Bob Bartholomew R.I.P.
It is with great sadness that I have to report that my lifelong wrestling travelling companion Bob Bartholomew has passed away at 11pm last night aged 72, after a short illness.
I met Bob back in 1976 at the Central Hall in Chatham where we got chatting and after seeing I collected programmes, as I took a folder to the shows, said he had a lot of spares and I was more than welcome to have them, and asked if I going to Maidstone the following Saturday. A venue my uncle used to go to, I had not been but after pestering parents to let me go, this was the start of a friendship that has lasted nearly fifty years.
Bob’s first experience of the British Wrestling scene is best explained in his own words from a magazine/ book he published in the mid eighties.
“No one, least of all myself, could have envisaged that staying up late on a cold winter evening to watch a Football match, would play such a significant part of the rest of my life. The football was followed, as was usual in those days, by a wrestling bout and I stayed to watch.
I decided to go to a wrestling tournament when I noticed one locally, and only three days later, lady luck was on my side. I strolled past Chatham’s Central Hall, only to find the wrestling was on that very evening. Tickets were bought, phone calls were made and that evening I found myself clutching a programme, a magazine and a bag of sweets, sandwiched between two enormous umbrella wielding females
The magazine – November 1971 issue of ‘The Wrestler’ yielded untold delights. Official rankings in each weight class, nestled alongside the Royal Albert Hall report and a whats-on-where page led into the Fan Club news. A great many other fans from all corners of the country were requiring pen friends, wishing to exchange programmes, results and news and I sat and toyed with the idea of writing to some of these faceless names, and eventually did just that.”
Myself and Bob met up at Maidstone and Chatham on the fortnightly and monthly shows respectively and once I passed my driving test started to travel to the Dale Martin shows at Croydon’s Fairfield Hall.
I only “skived” off school once in my education days and this was on 27th June 1979, when I met Bob and we travelled by train to attend the biggest show of our times at Wembley Arena for the Big Daddy v John Quinn clash. A whole day out wrestling, a regular occurrence in modern days but back then very rare.
With the arrival of the Mighty John Quinn to our shores, myself and Bob got our own sweatshirts with his name on and we nearly got lynched on the 21st April 1980 at the tv taping at Wembley Town Hall, probably the only two guys cheering on one, if not the, best foreign villain import wrestler ever when he won the World title off our own Wayne Bridges.
With a lot of the major names moving over to Brian Dixon’s Wrestling Enterprises as well as MC John Harris, we went to a local show in Larkfield at the Greenways Entertainment complex. John saw us outside and called us inside to ask if we could help out by seconding and timekeeping. This was the start of us now getting more involved and regular trips then developed as the Independent scene was taking over more of the established Dale Martin venues and we started regular trips to Chelmsford, Southend, Catford, Croydon, Guildford and all over the South East, as well as weekly summer visits sometimes three, four times a week to Bognor, Hastings, Clacton and Worthing.
When I promoted my first show In Sittingbourne in 194, Bob was there helping me poster and write the programme words and giving his full support.
With Dixon’s Promotion changing their name to All Star, and also gaining ITV recognition, I seconded on most of them with Bob also helping out, as well as timekeeping at the historic Bridges v Nagasaki World Title match in Bradford.
Outside of the wrestling world, Bob’s job changed a couple of times and he stepped back from attending shows for a number of years, but when I started back promoting six years back, he started back attending a number of local shows and went back to keeping records of all the results from the shows.
Recently Bob has suffered from ill health and was admitted to a London hospital before being moved to the local Maidstone hospital just a few days ago.
I visited Bob on Friday 21st June and although he was unable to speak due to having had a couple of strokes, he acknowledged I was there and he shook my hand. I knew he was pleased I had come to say goodbye.
I have so many happy memories over the years at shows and travelling to and from them, and I thank Bob for those and will forever thank you for the friendship and love of Wrestling that you had and gave me.
Bob is survived by his younger Sister, a Son and Daughter and grandchildren.
Bob died on a unique day in British Wrestling history – at the time the biggest hyped main event of all time one will won’t forget – and I for sure will never forget the kind hearted wrestling Mad fan you were Bob and I wouldn’t have done what I have did in wrestling without your friendship and support over the years
R-I-P BOB BARTHOMEW
Steve Barker
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Wrestling Heritage 