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We have multiple entries under the name
British Wrestling Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control was created in 1929 and thereafter has been the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. With the exception of a tiny percentage of unlicensed boxing shows the B.B.B.C. has maintained order by regulating procedures and raising medical standards to protect their licensed boxers.
The British Wrestling Board of Control may sound similar, but there the similarity ends. As we have stated many times on the Wrestling Heritage website there has never been, and probably never will be, a wrestling Board of Control to oversee the development of professional wrestling. No national authority has ever existed away from the publicity departments of wrestling promoters who used it to create an illusion of legitimacy and credibility.
When Masters of Ceremonies announced that the referee was referring a wrestler to the Board of Control this was usually an off-the-cuff remark that referred to a none-existent body.
During the years there have been Boards of Control of slightly more substance set up as registered companies. We list the ones we know below, but repeat that none were nationally recognised governing bodies.
British Wrestling Board of Control(1931 incarnation)
Our earliest reference to an authoritative body comes in September, 1931, when the press announced the creation of the British Wrestling Board of Control, with the first matches under their jurisdiction taking place at the London Sports Club on 21st October. In fact this was officially registered as the British Wrestling Association, and described by Atholl Oakeley as an independent body set up by Henry Irslinger.
See also the British Wrestling Association
British Wrestling Board of Control (1932 incarnation)
In November1932 there were reports of a planned Board of Control being set up with the patronage of Lord Lonsdale, and the backing of northern sportsmen. Ignoring the previous years claims of a Board of Control it was said that no Board of Control existed. This was true, of course, and was true every time another Board of Control popped up to say it was going to bring about real change.
British Wrestling Board of Control (1936 incarnation)
In 1936 the press welcomed the formation of the British Wrestling Board of Control with the top wrestlers signed up and a promise of no fixed contests. It may well have put to rest the reservations of some local councils, many of whom deliberated the respectability (or otherwise) of the ever growing sport. Declarations similar to the BWBC were to be repeated up and down the country throughout the decade – claims that wrestling was about to become a legitimately competitive sport under the jurisdiction of an all encompassing Governing Body. Time and again it was claimed that everything would change – tomorrow. Northern towns that included Preston, Rawtenstall, Hanley, Chester and Nelson advertised their programmes as licensed by the British Wrestling Board of Control from 1937 onwards. A newspaper report (Bradford Observer 28th December, 1937) refers to George Frederick William De Relwyskow (George Senior) as President of the British Wrestling Board of Control. Whether this refers to which, or neither of the 1932 or 1936 incarnations we don’t know. Relwyskow programmes in Hull were advertised as licensed by the B.W.B.C. from February, 1939.
British Wrestling Board of Control (1938 incarnation)
The introduction of men v women matches brought the call for regulation to the fore once again. London County Council threatened to ban all wrestling tournaments in the city unless the sport was regulated. Consequently on 15th November, 1938, yet another British Wrestling Board of Control was formed, reported in the Daily Express. The newspaper stated that the new governing body would be run along the lines of the British Boxing Board of Control. Chairman was A.F.Bell (of The Ring, Blackfriars), Vice Chairman Harold Lane, Secretary Jack Dale, treasurer F.E.Branstone, and boxing manager and promoter Victor Berliner was adviser to the board. Reginald Stamp, Chairman of the London County Council Entertainments Committee, told the Evening Despatch that as a result of the body’s formation the L.C.C. would not be banning wrestling in their halls, with the exception of female wrestling, which was banned. We have little evidence of the Board’s influence following it’s inauguration. In essence once again nothing had changed. Various governing bodies had been declared during the decade, but they were nothing more than veiled attempts to promote respectability by creating an illusion of structure and authority.
British Wrestling Board of Control (1939 incarnation)
Two months after the launch of the November 1938 British Wrestling Board of Control we find another group launching yet another British Wrestling Board of Control, coming into operation on 5th February. This Board of Control was said to be an amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Boards of Control. The Committee consisted of the three Board members from the North and three from the South. Northern Committee members were eorge DeRelwyskow, Sam Cowan, and one unnamed. Southern members were Mike Burns, Harry Williams and A.F. Bell. Their stated aim was to control all wrestling in the country. Mike Burns told the press that the promoters must hold the whip hand and the wrestlers would soon come into line.
British Wrestling Board of Control (1943 incarnation)
The 1943 format was different. Unlike the previous ones this was not a grouping of promoters with an intention to monopolise wrestling. This was an association of wrestlers.
Wrestler Jack Pye was the secretary of the newly formed British Wrestling Board of Control. Pye announced that the Board was ready to clean up wrestling, and have it in a healthy and ready state for the return of wrestlers when war ended with championships awarded by the promoters recognised by the BWBC. They claimed that around fifty wrestlers had already signed up to their rules and agreed they would not work on any programme that included an unlicensed wrestler. It was a short lived venture.
British Wrestling Board of Control (1946 incarnation)
In November, 1946, the press announced the formation of the British Wrestling Board of Control. Yes, another one. This time, however, there were significant differences from what had gone on before. At an inaugural meeting of the Board on 21st November, 1946 it was claimed they would perform the same function as the British Boxing Board of Control. First President of the Board was Lord Mount Evans and there were two Vice Presidents, Labour MP Maurice Webb and Archibald Bruce Campbell, a retired naval officer and star of the Brains Trust radio programme, with the secretary Leslie Farnsworth of Hammersmith, who otherwise remains a mystery. The Board forecast that tournaments under their auspices would be operational within six months and, furthermore, their stated aim was to control all wrestling in Britain. As with all previous aspirations of a similar nature it was to remain no more than an aspiration. With the aid of wrestler Norman Morrell the group did manage to create a new set of rules, the Lord Mount Evans Style, which played an important part in establishing the credibility of professional wrestling.
The new set of rules were approved by the Board at a meeting on 12th December, 1946, and Chair Maurice Webb,MP, announced they were to be named the Lord Mount Evans Rules, in honour of the President of the Board, and echoing the Marquess of Queensberry Rules in boxing. At the same meeting it was announced that championship contests would be arranged with winners awarded Lord Mount Evans Belts.
The grand sounding Lord Mount Evans Rules presented an opportunity for the post war promoters to begin a narrative that was to be repeated for forty years; their claim that post war wrestling was a re-invention, a complete break from what had gone on before. That, of course, was far from reality. When Harrogate Town Councillors queried the meaning of the Lord Mount Evans style it was said, “I think it is just a fancy name to cover up All-In.” Another alleged expert on the subject, described as a “Leeds authority,” said, “It’s a cleaner version of all-in wrestling, but not much.” As we have said in the Years of Wrestling series post war developments were evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
The British Wrestling Board of Control did it’s job; the rules were written and the story was told that everything was now different. Maybe no more was to be asked of it and that was the plan from the beginning. The members of the Board never had any intention of becoming long term involved; if wrestling was to prosper it would need to prosper under the direction of those who had invested in the business. Legal adviser to the Board, Ralph C. Yablon, stressed the Board did not want control of wrestling but to give service to existing promoters and close the doors to spurious newcomers.
Following on from the inaugural meeting of the British Wrestling Board of Control a meeting of the Board members and a group of leading wrestling promoters met in Manchester on 10th January, 1947. Bradford M.P. Maurice Webb presided over the meeting with the objective of the adoption of the Board’s Constitution and Mount Evans rules by the promoters. The meeting closed with the issue of a statement: “The promoters present express their willingness to approve the constitutional draft and that the rules outlined become operative. Each promoter, however, is to send in his own suggestions which will be investigated by three independent members of the Board – Lord Mount Evans, Mr Maurice Webb M.P. and Commander A.B. Campbell with a view to submission and ratification at a further meeting of promoters to be held in three months time.”
Annual fees for Board of Control licences were set: Promoters £50; Matchmakers £10; Referees £5; Wrestlers 5 shillings; Timekeepers, Whips, Seconds and M.Cs 2 shillings and sixpence.
The London Gazette of 16th May, 1947 announced that the British Wrestling Board of Control Limited, less than six months after being formed, was to be struck off the Companies Register and dissolved.
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