Wrestling Heritage

1947

 

Heat in Haringey

1947, the year that British coal mines were nationalised, Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten,  and Martin Ruane (later to become Giant Haystacks) came into the world. It was also the winter of the big freeze. Intensely cold conditions affected much of the country in the final week of January with temperatures reaching as low as -21 centigrade. Snow fell in some places on twenty-six consecutive days, with even the Isles of Scilly having a covering of an extraordinary 18 centimetres.  

 

One event dominated the 1947 wrestling scene, and that was the world title tournament held at the huge Haringey Stadium, London. The date was 18^th February, 1947, and sixteen of the top wrestlers in Europe were assembled by promoter Athol Oakeley.

 

From the UK were Cornwall’s Francis St Clair Gregory, Welshman Bill Garnon, Northerners  Bill Foy, Bert Mansfield, Eastern Englands Clem Lawrence, and the UK based Trinadian Phil Siki. Also taking part were Estonian Martin Butch, Belgian Gaston Ghevaert, Greek Milo Popocopolis, Canadian carl van Wurden, Frenchman Ivan Martinson, and pre war legends Carl Reginsky, Karl Manooign, Abdul the Turk  and Issy Van Dutz,

 

First round results saw single fall wins for Gregory over Butch, Ghevaert over Foy, Arrirati over Van Wurden,  Manoogian over Van Dutz, Mansfield over Abdul, Reginski over Lawrence, Martinsen over Siki and a win by the disqualification route for Popocopolis over Garnon

 

In the second round Ghaevart took the only fall over Gregory, Assirati overcame Popocopolis, Mansfield stopped Manoogian and Reginsky was disqualified against Martinsen.

 

Wins for Assirati and Martinsen over Ghevaert and Mansfield took the two of them through to the final and championship contest.

 

The final of the tournament, for a version of the World heavyweight championship was not held until 4^th March. Seven thousand fans filled Haringey stadium to see Britain’s heavyweight champion Assirati dispose of Ivar Martinsen in just six minutes. Assirati’s clasp of the world crown lasted just seven months. Martinsen won the return contest in Paris on 13^th October.

 

Assirati continued as British champion without any trouble, and Cambridge’s Clem Lawrence was added to the long list of unsuccessful challengers. Jack Pye suffered a rare straight falls defeat against the Islington Hercules. A young Jim Hussey caused a sensation when he held Assirati to a draw, and Charlie Greene  pulled off a surprise 2:1 defeat of the British champion at Folkestone.

 

Britain saw another world title claimant in 1947, with The Farmers Boy, George Broadfield, claiming the mid heavyweight title. George’s younger brother was also taking his first tentative steps as a professional wrestler, using the ring name of Harry Fields.

 

On the European scene Mike Demitre claimed the European Cruiserweight itle, and made a successful defence against Jim Anderson on 30^th September.

 

The only title change on the domestic scene was Bob MacDonald taking the light heavyweight crown.

 

A new masked man appeared on the scene. Count Bartelli was to remain a stalwart of British heavyweight scene for a further forty years. He had started wrestling, under the name of Jeff Conda shortly before the outbreak of war. On his return from war service he took to wearing a mask, though in 1947 still occasionally wrestled as Jeff Conda. Even without the mask he was a formidable force, as shown by his defeat of Billy Riley in the final of a four man knock out tournament. Another masked man reached the end of his reign.

 

The Black Angel was unmasked at Newcastle on 15^th November, 1947, to reveal the face of Welshman Sandy Orford. To remain masked for many more years was another hooded terror gaining a huge reputation in the North and Midlands, The Ghoul. The Ghoul and Bartelli, were to be the leading masked men of the 1940s and 1950s.

 

The Ghoul’s  fearsome finishing move, “the guillotine garrotte,” which was a sort of rabbit punch, brought an end to many contests. With the sort of drama only seen in the wrestling ring the Ghoul would miraculously use the same blow once again to reinvigorate the opponent  who had only minutes earlier been considered near death.

 

Vic Hessle, father of Bert Royal and Vic Faulkner, continued with his pre war success, winning a knock out tournament and silver cup at Belle Vue. Heavyweight continued to dominant the post war scene, with the main challengers to Assirati in 1947 being the former champion and now veteran of the ring Bulldog Bill Garnon, Dave Armstrong, Vic Hessle, francis St Clair Gregory, Bert Mansfield  and  The Farmer. Claiming to be the uncrowned king of the Mat was the biggest villain of them all, the former miner, Jack Pye. Pye enraged fans with his tactics and was commonly thought to be Britain’s dirtiest wrestler. Young novice Jumping Jim Hussey tackled Pye in a riotous contest at Newcastle in  October, 1947, which resulted in a double disqualification.  

 

Hussey was only one of  many wrestlers active in 1947 who were to gain national fame with the advent of  television in the late 1950s and 1960s. Other 1947 participants to gain greater fame later in life were Les Kellett, Kiwi Kingston, Alan Colbeck, Jack Dempsey, Count Bartelli, Ernie Baldwin and Alf Cadman.

 

Wrestling in Britain at the time was a young Jan Blears, who was shortly to leave our shores to gain fame and fortune in the USA. Travelling in the opposite direction was an American heavyweight about to make his home in Britain, Pat Curry. Other 1947 snippets include the birth of a 1960s favourite Mike Dallas, the crowning of heavyweight Andre Drapp and the professional debut across the Atlantic of the Greek-American George Bollas, later to gain fame as the Zebra Kid. 

 

The year ended with wrestling promoters continuing to expand their business, consolidating the new found successes of post war activity, continuing to improve the image of the sport, and build the foundations of their post war success. Meanwhile, December saw strikes and riots in France, a new constitution in Italy and the enforced abdication of King Michael of Romania.

 

Continue to the next year......