L. McMichael and Co

of Hastings House, Norfolk St, Strand, London (1924)

of Wexham Road, Slough

1913 Leslie McMichael and René Henri Klein were founders of the Radio Society of Great Britain

1920 Leslie McMichael, a dealer in war-surplus equipment, formed a private company, L. McMichael Ltd., the Directors being himself and René Henri Klein.

1920 Benjamin Hesketh, B.Sc., set up as a manufacturer of wireless components and instruments in High Street, Chalvey, Slough, Bucks. Most of the components, such as condensers, leaks and chokes, were of his own novel and advanced design.

By mid-1921, McMichael's company was selling not only war-surplus wireless apparatus but held a "large stock of Wireless books, elementary and advanced" and also offered a package deal of "Set 1, 2 or 3 of complete Wireless apparatus". It also marketed the components and instruments manufactured by B. Hesketh.

1922 The two companies were brought together; a trade-mark MH (McMichael Hesketh) was adopted. A new factory was opened initially in an existing shed on the ex-US Army site, then owned by Naylor's Paints Ltd. in Wexham Road, Slough.

1924 Opened demonstration facilities and showrooms at 179, Strand, on the corner of Norfolk Street. The name Radio Corner was given to this site despite the still general use of the word "wireless".

1925 Absorbed the business of B. Hesketh (1922) Ltd. A new factory was erected at Slough

1926 Naylor's Paints became part of ICI

1926 Governement Contractor supplying wireless sets to the Royal Navy

1926 The factory was enlarged

1928 Manufactured two experimental cathode ray direction finders for the US Navy;

1929 The factory was enlarged again

1931/2 The factory was enlarged further

1932 McMichael Radio Ltd was incorporated as a public company to develop the business of L. McMichael Ltd. The company bought the two acre site bordering Wexham Road and the spur of the Grand Union Canal where its factories were located.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• History of McMichael Radio [1]