On this day, Arsenal bought Highbury, 12 years after moving in

The list of the 270+ videos we have gathered commemorating events on individual days are to be found via this link.   We are also developing our video collection series in which we are gathering together the best videos we have against each club we have played in recent years.   Here is the list so far…

Today’s Arsenal anniversaries are published below.  We don’t have a video for this day but another collection from a particular club will go up shortly.

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100 Years in the First Division: the absolute complete story of Arsenal’s promotion in 1919.

And here are … the anniversaries

15 June 1899: George Leavey was elected chair of Woolwich Arsenal.  Through his extensive chain of gentleman’s outfitters including one in Plumstead he became to be a major source of revenue for the club until pulling out in 1910 – a factor which caused the club’s crisis that summer.

15 June 1910: Woolwich Arsenal factories started to lay off men due to a long-term downturn in work following the end of the Boer War – spelling catastrophe for Woolwich Arsenal FC which depended on a vibrant workforce to boost its attendance figures.

15 June 1912: Andy Ducat sold, confirming the club’s policy of selling off its best players in order to try and balance the books.  The policy led directly to relegation the following season with the worst Arsenal record of all time.

15 June 1919: John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight.  (They took off on 14 June).

15 June 1925: Arsenal announced that the club had bought the Highbury stadium, and some additional land around it, and that the lease of the site had ended.  Sir Henry Norris’ huge gamble in taking the ground on a full-repairing lease 12 years earlier had paid off.

15 June 1929: England played a tour of Australia, which included Tom Whittaker and Joey Williams. Joey played 22 games for Arsenal but only two on this tour, despite travelling across the world by sea. 

15 June 1935: Arsenal signed Jackie Milne for a fee reputed to have been £5000.  He played 49 league games and scored 19 goals.

15 June 1935: Ray Swallow born.  Aside from playing 13 times for Arsenal he also played 38 first class cricket matches for Derbyshire.    

15 June 1974: Trevor Ross signed as a professional.  He played 58 times for Arsenal before moving on to Everton.  He later became a non-league manager before becoming an HGV driver.

15 June 1995: Bruce Rioch became Arsenal manager and simultaneously Stewart Houston resigned from his post as temporary manager.  Rioch lasted just one season and managed to get Arsenal a European slot on the final day of the season, before being sacked.

2 Replies to “On this day, Arsenal bought Highbury, 12 years after moving in”

  1. Rioch takes Arsenal to 5th gets sacked Arteta gets two 8th place finishes and is still in a job.Thats the Kroenkes for you.

  2. But the situation re Rioch was also complicated by the fact that Wenger was ready to come to Arsenal, and that you must admit, improved the results. Rioch had the worst pre-season on record, with Arsenal losing every game except one (I think – details are on this site in the Arsenal in the Summer series) and the appointment of Wenger led to a couple of doubles and an unbeaten season. And 7 FA Cups all told. And Thierry Henry.

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