Arthur Warwick
{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| name = Arthur Warwick
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = {{birth date text|18 August 1908}}
| birth_place = East Ham, London, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1982|3|7|1908|8|18|df=y}}
| death_place =
| career1 = Stamford Bridge Pensioners
| years1 = 1929–1932
| career2 = Wimbledon Dons
| years2 = 1933
| career3 = Clapton Saints
| years3 = 1933
| career4 = West Ham Hammers
| years4 = 1934–1935
| teamyear1 = 1929
| teamhonour1 = Southern League Champion
| teamyear2 = 1932
| teamhonour2= National Association Trophy
}}
Arthur Ernest Warwick (18 August 1908 – 7 March 1982) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned seven international caps for the England national speedway team.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=1 January 2024}}
Biography
Warwick, born in East Ham, London, rode in the pioneer years of British speedway beginning his British leagues career riding for Stamford Bridge Pensioners during the 1929 Speedway Southern League season, the inaugural season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1929record.pdf |title=1929 season results |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=1 January 2024}} He remained at Stamford Bridge for four seasons, following them into the National League in 1932, when the Southern and Northern leagues merged.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html |title=Year by Year |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=1 January 2024}} He helped Stamford Bridge win the 1932 National Association Trophy.
Despite the success by Stamford Bridge during the 1932 season, the team dropped out of the league and the management at Wimbledon Dons brought him into their team for the season,{{cite news |title=Speedway Racing |work=Daily News (London) |date=9 May 1933 |access-date=1 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19330509/194/0013 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} only for Wimbledon to then replace him with Syd Jackson shortly afterwards.{{cite news |title=Speedway |work=Sports Special Green'Un |date=27 May 1933 |access-date=1 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001914/19330527/066/0004 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} Warwick was disillusioned by the situation and considered leaving the sport but he did help out the Clapton Saints as an injury replacement but was not allowed to sign for them permanently.{{cite news |title=Rye for Speed Final |work=Daily Mirror |date=21 June 1933 |access-date=1 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19330613/265/0026 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}{{cite news |title=West Ham Lose |work=Daily Mirror |date=21 June 1933 |access-date=1 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19330621/330/0027 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
In 1934, he signed for West Ham Hammers on loan from Wimbledon (because he was on their retained list) where he spent the last two years of his speedway career.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/specialfeaturesrideraverages.pdf |title=Rider averages 1929 to 2009 |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=1 January 2024}}
He retired to take up coaching and promotion{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19390705/236/0026 |title=Arthur Warwick |website=Daily Mirror |date=5 July 1939 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 December 2024 }}at the rebuilt Dagenham track in Ripple Road and raced side-cars before going into team promotion.{{cite news |title=Ex-Rider turns promoter |work=West Ham and South Essex Mail |date=14 July 1939 |access-date=1 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004271/19390714/023/0001 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Film appearance
The speedway scenes from the 1933 film Britannia of Billingsgate were shot at Hackney Wick Stadium and featured some of the leading riders in Britain at the time including Warwick, Colin Watson, Tom Farndon, Gus Kuhn, Claude Rye and Ron Johnson.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCoJpvyb4eU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/cCoJpvyb4eU |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Britannia Of Billingsgate (1933)|website=YouTube|access-date=22 August 2021}}{{cbignore}}