Uncovered by Ron Historyo and John Shelvey
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The Mystery
Two websites have Dave Jons’s birth listed as 5th February 1922 and with that I think it can be confirmed. A 1939 document shows Dave at Jubillee Hall Farm at Hollinbourne in Kent with his parents. Lots of families there, possibly evacuated from London, or maybe working for the war effort, but not sure. Dave was a Munitions Machinist which ties in with the fact that he went on to serve in the RAF. The document confirms the date of birth. Generally billed from Greenwich as a wrestler a birth registration in Q1 1922 at Southwark District also ties in.
Thus far nobody was sure of the name Jons, yet he wrestled as Johns and Jones and it was that simple, the birth was David A J Jones. Son of William and Susan Jones, dad a vehicle driver.
Dave came out of the RAF in 1946. Starting to wrestle in very late 1947 he was soon billed as a former Mr London Bodybuilding champ. No records have turned up thus far but a wrestling report for January 27th at Sheerness states that Dave was actually a runner up in the recent contest. I would suggest, soon embelished by the wrestling promoters.
At the peak of his popularity Dave was even billed as Southern Area Heavyweight Champ, but as member “Ost” points out, not Dale Martins and this is just wrestling. For four years 1948-51 inclusive Dave was busy, but not found very far into 1952. I cannot explain the gap but what I do have is that 5th December 1952 Dave sailed from Southampton on Cunnard, Queen Elizabeth to New York. His address, 19 Oakmere Road London, and again that confirmation of the name Jones and “A Wrestler.” Seems to be travelling alone.
For four years Dave had a wonderful career in the USA and even headlining at times. In interviews he said ambitions to do the Far East, like others had done, could be next. But after 1956, never to be heard of again. Not a single time did he make the digital press thus far. Did he do a homecoming which was also mooted or never come back? The Wrestling site WD.com at the end of 2023 have him age 101, soon to be 102. I wonder if this is the case. While possible, working with the name David Jones, it has been too hard to find his death. Certainly David A J Jones does not seem to fit the bill.
What happened to Dave, for now, is a complete mystery.
Enjoy below
Over to John Shelvey….
From ’53 to ’56 he toured the States and Canada, kicking off in New York where he wrestled all over, until March where he wrestled around Seattle and British Columbia, a huge area filled with multiple arenas, which kept him busy for many months, before moving into another hot-bed of rasslin’ Oregon, where he finished out the year and started 1954, then it was back to B.C. and Washington, until landing in Chicago in August with many other dates in that State (Illinois). August saw him wrestling in Minnesota, Minneapolis and Indiana among other States. He closed out of 1954 wrestling in Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
1955 and Dave travelled around South and North Carolina, and Virginia among others. By March he was appearing in Pennsylvania, Merryland, Washington, then back to the Carolinas and Virginia where he stayed until August where he had a few dates in New Jersey.
Dave finally hit the sunshine and glamour of Miami in late August, where he stayed for a couple of months. It seems however, that Dave could work his ‘stuff’ in the cold, cold, weather as he wrestled the year out in such snow clad places as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Manitoba and Ontario.
1956, Dave’s last year in the States/Canada, he travelled back to Florida, staying for at least a couple of months, no doubt building up a good reputation for British Heavyweights as well as a deep tan! March and April Dave is back in Chicago where he keeps popping up, including Jun, July, August and September. The latter half of the year, he traveled extensively around Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
Dave seems to have finished his USA / CANADA odyssey by late September ’56. During the course of his journey, he appeared sometimes at the bottom of the card, sometimes the middle, often appeared in the semi and also worked in the main event. He was matched with wrestlers and workers such as, LOU THESZ, PAT O’CONNOR, WILBUR SNYDER, THE BRUISER, ANGELO POFFO, CARL ENGSTOM, PEPPER GOMEZ, LUTHER LINDSAY, RED BASTIEN, HANS SCHABEL, HANS SHMIDT, EDDIE GRAHAM, CHICK GARIBALDI, NICK BOCKWINKLE, MITSU ARAKAWA, KENJI SHIBUYA, LORD CARLTON, LOU KLEIN, DOC GALLAGHER, BILL LONGSON, BILLY DARNELL, DON ARNOLD, CRUSHER LISOWSKI, DON LEO JONATHAN,DON EAGLE DANNY McSHAIN, RAY ECKERT.
Those few names include the genuine wrestlers, the showmen, the heels, the good guys, the champions, the drawcards, the legends, the young newcomers, the old timers and some who were at their peak, drawcards all. I should also add, Dave very often ‘double dipped’ as he frequently wrestled twice on a card, a singles match would be followed by a tag match or an appearance in a battle royal or similar.
Dave graced some of the famous arenas of their time, such as the Marigold and Rainbow arenas in Chicago, Turners Arena in Washington, Columbia, The Sunnyside Garden and Jamaica arena in New York City and St. Paul Armory in Minnesota.
During his stay Dave won the Mid-West. Heavyweight title, as well as a couple of tag titles. However it is his three tilts at a World Title, that stands out in his career. In 1953, his first year overseas he met Dangerous Danny McSHAIN for the Junior Heavyweight Crown in May, then in November, he lost to Carl Engstrom for the Light Heavyweight Title. However Dave’s biggest match was the middle title shot, on Saturday July 25th. At the Victoria Memorial Arena, B.C. Canada, he faced LOU THESZ, for Lou’s crown.
Page added 07/01/2023
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