1958 - Marie Louise Killick

22nd July 1958: Pye Ltd lose their Appeal against the Judgement in the High Court. There are no grounds for Pye to appeal to the House of Lords.

Marie and her solicitors and accountants start compiling evidence of the damage she suffered due to their infringement.

At some time in 1958 Pye took out a debenture with Prudential insurance for 2 and a half million pounds to cover their retailers against any claims to damages that Marie may take on their retailers for selling Pye’s infringed styli – hardly necessary if they had only manufactured 50,000.

24th July: Pye states they have withdrawn any infringed styli from the market

25th July: The National Press report meeting between the large musical combines to discuss the consequences of the Judgement against Pye on themselves.

Pye complain to the Court of adverse press coverage

It was during July that Marie circulated a memo to all electrical and musical wholesalers in the U.K that it was her intention to re-start manufacture of Sapphox.

Prior to Mr Dicks resignation, he suggested to Marie that he be allowed to take over the patent as she would never be allowed to manufacture!

September: In September Marie sends a telegram to Prime Minister McMillan re: blockage to her moves to restart manufacture of Sapphox.

Mr Thomas, her landlord whilst fighting the case in 1956-1958 had agreed to wait for settlement of rent until her damages were awarded. He now moves to have the debt settled prior to the damage settlement.

Her solicitor Mr Dicks resigns from the damage inquiry leading to delay while Marie finds new solicitors. Many are eager to take it on but refuse to go forward after having talked to Mr Dicks.

27th November: Letter from the Law Society, states they have received a request from Mr Dicks of Kidgell & Co to be released from acting for her.

Her solicitor Mr Dicks resigns from the damage inquiry leading to delay while Marie finds new solicitors. Many are eager to take it on but refuse to go forward after having talked to Mr Dicks.

29th November: Marie makes a statement re: Mr Dicks giving up the case. Private detectives report that Mr Dicks is being followed. Business colleague Duncan Loades also followed and felt threatened by two men. He took refuge in a nightclub and took a taxi back to the Park Lane Hotel where Marie was staying.

5th December: Marie informed by Mr Dicks that if she does not appoint another solicitor her Legal Aid Certificate will be discharged!

10th December: Letter from a business colleague Kenneth Aitken to Marie re: difference in attitude and appearance of Mr Dicks over the last four weeks. He advises her to get another solicitor to deal with the inquiry!

A Sound Revolution

A Sound Revolution is the true story of Marie Louise Killick’s valiant fight against powerful men in the musical world. They had pirated her invention of a stylus that was to revolutionise the quality of sound reproduction of gramophone records.

Despite winning her ten-year legal battle in The Royal Courts of Justice in London, her opponents, Pye Radio, found other means to ensure she never received her damages – worth millions. Manoeuvred into bankruptcy, she spent three years trying to prevent the Official Receiver from settling her damage claim against Pye Radio for a derisory sum. She died at the age of 49, penniless and homeless.

During her fight she was ‘kidnapped’, her supporters were assaulted and even her solicitor was frightened off the case. During the fight, she was hounded from pillar to post and forced to spend six weeks with her children living in a builder’s yard. Truly a story of enormous courage and tenacity on her part to bring the men who had robbed her to justice!

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In the People Talk audio feature below, you can hear a short introduction to A Sound Revolution and an extract.

Marie Killick – first caller to the Samaritans

In November 1953 an English clergyman set up the first telephone helpline for people considering suicide. The Reverend Chad Varah began the pioneering service from a room in his own church house. This 9-minute BBC World Service programme tells the story of the helpline and the first call Chad Varah received, on 2nd November. It was from “a woman with a family, who was absolutely desperate.” Though anonymous in the programme, that woman was Marie Killick, as told here in The Good Samaritan.