• DON
  • UUOL019
  • Collection
  • 1982 - 1983
  • ┆Audio cassettes of interviews, with questionnaires, information sheets and transcripts, made in 1982-1983 during research for the book _The Motor Car Industry in Coventry since the 1890’s: (origins, development and structure)_ by David Thoms & Tom Donnelly (published in 1985). This material is similar to and inspired by the work carried out by former Lanchester Polytechnic history lecturer Kenneth Richardson on the history of Coventry and the car industry (see the [Richardson](https://archivescatalogue.coventry.ac.uk/records/RIC) tapes[](https://archivescatalogue.coventry.ac.uk/records/RIC) collection). Donnelly and Thoms found people to interview by placing an advert in the _Coventry Evening Telegraph_ and all those who responded were contacted. The interviews were carried out in 1982-1983 by two Research Assistants funded by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC). The MSC also funded another Research Assistant and a Typist. Professor Tom Donnelly is an economic historian and Professor in Automotive Business, Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University. David Thoms formerly taught history at Coventry University before moving to De Montford University, Leicester. They were both involved with the Coventry Centre for Business History which was set up in 1985 at what was then Coventry Polytechnic. A second edition of the book _The Coventry Motor Industry: Birth to Renaissance_ was published in 2000. The cassette tapes were digitised for the British Library's Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. It is planned to get the transcripts digitised so they can also be read online or downloaded. Until then a typed list with details on the files for each interview is available - noting whether a questionnaire, information sheet or transcript is included. Some files did not include a tape and this is noted in the catalogue descriptions. Some of the interviews have an issue with background and equipment hum, plus occasions when the volume drops and takes a while to get back to its former level. We are working to enhance the recordings to improve the sound quality. The tapes have an alternative reference code as well as a document reference number, used for the digitisation at Leicester University (the regional hub for Unlocking Our Sound Heritage). Like the [Richardson](https://archivescatalogue.coventry.ac.uk/records/RIC)[](https://archivescatalogue.coventry.ac.uk/records/RIC) collection, some of the major individuals involved in the car industry were interviewed, such as Alick Dick of Standard Triumph, Jack Jones of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, Sir William Lyons of Jaguar, and many others. These interviews collectively contain over 50 hours of material.
  • Tapes and their related paperwork were filed together alphabetically. The tapes have now been removed and are stored separately.
  • ┆
  • ┆Digital copies of the recordings (and transcripts where available) can be downloaded from the online catalogue for non-commercial use licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 international [license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Because of the length of time that has passed since these interviews were made, it has not been possible to contact the interviewees out of courtesy to confirm their consent for these interviews to be made available online. The university would welcome contact or comments about the rights of the interviewees, and will take appropriate action if required e.g. rights acknowledgement. There is also a [takedown notice and policy](https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/archives/policies/notice) covering archive material displayed online.
  • Open
  • ┆By appointment to see the files relating to each recording.
  • 0.5 linear metres (4 boxes).