Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
We’ve said time and time again on Wrestling Heritage that it’s the memories that matter. No one has better memories of Norman than his friend, Heritage member Bernard Hughes.
Norman often wrestled at the Newcastle St James Hall, and it was here that Bernard got to know Norman and his wife who accompanied him to all his Newcastle matches. When he went into the RAF Bernard was lucky enough to be posted near West Hartlepool, just a few miles away from Middlesbrough and Flo and Norman invited Bernard to visit them at their home. Norman suggested that Bernard joined the St Lukes Amateur Club in Middlesbrough, which he did.
Due to Norman’s enforced premature retirement we have memories of seeing him just the once. Only once, but it was a night that confirmed the reputation he brought with him. That reputation was of a man with ability that matched the greatest contemporaries at his weight – Mike Demitre, Vic Hessle, Arthur Ricardo, Johnny Allan; a rugged, aggressive fighter who would single-mindedly pursue his success. Tenacious would be an appropriate word to describe a man with a style that fans sometimes confused with villainy, though a villain he was not.
Norman Walsh was born in Middlesbrough on 14th February, 1920. In 1939 declared his occupation as a lorry driver for a coal merchant in Middlesbrough and three years later he married Florrie Makin.
He started wrestling professionally following the Second World War, our earliest verified contest being a loss to Charlie Scott in December, 1947. By 1948 he was working amongst the top calibre throughout Scotland and North East England, touted as a future champion. He didn’t have to wait long as by February, 1949, he was being billed as British and European light heavyweight champion.
Championship recognition wasn’t nationwide in the 1940s (or at any time for that matter), but with the formation of Joint Promotions in 1952 Norman Walsh established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the light and mid heavyweight division and gained near universal recognition as title holder of the British, European and World championships at light heavyweight, mid-heavyweight, junior heavyweight or cruiserweight.. Any logic to billing as British, European or World champion would take months to unravel; the promoters seem to have used the titles and weights interchangeably during the 1950s – one of the many cases of telling the fans what they wanted to tell them.
“Of course he was a champion as well. A brilliant, hard working wrestler,” said Bernard. Let’s just settle for Norman being a near permanent champion, a member of an elite group, sporadically dropping and regaining the honours with Mike Marino, John Allan, Dennis Mitchell. Mike DeMitre and Milo Popocopolis.
When South African Les Herberts visited his birth town of Bradford in 1951 he may well have encouraged Norman to visit the country he had made home, and introduced him to local promoters. In 1953 Norman wrestled in South Africa, departing with his wife from Southampton to Cape Town on 16th April on the Stirling Castle. Ron Historyo discovered his listed address as 26 Thornhill Place, Bradford. Norman gave his occupation as professional wrestler, so presumably he was one of the minority able to make a living out of the sport.
Norman and his wife sent Bernard a postcard, from Norman’s favourite city, Pretoria. Flo wrote about the long distances between cities and the number of big American cars, with Norman taking a liking to a Buick Straight 8. Norman was away for six months and unseen in British rings until October, 1953.
One of the highlights of Norman’s career, possibly the highlight came in 1957. This was the occasion of the visit to Britain of former World champion Lou Thesz. Norman was one of a select group of the country’s best heavyweights selected to face Thesz, on no fewer than four occasions. Bernard said: “It was surprising to me that Norman had so many goes with Thesz. I knew that he had a couple, but four! Must have been what they called ‘A safe pair of hands.’ At the time one of Morrell’s top men.”
Norman remained one of the “top men” throughout his career, until it all ended abruptly. He was only thirty-five years old, potentially ten years ahead of him, and had only recently competed in the prestigious Royal Albert Hall heavyweight tournament. Following a match at Spennymoor on 20th November, 1965, Norman and his wife were seriously injured in a two car crash as they were driving home to Thirsk. Wrestler Les Prest told us, “It happened at Nunthorpe just south of Middlesbrough, past the top of Dixon’s Bank, Apparently a car pulled out of Brass castle Lane and hit Norman’s Jaguar.”
Following surgery and a hospital stay Norman did return to the ring. Reality was that the great days were behind him. Norman persisted, making a move to the independent promoters where the demands for long distance travelling and full time work were much less.
On nights he wasn’t wrestling Norman gave his time generously. He is fondly remembered by members of the St Luke’s Club in Middlesbrough as a man generous with his time to those willing to make an effort but dismissive of those who didn’t take their wresting seriously.
In later years Norman and Flo were licensees of the Dog and Gun public house at Knayton, between Northallerton and Thirsk.
Final word to his friend Bernard, “There’s a photo of Norman Walsh with a tan, white dressing gown and belt was taken just after he returned with the European title from South Africa. A few weeks later he was at Newcastle with the dressing gown now blue. I asked him why he changed it and he said that it had proved to be unlucky. His wife Flo, who always went with him to matches said to me – ‘It got dirty too bloody quickly’.”
Norman Walsh died in January, 1978.
Page added 07/09/2025
20934
Wrestling Heritage 