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THE 2017 MICHAEL SEDGWICK AWARD WINNER

We are delighted to announce that Anders Ditlev Clausager has won the 2017 Michael Sedgwick Award for:

Wolseley: A Very British Car (Published by Herridge & Sons Ltd)

The Chairman of the Judging Panel, Guy Loveridge, presented the award to Anders at the Autumn Seminar of the Society of Motoring Historians in Britain. Anders received a plaque and a cheque for £250.

The SAHB acknowledges the generous support of the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust in making this award.

The award is given to the author of a new book, published in English on an aspect of British motoring history.

The runners up, in a field of extremely high quality, were:

  • Philip Porter: Stirling Moss: The Definitive Biography- Volume 1 (Published by Porter Press)
  • Darren Banks: Stephen South: The Way It Was (Published by Performance Publishing)

 

One of the judges said of the book:

‘As this meticulously researched new “tome” reveals, Wolseley were in at the very beginning of the British motoring industry, and were one of the very last of the “badge engineering” names to shuffle into quiet redundancy under British Leyland in the 1970s.

‘The author has brought a fastidious level of research to his subject and presents with a lightness of touch that belies the true depth of analysis and detail. The illustrations are glorious and the design of this book makes reading either as a work of study or of pleasure a joy. For those readers to whom Wolseley is “one of those funny Minis?” or the more dedicated fan who already knows about “Beetle” and the Gordon Bennett trials and Eustace Watkins et al, this book is something that delivers knowledge, entertainment and explanation page after page. I was lucky enough to have my copy a number of months ago, and have enjoyed the reading of it twice so far. I know it will become a well-thumbed title in my library, despite the weight and inevitable “heft” involved in lifting it down from the shelf!’

 

 

 


3 responses to “THE 2017 MICHAEL SEDGWICK AWARD WINNER”

  1. Norman Painting says:

    It is a pity the author ignored the sequence of events recorded in the WSSMC minute ledgers and dated the Bollee type tri-car to 1898, to conform to his pet theory, when clearly there is no evidence to support it.
    Oh, and by the way, the Vickers airship HMA1 was powered by two Wolseley straight 8 de-rated marine engines, not two V8 engines.

    • Web Master says:

      We have been asked by Anders Clausager to post the following response to Mr Painting’s comment above:
      “May I refer Mr Painting to pages 27-28 of my Wolseley book where I set out my arguments for dating the Bollee type tricar to 1898. I do make the point that it could have been made in 1896, but I believe that the engine indicates the later date to be more likely. My “pet theory” is that Herbert Austin copied an engine design which had been patented and published by John William Hunter, whereas I believe that Mr Painting’s “pet theory” is that Hunter may have copied an Austin design, for which there is no evidence either. The matter is not really resolved by reference to the WSSMC minute books, which I researched in great detail. With reference to the engines in the airship HMA 1 or Mayfly, most sources simply mention Wolseley eight-cylinder engines, if even that; Flight for 27 May 1911 just says “Wolseley engines”. However, the Wikipedia article “HMA No. 1” (and ditto “Wolseley 160hp” engine) specifically mentions V8 engines, and refers to Alec Lumsden’s book on British Piston Aero Engines and their Aircraft. I’d be grateful if Mr Painting can point me to an original source which clarifies the matter, or better still, produce a photo of the engine in the airship. Anders Ditlev Clausager.”

  2. Web Master says:

    As requested by Anders Clausager, Mr Painting has come back with some further information on the points he made. This information has been passed on to Mr Clausager who is grateful for it and will give it due consideration. He is particularly grateful for Mr Painting’s quotation of his source for the information on the airship engine, and will make it his business to look up the book that Mr Painting mentions. This correspondence is now closed.

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