Ron Historyo Delves Into The Archives
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Belle Vue 1934-1935
Following on from a bleak 1933 the people at Belle Vue had a new injection in the form of Miss Kathleen Look.
1934 was also bleak until the final four fortnights before the circus. It may well be accurate to call her a breath of fresh air. More creativity, panache and strategic planning were evident, to try and give wrestling at Belle Vue a turn round.
She went to the press and certain changes were announced. Making wrestling she announced that an independent board of control had been formed and championship rules would be regularised.
If someone was a champion, then they would be required to defend their title in almost every match. She made it sound like it was across England whilst in reality I think she was referring to how things were going to be witnessed at Belle Vue, and the fans left to believe that this was everywhere.
The truth was to become evident later that in effect her matchmaker and creative advisor was Atholl Oakeley. To kick off after a long absence it had been decided that Bulldog Bill Garnon would be presented as the British Champion, and the opening match would feature a defence against Doug Clark. The advert does not say that Garnon was champ, but the Hudderfield papers were capturing Doug’s victory over the next few days.
Doug had been portrayed as challenger and Garnon champion. Miss Look stated that Garnon had a fractured skull and concussion after the bout. He did miss the next two shows and was back in a month. I suspect Clark may not have worked here if this had not been sorted out.
He was powerful enough in the wrestling world to dictate that he does not get beaten by British opponents. But the bill gave the fans a championship match .
Also Jack Alker had won a Gold Belt, not sure if we ever found out where or when, and Scotty Ambrose was his mate. Their bouts were a well practiced showcase. This was virtually Jim Breaks v Johnny Saint.
But was this really much different to 1932 all over again?
Well, if an extra element was needed to push wrestling on, I am impressed with how 1935 was handled. This took things to the next level. After the closure for the circus, wrestling hit the ground running with a season featuring a European Championship. On that very first night six matches and twelve contestants. Fortnightly wrestling and the next bill, round one part two, another 12 contenders.
As the knockout produced smaller numbers the bills were filled with other special matches. You can work out who won and who got knocked out as we progress to the final. I am not so bothered about the results, I am looking at the reason for growing success, and one contributing factor may be the branding.
Look what we have: French Heavy Champ, Swiss Heavy Champ, Greek Champ, ex champ Oakeley, An Assassin, Welsh Champ, Norway Champ, Cornwall Champ, Paris Champ, Flanders Champ, Anaconda, British Champ, Devon Champ, Jewish Champ, Romanian Champ, I don’t think there had ever been anything so flamboyant before this.
In this series I can tell you that Doug Clark was unable to appear against Carver Doone, and it looks like that eliminated him. The next time he is seen he is supporting the bill with a British Heavyweight Championship match against Cornish champ Francis Gregory.
I wonder if Doug had been not prepared to go along with the tournament unless the script was that he won.
The fans at Belle Vue were basically being brainwashed that this tournament, under the control of an alleged ruling body eclipsed all other wrestling, and that what happened here was how British wrestling history would be written.
I will come back to that, but the tournament carried on with the semi finals in mid April between Ray St Bernard and Gheveart, and De Groot and Estelles. Outside of the tournament, and for the rest of the season a new champ was found in Bonnie Muir as British Empire Champion.
He did a series of title defences to support the European Bill. The last show of April had a rest from the tournament and the final was the 10th May1935. De Groot beat Gheveart in the final and was crowned Champion.
The climax was a World title match on the last day of the season, again Champion Jack Sherry. European Champ v World Champ.
They may have made a mistake on the first bill of the season, but the tournament matches were one fall to decide over sixty minutes.
My bet is Sherry never lost at Belle Vue, my speculation.
This 1935 season has been wonderfully portrayed by Miss Look, with Oakeley in the background, indeed Miss Look always faced the Press.
And you can get carried away that this is definitive as History. Well it is, but it is not really the be all and end all. Reality was that there was much more to wrestling than what was going on at Belle Vue?
Where was Jack Pye and who was he working for? Where was Bert Assirati and same? Doug Clark did not come back for the winter series.
William Bankier was a big promoter and had Liverpool Stadium.
Bankier conquerd the Seaside Towns. Oakeley went head to head with him using Stanley Race Track. Relwyskow had big shows in Yorkshire and did Hull, with Lanes London club doing White City at Hull in opposition. Relwyskow was soon to conquer Scotland.
Manchester had another stadium in Ardwick’s Blood Tub, I think the promoter was Sam Cowan.
And then there were all the small promoters that could get wrestlers, anyone who would come. Staying close to Manchester a promoter called William Isherwood had a Stadium at Bolton. He had people like Lew Faulkner who could have been at Belle Vue and Cordite Conroy.
Newcastle was a huge player with a roster totally alien to what you see here.
None of these were using such imagination, they were getting on with providing no nonsense wrestling shows. There are many more examples, I have not even mentioned the South or the Midlands.
It’s easy to see that British Champions listed for the 1930’s just won’t marry up with a proper lineage.
I have seen Doug Clark, Garnon, Oakeley, Assirati, George Gregory billed as champion. It was whatever the promoter wanted or even what the wrestler himself wanted if he was powerful enough and could demand it.
In a magnificent way though Belle Vue had consolidated it’s future and got some gates of 5000. It was a focal point for fans.In one line, the 1930’s cannot have a sensible and accurate, meaningful history, just a host of separate stories and Belle Vue is a big one.
The 1935 Autumn Winter Season came and the season would revolve around a British Championship Competition. No sign of Doug Clark, so from a Belle Vue perspective I guess we could say he has been stripped of their British Championship. “The winner will face Doug Clark” , it seems was meant that he could come and fight for his title back if he wished. I am not so sure he was going to come.
Oakeley headlines the opener before week two starts the Championship. The next two shows illustrate the line up. For sure they have not spent as much money bringing in Europeans to do this, so, done well, there could be more profit if newly won fans would stay with Belle Vue Wrestling.
This has brought wrestlers like Jack Pye, George Clark, Dave Armstrong, Half Nelson Keys and Cordite Conroy in. Of great interest to me we have The Purple Knight. Never heard him called that before, but it was Bolton’s George Gregory. Shows are supported by International sounding names.
In the semi’s Garnon overcame George Clark and Gregory beat half Nelson Keyes to set up the Garnon/Gregory Final. The night of this show I did read that Kola Kleitomacus, who was 19, was projected to have a great future. I don’t know much about him and they have him in with Karl Ferdinand also age 19 for their version of the World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Still pushing the Giant Carver Doone as an attraction at seven feet, when he was just shy of six seven. Estelles too seems a main player at that time.
Ultimately George Gregory became the new British Champ and there was no bout with Doug Clark. The season closes instead with Gregory, the British Champ facing DeGroot, the European Champ as the headline. The bout over one hour.
Garnon and Keyes play off for British runner up, another unique idea.
Kleitomacus displays his skills again with support bouts. All these were Fridays.
Kathleen Look , I believe, had drawn in the crowds, maybe tripled them and Belle Vue Wrestling had consolidated as a fixed item until 1982.
As always I base my research on bills, reports and results that I can find and try and stray away from any other data that might have errors.
But remember, this is only one version of history.
Ron Historyo Time Cop 2024
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