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January 1st 1946 wasn’t just the dawn of the first full year of peace since 1938. The year was also the dawn of realisation for the British people that the end of war did not mean the end of their worries.
With the end of the war the nation was impatient to move on. Women had been proven to possess skills that in the years before the war they had not been allowed to demonstrate, military personnel were returning home to resume family life and anticipating they would be received by an appreciative nation, there was a national collective desire for life to get better; the surprising defeat of Churchill and the Conservatives in the General Election on 26th July, 1945 being a clear sign that the people wanted change. We all know that many hopes failed to become reality. Women continued to take a secondary role, those who had served their country returned home to find that jobs were few and far between, the effects of rationing were at least as great as during the war years. Social and emotional problems manifest themselves as families were reunited and there was growing frustration at the post war years of austerity and continuation of food rationing until 1954.
The radical new Labour Government lost little time implementing change and 1946 saw the nationalisation of the Bank of England, and plans to nationalise the railways, road haulage, the ports, and the iron and steel industries.
It was in this context that professional wrestling emerged and continued to evolve. Post war development was surprisingly fast and successful. There was a lot going for the sport that was to allow it to not just survive the war years, but to emerge stronger than ever.
The mantra of the post war promoters that they had resurrected professional wrestling from it’s self inflicted death knell at the end of the 1930s was far from the truth.
We have already demonstrated that although wrestling had exhibited many unsavoury elements towards the end of the previous decade it was far from dead and had continued to play an important part in the social life of the British population throughout the war time years. Wrestlers and promoters had played a valuable service by helping to sustain a sense of normality which was so important during the darkest days of wartime. Both venues and wrestlers had been severely limited. The bigger cities, such as Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, and Plymouth had been able to put on regular shows throughout the war. Wrestlers on these shows were either home on leave, serving locally, or working in reserved occupations.
Professional wrestling was ready for peacetime Britain and the opportunities presented, but we do emphasise that those changes in the sport that did take place post war were evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
With the outbreak of peace those promoters who were to form the backbone of the post war revival were well positioned to build on the foundations they had laid. In 1946 Wryton Promotions were already proclaiming themselves “The World’s largest Promoters.” Exactly what criteria they used to justify this claim, which they were still claiming thirty years later, is unclear. Dale Martin, Norman Morrell, Bill Best, Relwyskow & Green, Jack Atherton and Ted Beresford were promoting regularly in 1946.
Many halls that were destined to become the legendary venues of the following thirty years were featuring wrestling in 1946. Weekly shows could be seen at Blackpool Tower, Belle Vue, Willenhall Baths, New St James Hall Newcastle, and the Kings Hall Belfast amongst others.
There were local councils that were reluctant to grant licenses for wrestling in their towns. In Blackburn 1,770 citizens signed a petition urging the council to permit wrestling at the King George’s Hall. The vote was tied at 5-5 and the Chair refused to give a casting vote. Some councils were won over by the dropping of the All-In label or persuasive powers of a smooth talking promoter. For others a more visible change was needed.
In November, 1946, the press announced, not for the first, second or last time, the formation of a British Wrestling Board of Control. It was said the Board would perform the same function as the British Boxing Board of Control. First President of the Board was Lord Mountevans and there were two Vice Presidents, Labour MP Maurice Webb and Commander Campbell, with the secretary Leslie Farnsworth. The Board, said to be operational within six months, had a stated aim to control all wrestling in Britain.
At their first meeting on 21st November, 1946, it was announced as their first step the Board of Control would introduce a new set of rules. They worked fast and the new rules were announced on 12th December. The rules were largely credited to the hand of Norman Morrell, a successful pre war amateur and professional wrestler, and by then promoter. These rules would establish credibility for the sport, and enable the development of a faster, more athletic style that would have greater appeal to the post-war fans. The rules were given added status by being drawn up in the committee rooms of the Houses of Parliament and given the name of one of its members, Admiral Lord Mountevans. We remind readers once again, however, that whatever the claims of the post war promoters changes were evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
The meeting of 12th December also announced weight divisions which were different from the ones with which we were later familiar
Featherweight …… Upto 9st 11lb
Lightweight …… Upto 10st 8lb
Welterweight …… Upto 11st 5lb
Middleweight …… Upto 12st 2lb
Light heavyweight …… Upto 12st 13lb
Heavyweight …… Any weight
Interestingly these weight divisions are almost identical to those already in existence and noticeably different from those adopted a few years later.
The December 1946 issue of The Mat magazine (published before the deliberations of the Board) listed the champions and challengers as follows.
Featherweight (Upto 9st 11lb): Champion : Vacant; 1. Alf Jenkins, 2. George Busfield, 3. Johnny Summers, 4. Alan Colbeck, 5. Pat Brennan
Lightweight (Upto 10st 8lb): Champion: Joe Reid; 1. Jack Dempsey, 2. Tommy Mann, 3. Jim Mellor, 4.George Kidd; 5. Carlton Smith
Welterweight (Upto 11st 5lb): Champion Cliff Belshaw; 1. Les Kellett, 2. Les Stent’ 3. Harry Fields, 4. Cyril Knowles-Peters, 5. Cliff Green
Middleweight (Upto 12st 2lb): Champion Jack Beaumont; 1. Beau Ricardo, 2. Jim Anderson, 3. Tim McCoy, 4. Stan Stone, 5. Joe Hill
Light Heavyweight (Up to 13st 0lb): Champion: Vacant; 1. Tony Baer, 2. Robert McDonald, 3. Henry Wilkie, 4. George Finnie, 5. Billy Joyce
Heavyweight: Champion: Bert Assirati; 1. The Farmer, 2. Dave Armstrong, 3. Jim Hussey, 4. Ernest Baldwin, 5. Sandy Orford.
Some soon to become famous names are already present in the list, albeit in weight divisions below those with which we later associated them: Alf jenkins and Alan Colbeck at featherweight, Jack Dempsey, Tommy mann and Carlton Smith at lightweight, Les Kellett amongst the welterweights, Robert McDonald and Billy Joyce in the light heavyweight division. Undisputed master of the heavyweights was Bert Assirati.
The Islington Hercules, Bert Assirati, had been recognised as champion since January 1945, when he had beaten George Gregory at Belle Vue, Manchester on 29th January, though he had claimed the title throughout much of the 1930s and 1940s. The war had removed many challengers and by 1946 there was little doubt that Assirati was the best; Oakeley had retired long ago and Bill Garnon, George and Douglas Clark were well past their best.
The wrestlers of 1946 were a combination of established stars returning from war service and younger performers who were destined to become stars of the television revolution. In the former category were the big names such as Wigan born and bred Jack Pye, Welsh Heavyweight champion Bulldog Bill Garnon, Scotland’s George Clark, and champion Bert Assirati. Amongst the new breed making their mark was a young heavyweight from Manchester, Jim Hussey, former boxer Alf Robinson, a wily Wiganite called Bill Joyce and a young Les Kellett. Some, like Bolton’s Alf Cadman, returned from the services and chose wrestling as a full time career. The Farmer, George Broadfield, began the year wrestling in France. He was forced to retire with a dislocated foot after falling from the ring in a match at the Palais des Sports against Charles Rigoulot, said to be the world’s strongest man.
Amongst overseas newcomers to our shores in 1946 was a young New Zealand heavyweight, Ernie Kingston, who was to become a force to be reckoned with for near on thirty years.
Tragedy on Saturday 20th April at belle Vue, Manchester. Martin Schultz suffered concussion and died in Manchester Royal Infirmary two days later. Schultz rebounded off the ropes into Leo Lightbody. Lightbody ducked and Schultz hit his head on the floor. The coroner declared a verdict of death by misadventure.
The winter of 1946 gave promoters the opportunity for a first full post war winter season. On the political front the cessation of hostilities throughout the world meant that world war 2 was officially declared at an end on 31st December, 1946, whilst the exceptionally cold weather of December was just a taster of what was to come in the early months of 1947.
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