Wrestling Heritage

And the wrestling brothers of Denny.

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A wrestler on both sides of the Second World War Bob Gardinder came from a mining family. Robert Fothergill Gardiner was born at Plean Mill Tower, Plean, near Bannockburn in Stirlingshire in 1905, the youngest of twelve children born to David and Mary Gardiner. He was named after his mother’s paternal grandfather.

His interest in wrestling was most likely nurtured by those of his brothers who were successful amateurs. Brother George took part in the lightweight freestyle competition of the 1924 Olympics. He won three matches and was placed fourth.

Another brother, William, born in 1894, also wrestled professionally, but was less prominent than Bob. Bob, William and their nephew James were known as The Wrestling Brothers of Denny, though they were uncles and nephew.

Before he turned professional wrestler Bob was a successful competitor in the Highland Games. He turned professional All In wrestler in 1935. Reports tell of Bob as a skilful wrestler who displayed “A surprising facility in escaping from holds. Our first record of Bob wrestling is in August, 1935 at Liverpool. He was wrestling the well respected Harold Angus and won by two falls to one in what was described as a “skilful bout” by the Liverpool Echo. 1935 was also the year that he married Marion Brand Morrison.

There was more praise when he wrestled College Boy, reported as an “excellent and clean contest” with Gardiner taking the first fall after 19 minutes and College Boy pinning the Scot in the 30th and 40th minute. By 1937 he was being advertised as Scottish Middleweight Champion.

During the Second World War he served in the Royal Engineers as a Physical Training Instructor. Following the war he returned to live in Plean, where he continued wrestling for a couple of more years. He was a well known character in the town, known as the “Rat Catcher” due to working for Stirling Council in the vermin control department.

Bob’s professional opponents included Billy Riley, George DeRelwyskow Jr and French wrestler Alex Poizat. His record was as good as any of them and he was certainly one of the country’s best middleweights. His appearances seemed grew less frequent following the Second World War, and we last found him wrestling Jack Hunter in April, 1947 at Dundee.

Bob Gardiner died in Sauchi Hospital, Stirlingshire, in 1992.