By Eddie Rose
I first met Jack around sixty years ago when he began to run a wrestling fan club that he had taken over from Brian Dixon who went on to become one of the biggest (and best) wrestling promoters. I was an amateur wrestler with Manchester YMCA and also a free lance journalist supplying magazines like The Wrestler and Ringsport and weekly columns for the two Manchester evening papers with information about local wrestling shows.
I was making the transition from amateur to professional wrestling and trained at Panther’s Gym in Manchester and also at Wryton Stadium in Bolton. Jack and I had lots to talk about and, as I live within a couple of miles of his home in Stockport, I used to call and see him on a regular basis to exchange information. Thankfully, he gave me plenty of publicity when I became a professional wrestler, too.
Jack was very sociable and talkative with a positive outlook on life’ He was hard working and always looking for new ventures and areas for progress. He had a good sense of humour and was an active rather than passive person.
His fan club grew rapidly and became the largest in the UK, He interviewed wrestlers and promoters and kept his newsletters informative and interesting. The next thing Jack applied for and got a job at Belle Vue on the Saturday night wrestling shows at the Kings Hall which had a 6000 capacity audience, He replaced one of the seconds who had just retired and it was his responsibility to look after one of the contestants in each bout with towel and water between each round. This, of course, enhanced Jack’s presence on the wrestling scene and gave his fan club and newsletter even more prestige amongst wrestling fans.
Within a couple of years Jack began to emerge a referee working for small local promoters and quickly making progress to bigger and better things refereeing at shows in many parts of the North and the Midlands. He was noted for his quickness in the ring and his refusal to be bullied by some of the larger more aggressive wrestlers. For example Jack fell out with the likes of Cowboy Jack Cassidy, a famous ring villain, because Jack insisted that Cassidy kept to the rules when Jack was the referee. Nor was he overawed by the Red Devils tag team who also threatened him with violence when he disqualified them during a bout in Blackpool.
Jack Mawdsley set high standards in his refereeing and he was universally respected by the fans and (most) of the wrestlers for the way in which he handled the bouts and tried to ensure fair play. He was also a good friend and an enjoyable travelling companion to many of us.
Later Jack became an enthusiastic runner and joined Stockport Harriers. I had been involved in some form or other of athletics all my life and I was pleased to see Jack in local events like half marathons and 10K races in our area in which he demonstrated the same commitment and enthusiasm as he put into wrestling activities and refereeing.
Eddie Rose.
Wrestling Heritage 