Sir Edwin Airey (7 February 1878''

1939 England and Wales Register The National Registration Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the World War II, Second World War. The Act provided ...

'' – 14 March 1955) was a British civil engineer and industrialist responsible for the Airey

prefabricated house Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes or simply prefabs, are specialist dwelling types of prefabricated building, which are manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled. ...

s constructed in the UK after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Life

Airey was born in 1878, the son of William Airey.W. M. Ormerod (2000) ''The Lord Lieutenants and High Sheriffs of Yorkshire'', 1066–2000 Wharncliffe Books His older brother,

John Robinson Airey John Robinson Airey (1868–1937) was a British schoolteacher, mathematician and astrophysicist. Early life Airey was the eldest child of William Airey, a stone mason, and Elizabeth Airey, who were both born in Preston under Scar, North Yorksh ...

(1868–1937) became a prominent mathematician.John Robinson Airey biography
/ref>''Manchester Guardian'' 21 June 1923 p. 6 "The Lord Mayorality of Leeds" He attended Leeds Central High School and the

Yorkshire College , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, and in 1904 married Edith Greaves: they had one son and four daughters.A. C. Fox-Davies (1929) ''Armorial Families'' p 18''Engineering World'' (1925) p 56 "Distinguished English Constructor Pays America Visit" He took over his father's building business, W. M. Airey & Sons. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was a transport advisor to the

Ministry of Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

. He and his company were very much involved with construction for the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...

, and then the Ministry of Health afterwards. It was for this and his work in social welfare that he was knighted in the King's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...

in 1922.''London Gazette'' 32716, 2 June 1922, p. 4318 Airey Houses Prior Mede Harthill - geograph

During the Second World War the company produced huts for American troops stationed in the UK. This led to the development of concrete slab units which could be quickly assembled into houses to replace those destroyed during the war. Prototypes were put up in

Seacroft Seacroft is an outer-city suburb/township consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area, around east of Leeds city centre. It sits in th ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

in 1945, followed by hundreds in the London County Council area.Building Research Station (1965) Special Report 36 ''Prefabrication'' pp. 182–3 A total of 20,000

Airey house An Airey house is a type of prefabricated house built in Great Britain following the Second World War. Designed by Sir Edwin Airey to the Ministry of Works Emergency Factory Made housing programme, it features a frame of prefabricated concrete ...

s were ordered: they were two storey semi-detached houses, initially to be used as two flats, then to be converted into single family homes once the post-war housing crisis was over.''Manchester Guardian'', 9 March 1945, p 6 "20,000 Prefabricated Houses Ordered" They were intended to be permanent dwellings rather than temporary ones. He lived in Oakwood Grange where

Louis Le Prince Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince (28 August 1841 – disappeared 16 September 1890, declared dead 16 September 1897) was a French artist and the inventor of an early motion-picture camera, possibly the first person to shoot a moving picture sequ ...

filmed the

Roundhay Garden Scene ''Roundhay Garden Scene'' is a short silent motion picture filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds, in the north of England on 14 October 1888. It is believed to be the oldest surviving film. The camera ...

in 1888, credited as the first motion picture.Internet Movie Database
Roundhay Garden Scene Airey contributed to sports in Yorkshire in several ways. He was chairman of the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, and was responsible for the development of

Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a stadium complex in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, comprising two separate grounds; Headingley Cricket Ground and Headingley Rugby Stadium, linked by a two-sided stand housing common facilities. The grounds a ...

and its establishment of a major cricketing venue. Airey was an active member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and became

Lord Mayor of Leeds The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council. By charter from Charles I of England, King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the gov ...

1923–1924.www.leeds.gov.uk
Lord Mayors & Aldermen of Leeds since 1626 Other high offices included

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere ...

1944–1945;''Manchester Guardian'' 27 March 1944 p. 6 "The New Sheriffs" Chairman of the

Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...

1951–1952,www.therfl.co.uk
Past Chairmen of the Council Chairman of the Yorkshire Branch of the

Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...

1944–1945.''The Structural Engineer'' (1944) p. 343 He died 14 March 1955.''The Times'', 15 March 1955

References

External links

www.leodis.org
Picture of Sir Edwin Airey accompanying Princess Mary at Headingley Cricket Ground, 1927
www.leodis.org
Picture of Edwin Airey with Princess Mary at Headingley Cricket Ground, 1927
www.britishpathe.com
Sir Edwin Airey, Lord Mayor of Leeds, opens the National Rose Show at

Roundhay Park Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest city parks in Europe.Only Richmond Park (London), Phoenix Park (Dublin) and Silesian Culture and Recreation Park ( Chorzów, Poland) are larger. It covers more than of park ...

15 July 1920 {{DEFAULTSORT:Airey, Sir Edwin 20th-century English businesspeople British construction businesspeople 1878 births 1955 deaths Lord Mayors of Leeds High Sheriffs of Yorkshire British structural engineers Knights Bachelor 20th-century British engineers