Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Early life  





2 Career  





3 Family  





4 References  














William Gentle







Add links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


William Benjamin Gentle
Born(1864-09-09)9 September 1864
Died2 September 1948(1948-09-02) (aged 83)
Occupation(s)High Sheriff of Norfolk
co-Founder of Greyhound Racing Association
SpouseElizabeth Steward
ChildrenFrederick Gentle
Francis Gentle

Sir William Benjamin Gentle (8 September 1865 – 2 September 1948) was known for his work in fighting racecourse crime and was jointly responsible for promoting greyhound racing in the United Kingdom.[1]

Early life

[edit]

He entered the Ordnance Survey in 1882, aged 17. One year later he went to South Africa and served in the Cape Mounted Rifles for three years. When he returned to England in 1887 he joined the Metropolitan Police.

Career

[edit]

Ten years later he moved to Reading and became Chief Constable of Brighton in 1901. He held the post for 19 years and became well known for his work in combating race course gangs. He was knighted Sir William Gentle for his work in 1916.

He retired to ThetfordinNorfolk, where he was four times mayor and in 1938 was High Sheriff of Norfolk.

During his retirement he worked alongside Brigadier-General Alfred Critchley to form the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA), which introduced greyhound racing to the United Kingdom. He was the first chairman of the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). He was also chairman of the Belle Vue ZooinManchester from 1925 to 1928.

Family

[edit]

Gentle was married and had two sons. His wife died in 1941. His son Francis S 'Frank' Gentle was also a director of the GRA and went on to manage the GRA's Harringay Stadium.[2]

He died in 1948 leaving an estate valued at £460,950.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ ""Sir William Gentle." Times, 3 Sept. 1948, p. 7". The Times. 3 September 1948. p. 7.
  • ^ "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1948) September edition". Greyhound Star.
  • ^ The Guardian, Page 3, 3 December 1948

  • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Gentle&oldid=1224286526"

    Categories: 
    1865 births
    1948 deaths
    People in greyhound racing
    British Chief Constables
    High Sheriffs of Norfolk
    Knights Bachelor
    Mayors of places in Norfolk
    People from Brighton
    People from Thetford
    Hidden categories: 
    Use British English from January 2021
    Use dmy dates from January 2021
    Articles with hCards
     



    This page was last edited on 17 May 2024, at 12:33 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki