By Mike Hallinan
Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
A busy worker in in the 1930s and following the Second World War Len Howlett was often billed as John, Johnny, and “Chopper,” from places like Brixton, Deptford, and Rotherhithe.
The nickname “Chopper” may have come from an incident involving a relative of his named Alfred Howlett, a Lightman (a person who works on the docks). .Thirty four year old Howlett was convicted of attempting to murder William Prouse, Master of Greenwich workhouse when he assaulted him with an axe. Prouse had given evidence against Howlett when he had been convicted of theft twelve months earlier. In May 1881 Alfred Howlett was sentenced to penal servitude for life.
He was a British Games representative…….and he was of the eighth army, and ex Regimental Sargent Major, just like Clem Lawrence.
He appeared in an article in the Daily Herald of Wednesday, 18th August 1937 “Try Being a Stevedore,” where he told the reporter how hard the work was, carrying fifteen feet long planks of thick wood, while walking along a bouncing gangway in the blazing heat. In a photograph he is stripped to the waist, showing off his very powerful, muscular physique.
In July 1947 he was billed as London Lightweight Southern Area champion. He seems to have wrestled from light-weight to light-heavy-weight, a bit like Nat Rabin. He looks small in a newspaper article standing next to Sean Connery (Daily Record, Scotland June 1991). Apparently they appeared together in the musical “South Pacific, and became friends.
Author of “The Padded Ring,” Tony Van Den Bergh noted that Chopper Howlett was the first professional opponent of Mick McManus.
Chopper Howlett was active in Britain from 1935 until 1949, when he left to live in Tasmania, where he resumed his wrestling.
1935 Wed 27th Feb Vs Bill Stark (Pier Pavilion, St Leonards-on-sea) 1935 Sun 17th Mar Vs Ginger Rawlings (Palace Theatre, Chelsea) 1935 Sun 23rd Jun Vs George del Relwyskow (Palace Theatre, Chelsea) 1935 Tue 08th Jul Vs Juan Lopez (Skating Rink, Southend) 1935 Fri 19th Jul Vs Harry Rabin (Skating Rink, Victoria Pier, Folkestone) 1935 Thr 05th Sep Vs Harry Rabin (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1935 Fri 13th Sep Vs Ginger Rawlings (Pier Pavilion, Plymouth) 1935 Thr 19th Sep Vs Harry Rabin (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1935 Mon 07th Oct Vs Harry Rabin (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1935 Mon 14th Oct Vs Harry Rabin (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1935 Thr 24th Oct Vs Ginger Rawlings (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1935 Mon 28th Oct Vs Donald Adair (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1935 Thr 31st Oct Vs George del Relwyskow (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1935 Sun 03rd Nov Vs Jim Maloney (Lanes London Club) 1935 Mon 04th Nov Vs Cliff Warner (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1935 Thr 07th Nov Vs Young Milo (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1935 Mon 18th Nov Vs George del Relwyskow (Victoria Baths, Nottingham) 1935 Sun 01st Dec Vs George del Relwyskow (Pavilion, Whitechapel) 1935 Mon 02nd Dec Vs Cliff Warner (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1935 Tue 10th Dec Vs Ginger Rawlings (Seaside Rink, Eastbourne) 1935 Mon 30th Dec Vs Ginger Rawlings (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1936 Mon 06th Jan Vs Cliff Warner (Victoria Baths, Nottingham) 1936 Thr 06th Feb Vs Cliff Warner (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1936 Thr 07th May Vs Cliff Warner (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1936 Wed 20th May Vs Cliff Warner (Pier Pavilion, Plymouth) 1936 Wed 10th Jun Vs George del Relwyskow (Pier Pavilion, Plymouth) 1936 Thr 22nd Oct Vs Cliff Warner (Connaught Drill Hall, Portsmouth) 1936 Wed 28th Oct Vs Nat Rabin (Millibay Rinkeries, Plymouth) 1936 Mon 16th Nov Vs Stan Stone (Victoria Baths, Nottingham) 1936 Mon 07th Dec Vs Harry Smith (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1936 Mon 23rd Dec Vs Tug Wilson (Civic Centre, Exeter) 1937 Mon 04th Jan Vs Cliff Warner (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1937 Mon 25th Jan Vs Harry Rabin (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1937 Mon 08th Feb Vs Stan Stone (Olympia Hall, Ramsgate) 1937 Mon 15th Feb Vs Harry Rabin (Madeley St Baths, Hull) 1937 Mon 22nd Feb Vs Ron Hurst (Victoria Baths, Nottingham) 1937 Fri 12th Mar Vs College Boy (Tony Pastor) (Majestic, Preston) 1937 Sat 20th Mar Vs Ginger Rawlings (Corn Exchange, Chelmsford) 1937 Wed 09th Jun Vs George del Relwyskow (White City, Hull) 1937 Sat 12th Jun Vs George French (St James Hall, Newcastle) 1937 Thr 12th Aug Vs Ron Hurst (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1937 Thr 28th Oct Vs Harry Rabin (The Ring, Blackfriars) 1937 Tue 02nd Nov Vs Ron Hurst (Manor Place Baths, Walworth) 1937 Mon 08th Nov Vs Curley Groves (Corn Exchange, Bedford) 1937 Sun 14th Nov Vs Bearded Monarch (Skating Rink, Derby) 1938 Wed 20th May Vs Cliff Warner (Pier Pavilion, Plymouth) 1946 Fri 02nd Aug Vs Al Lipman (County Club, Bromley) 1946 Fri 23rd Aug Vs Pat Kloke (County Club, Bromley) 1946 Fri 29th Nov Vs Norman Thomas (Pavilion, Bognor Regis) 1947 Tue 25th Mar Vs Pat Kloke (Baths, Clapham) 1947 Fri 13th Jun Vs Steve Szalay (County Club, Bromley) 1947 Tue 24th Jun Vs Harry Fields (Caird Hall, Dundee) 1947 Wed 25th Jun Vs Harry Fields (Music Hall, Aberdeen) 1947 Fri 27th Jun Vs Harry Fields (Marine Pavilion, Fleetwood) 1947 Fri 18th Jul Vs Les Stent (Marine Pavilion, Fleetwood) 1947 Tue 26th Aug Vs Sanky Allen (Music Hall, Aberdeen) 1948 Thr 05th Feb Vs (Baths, Beckenham) 1948 Mon 04th Oct Vs Al Lipman (Pavilion, Gillingham) 1948 Sat 23rd Oct Vs Ken Wilson (Public Baths, Shrewsbury) 1948 Wed 03rd Nov Vs Al Lipman (Market Hall, Stafford) 1948 Sat 06th Nov Vs Ken Joyce (Public Baths, Shrewsbury) 1948 Wed 10th Nov Vs Eddie Capelli (Market Hall, Stafford) 1948 Wed 08th Dec Vs Eddie Capelli (Market Hall, Stafford) 1949 Tue 25th Jan Vs Ken Wilson (Corn Exchange, Chelmsford) |
Mike Hallinan
https://www.allinwrestling.co.uk/
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