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Post by fredthered on Jun 9, 2016 16:26:57 GMT
It was once well known that membership of the Wembley Lions supporters club reached in the region of 50,000, largely I believe due to the efforts of the Empire Stadium owner Sir Arthur Elvin. I was proud to be a fully paid-up member of that renowned club throughout my teenage years and which was brought to an end only because of the call-up for my National Service in 1952. In recent years, I have delighted in contributing many of the Wembley photos in my collection to John Skinner's Defunct Speedway website. Considering that Wembley had the largest fan following in the UK, I have been surprised at the very little participation by former Wembley fans in social media outlets, discussion forums, etc. Two, four, six, eight - Who do we appreciate? - W E M B L E Y, WEMBLEY! Come on you Lions fans, where are you?
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Post by toadys4 on Jun 22, 2016 22:04:09 GMT
I think the poor low response to Posts on here is because many former speedway supporters saw their club vanish years ago.
Wimbledon were the last to close in 2005 - and had also bowed out for many years in the early 1990s before this revival from 2002 onwards. Hackney also closed in the mid-1990s. Then New Cross went out in 1963, Romford in 1971, West Ham in 1972. We lost Haringay in the mid 1950s and Walthamstow in 1951. And Wembley I think closed as a league club in 1956?
Apart from these clubs all the other London tracks as I recall closed before September 1939. There sadly can't be many of the old speedway supporters around nowadays.
And so far as I am concerned it's pretence to try and indicate Lakeside Hammers and Rye House as being London cubs because they are not - their locations are not in anyway what is recognised as London.
That's why many folk do not contribute on here because there are very few of them around - but with all its historical bumf it is a valuable site for researchers but unless they want a clarification on something on the website they won't make a message post.
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Post by Administrator on Jun 26, 2016 9:48:58 GMT
It was once well known that membership of the Wembley Lions supporters club reached in the region of 50,000, largely I believe due to the efforts of the Empire Stadium owner Sir Arthur Elvin. I was proud to be a fully paid-up member of that renowned club throughout my teenage years and which was brought to an end only because of the call-up for my National Service in 1952. In recent years, I have delighted in contributing many of the Wembley photos in my collection to John Skinner's Defunct Speedway website. Considering that Wembley had the largest fan following in the UK, I have been surprised at the very little participation by former Wembley fans in social media outlets, discussion forums, etc. Two, four, six, eight - Who do we appreciate? - W E M B L E Y, WEMBLEY! Come on you Lions fans, where are you? That's a good point you make fredthered. Not only where are all the former Wembley supporters but those who followed the other London clubs like New Cross, West Ham, Harringay, Wimbledon, Walthamstow etc. The reason could be that there may not be man of them with us these days. The big demise in London tracks was the kid-1950s - say 1955. That was some 60is years ago. There may not sadly be many of them with us now - and they would be in their or near 80s. I doubt there are many active speedway followers from those old days while auger people in the capital have little or no interest in speedway and the old London tracks. Basically, this group is now more a reference source for researchers with a general interest in speedway rather than in one locality - which for our members i London. There is coverage of near London tracks ar Lakeside Hammers and Rye House but they do not have the affiliations that the REAL OLD London speedway clubs for people living in their localities. Do any other members who make visits to this group have any opinions on this topic?
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Post by fredthered on Jun 26, 2016 14:36:22 GMT
I am indebted to toadys4 and the Administrstor for kindly pointing out that many former Wembley fans, and indeed those of other speedway clubs, had now passed on. Having reached the age of 82 myself, foolishly I neglected to notice that the World sround me had also aged. Another reason for the absence of postings could be that many elderly people might not be computer-savvy and therefore are reluctant to enter the digital world. It seems that my hope to engage with other former Lions fans about the years of Bill Kitchen, Tommy Price, Freddie and Eric Williams, George Wilks, Bill Gilbert, etc will have to pass unfullfilled.
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Post by toadys4 on Aug 12, 2016 22:17:41 GMT
What you comment is very true fredthered. There is ss much statistical matter and historic photos on this site, yet I wonder how many people research. The last REAL London speedway at Wimbledon closed in 2005 and that was 11 years ago. I think that only dedicated researchers will look for a site of this kind. Also wasn't this site created AFTER Wimbledon's closure so I doubt that many who went to speedway then are aware of its existence. Someone sends messages about the group to us from time to time but it doesn't seem any of the recipients bothers to respond. Yet of those who get messages I am sure there are some who have speedway memories etc that we'd all like to hear about?
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