Arthur Elvin
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Elvin MBE left school at the age of fourteen. After a few different jobs joined the Royal Flying Corps
during the First World War. Elvin was shot down over France and was a prisoner of war
for two years. He died at sea whilst on a trip to South Africa.
at Wembley
in a cigarette kiosk. The following year he decided to buy his own shops within the grounds, eight for a total of £100. By the end of the Exhibition he had made over £1000 profit from his shops.
At the end of the exhibition a buildings entrepreneur bought the grounds and Elvin became a buildings demolition contractor to clear the site. He bought the derelict buildings one by one and sold off the scrap. Wembley Stadium went into liquidation at the end of the Exhibition after it was pronounced "financially unviable". Elvin offered to buy the stadium for £127,000, using a £12,000 downpayment and the balance plus interest payable over ten years.
After complications following the death of the original owner, Elvin bought Wembley Stadium at the agreed price with the new owners, (Wembley Company) who honoured Elvin's original deal. They then immediately bought it back from Elvin leaving him with a healthy profit. Instead of cash he received shares which gave him the largest stake in Wembley Stadium and he became chairman.
. It was later renamed the Wembley Arena
, he constructed a speedway track at a cost of £250,000. Elvin announced that the Wembley Lions
would enter the new Southern League. The Speedway World Championship
was held at Wembley Stadium from 1936 until 1960 and then seven times more afterwards.. The ashes for the speedway track were supplied by Richard Biffa Ltd who's operating base at the time was in Wembley Hill Road. Richard Biffa later became Biffa Waste Services.
The stadium saw a crowd of 85,000 for the first ever World Final in 1937
while the largest crowd was for the 1981 World Final
when some 92,500 saw the last final ever held at the great stadium. For one Lions' league meeting in 1948, against the West Ham Hammers
, it witnessed a crowd of 85,000 inside and another 20,000 outside unable to get in.
), and the Wembley Lions
. In 1990 he was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
.
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
during the First World War. Elvin was shot down over France and was a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for two years. He died at sea whilst on a trip to South Africa.
Wembley Stadium
In 1924 He was working at the British Empire ExhibitionBritish Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924 and 1925.-History:It was opened by King George V on St George's Day, 23 April 1924. The British Empire contained 58 countries at that time, and only Gambia and Gibraltar did not take part...
at Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
in a cigarette kiosk. The following year he decided to buy his own shops within the grounds, eight for a total of £100. By the end of the Exhibition he had made over £1000 profit from his shops.
At the end of the exhibition a buildings entrepreneur bought the grounds and Elvin became a buildings demolition contractor to clear the site. He bought the derelict buildings one by one and sold off the scrap. Wembley Stadium went into liquidation at the end of the Exhibition after it was pronounced "financially unviable". Elvin offered to buy the stadium for £127,000, using a £12,000 downpayment and the balance plus interest payable over ten years.
After complications following the death of the original owner, Elvin bought Wembley Stadium at the agreed price with the new owners, (Wembley Company) who honoured Elvin's original deal. They then immediately bought it back from Elvin leaving him with a healthy profit. Instead of cash he received shares which gave him the largest stake in Wembley Stadium and he became chairman.
Wembley Arena
In 1934 Elvin opened the doors to a new indoor multipurpose sports arena alongside the main stadium at Wembley. The Empire Pool and Sports Arena was built for the 1934 British Empire Games1934 British Empire Games
The 1934 British Empire Games were the second of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games. They were held at the White City Stadium in London, England from 4–11 August 1934, apart from the cycling at Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester, and the swimming, which took place at the Empire Pool in Wembley...
. It was later renamed the Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
Greyhound racing
The first sport Elvin introduced to the stadium was greyhound racing. Elvin had noted the popularity and success of greyhound racing at the Bellevue race track in Manchester and recognised the sport as a good business proposition. The opening meeting was in 1927 and 50,000 people attended to watch the first race won by a greyhound named Spin. The dog racing provided the stadium with its main source of regular income, especially in the early days, and continued to attract crowds of several thousand up until the early 1960s.Speedway
In 1929 Elvin decided he wanted to operate a speedway team from the stadium. With the help of speedway promoter Johnnie HoskinsJohnnie Hoskins
Johnnie S. Hoskins MBE is the man who is considered to have 'invented' motorcycle speedway. If it cannot be established he invented the sport, he certainly played the largest role in promoting the sport in the United Kingdom.-Early life:He left school at thirteen and worked on a farm and then as...
, he constructed a speedway track at a cost of £250,000. Elvin announced that the Wembley Lions
Wembley Lions (speedway)
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...
would enter the new Southern League. The Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
was held at Wembley Stadium from 1936 until 1960 and then seven times more afterwards.. The ashes for the speedway track were supplied by Richard Biffa Ltd who's operating base at the time was in Wembley Hill Road. Richard Biffa later became Biffa Waste Services.
The stadium saw a crowd of 85,000 for the first ever World Final in 1937
1937 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1937 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 2, 1937 London, Wembley Stadium...
while the largest crowd was for the 1981 World Final
1981 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship.1981 was the last of a record 26 times that London's famous Wembley Stadium hosted the World Final.-World final:*September 5, 1981 London, Wembley Stadium*Referee: Sam Bass-Heat Results:...
when some 92,500 saw the last final ever held at the great stadium. For one Lions' league meeting in 1948, against the West Ham Hammers
West Ham Hammers
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....
, it witnessed a crowd of 85,000 inside and another 20,000 outside unable to get in.
Ice hockey
The Empire Pool and Sports Arena was housed two teams, the Wembley Canadians (later called the Wembley MonarchsWembley Monarchs
The Wembley Monarchs were an ice hockey team in the United Kingdom. They were founded in 1929 as the Grosvenor House Canadians, transferred to Wembley Canadians for the 1934-35 season and became the Monarchs in 1936...
), and the Wembley Lions
Wembley Lions
The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team.The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire Pool which they shared with the Wembley Monarchs until 1950.The...
. In 1990 he was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Honours
Arthur Elvin was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1945 and received his knighthood from King George VI in 1947 for the efforts in staging the 1948 Olympic Games1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
.