The Arthur Caiger Collection: memorabilia relating to the famous 'man in the white suit' conductor of the community singing at Wembley Stadium between

The Arthur Caiger Collection: memorabilia relating to the famous 'man in the white suit' conductor of the community singing at Wembley Stadium between 1947 and 1962, comprising a quantity of Wembley Stadium programmes and printed song sheets for the occasions when Arthur Caiger conducted the community singing, including F.A. Cup finals, F.A. Amateur Cup finals, England internationals, England Schools' internationals, Rugby League Challenge Cup finals, girls' hockey internationals, including example still complete with his hand written rostrum notes and running orders, also some of the programmes being VIP editions tied with chord and printed on stiffened paper, together with other memorabilia such as press photographs, correspondence and a scrapbook featuring press cuttings & memorabilia relating to his career including a pasted programme for the first Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Wembley in 1929; the lot also containing a qty. of programmes and related memorabilia for non-Wembley occasions when Arthur Caiger fulfilled a similar conductor's role, viewing recommended (a qty.) Provenance: By family descent Arthur Caiger DCM was a London headmaster who between 1947 and 1962 was one of the most famous figures at Wembley F.A. Cup finals and other sporting occasions. He was know universally as 'The Man in the White Suit' and fulfilled the important role of conducting pre-match community singing. This tradition had first begun at the 1927 F.A. Cup final between Cardiff City and Arsenal. A song sheets for the scheduled entertainment was issued with the match programme and the pick of the conductor's songs were tailored to suit both sets of supporters, such as 'Loch Lomond' for Scotland, 'Land of my Fathers' for Wales, Blaydon Races for Newcastle United, Ilkley Moor baht 'at for Yorkshire clubs etc. These would be mixed with traditional sing-along favourites such as John Brown's Body, She'll be Coming Round The Mountain and It's a Long Way To Tipperary. The singing always concluded with the hymn 'Abide With Me', that has become the adopted anthem of English football. The community singing movement was a phenomenon of English social life and popular culture in the 1920s. It appears to be an attempt to recreate a 'Merrie England' after the horrors of the First World War and a subsequent period of economic hardship and social divisions. Community Singing was quickly appropriated by sections of the press, notably Lord Beaverbrook's Daily Express who became the movement's major commercial sponsor. At the 1927 F.A. Cup final the paper's correspondent claimed ''To my dying day I shall remember Saturday's football match ... because for the first time in my life, I realised that deep in the souls of all of us, is a love of song and singing. It had been latent through the ages - until the 'Daily Express' sound the touchspring that gave it to life.' After Arthur Caiger retired in 1962 (and died in 1964) the tradition of community singing at the national stadium entered a period of decline. Frank Rea took over duties for a while, followed by another Billy Scott-Combe. Proceedings were increasingly poorly received by fans, especially younger supporters who saw the whole business as irrelevant and from a bygone age, preferring instead to sing their own football songs and club anthems. The Football Association attempted to keep the tradition alive by employing prominent entertainers such as Tommy Steele, Bruce Forsyth and Frankie Vaughan to lead the crowd, but without success. When the Daily Express announced it would discontinue sponsorship in 1971 the writing was on the wall. However, a rendition of 'Abide With Me' remains a highlight of the F.A. Cup final build up today, providing an enduring link to the community singing tradition in English football and to the memories of Arthur Caiger and his like. This lot represents a unique opportunity to acquire memorabilia with a direct link to this traditional facet of English football.