and publishing books. The Trust exists to encourage new and original research into any aspect of motoring history and to offer financial and other assistance to authors and publishers. The Trust wishes to see research into motoring history reach the public domain, through publication as books, other printed media or on the internet. https://michaelsedgwicktrust.co.uk/
