Arthur Elvin

Sir Arthur Elvin MBE (5 July 1899 in Norwich, England[1] – 4 February 1957) was a British businessman who was best known as the owner and operator of Wembley Stadium, London, and supporter of the 1948 Olympic Games.

After a few different jobs, including as a soap salesman in Aldgate, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War, aged 17.

Flying as an observer, Elvin was shot down over France and was held as a prisoner of war for six months, despite at least one escape attempt.

[citation needed] After the war Elvin was employed by the Ministry of Munitions to salvage the metal in artillery shells in France, supervising, in his words, "hundreds of workmen of all nationalities."

[7] After working in a British Empire Exhibition cigarette kiosk in 1924, in 1925 Elvin decided to buy his own shops within the grounds.

White accepted, taking payment in ten yearly instalments, but he was on the verge of bankruptcy and committed suicide on 29 June.

The FA Cup Final was played every year, and home internationals (the first had been England v. Scotland on 12 April 1924, a 1 – 1 draw[12] as well.

[13] The saving of the Stadium by Elvin ensured that Wembley Park would remain a visitor attraction, as it had been since Sir Edward Watkin had set up a pleasure ground there in the 1890s.

Williams built a unique structure, with cantilevers meeting in the middle, thus avoiding the need for internal pillars.

Elvin's aim was for it to become "London's greatest pleasure resort," hosting a wide variety of events.

During the day natural light poured into the building through enormous windows at the east and west ends and in the roof.

[1] The ashes for the speedway track were supplied by Richard Biffa Ltd, whose operating base at the time was in Wembley Hill Road.

[citation needed] The Wembley Lions speedway team became one of the most successful in the country, with large attendances and some 60,000 fans in their supporters' club.

Speedway was Elvin's sporting love, and 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.

[5][32] He also encouraged mass PT events in the Empire Pool on Thursday evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, and opened a gymnasium for cadets of the Middlesex Regiment.

Some of the old British Empire Exhibition buildings were used, notably the Palace of Engineering, so no new venues were needed, though Olympic Way was built at a cost of £120,000.

[2][3] 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 Games.