These are our shorter Biographical portraits which we would like to extend if you can provide information or memories.
Tom Dowie
Dundee’s Mid heavyweight Tom Dowie was known as a reliable worker in Scotland during the 1960s. Reliable, that is, in the sense that fans knew they would be treated to a good, solid bout of wrestling. Tom was a sports fanatic from an early age and was reported by The Wrestler magazine to have represented Scotland in an international wrestling tournament. He also enjoyed sailing and owned a boat named Valhalla.
Starting out as a middleweight our earliest find of Tom wrestling professionally is in December, 1957, losing to Tony Lawrence at Leith. Tom worked regularly at Scottish venues, and occasionally ventured south of the border. That’s why it came as something of a surprise when Ted Beresford gave him his first televised outing in 1964, from Halifax in Yorkshire. His dozen or so subsequent television appearances were all from south of the border!
Tom was a good friend of fellow wrestler Jim Farrell. Jim’s daughter, Karen, told us, ” I knew Tom well. A lovely man and quite a character.”
Tom Dowie continued wrestling until the late 1970s, a career spanning more than seventy years.
Andre Drapp
Andre Drapp, the Lion of Lorraine was a muscular French heavyweight who had won the Mr France title in 1947 and was runner up in the 1948 Mr Universe competition. Having worked in the United States during the early 1950s he returned to Europe in 1957, and made his British debut in September of that year. In January 1958 he knocked out Judo Al Hayes at the Royal Albert Hall. He was a frequent visitor to Britain during the first half of the 1960s, with wins over all the top heavyweights. During his last visit he wrestled on the BBC’s 1965 show from Brighton, which can be read about in our story, The Other Side of Wrestling. Andre Drapp retired from wrestling in 1974, aged 52. He died on 14th November, 2009.
Andre DuBarry
Middleweight from Marseilles who was a frequent visitor to Britain during the 1950s. Our earliest discovery of him is wrestling Arhtur Fisher at Hastings in April, 1952. Other opponents included Mick Mcmanus, George Kidd, Jim Lewis and Alan Colbeck.
Donald Dubarry
A 1930s visitor to Britain first appeared in January, 1936, losing what was described as a skilful contest against George Modrich. He was proclaimed as the heavyweight champion of South Africa. Last seen in 1939 which may have comprised of more than one visit.
Gene Dubuque (Also known as George Dulaye)
Born in New York on 11th December, 1927 to an American father and Russian mother. Eugene Earl Dubuque was an amateur body builder who won the the 1947 “Mr New York City” title, and was the cover man of Your Physique magazine. He turned his attention to professional wrestling a couple of years later, working around New York and then across America before venturing overseas. Following an Australian visit in 1952 he came to Britain during the 1953-54 winter. By then he had been transformed into Magnificent Maurice, but that was not the name on the British posters. In the UK he used the name Gene Dubuque for Relwyskow & Green and Dale Martin Promotions and George Dulaye for Wryton Promotions. Opponents included Jim Foy, Jack Pye, Norman Walsh and Dave Armstrong. Dubuque’s American career stretched to 1970, following which he went into film and television work. Gene Dubuque was one of thirty-six people killed in a plane crash on 13th March 1974.
Mick Duffy
We would like to learn more about Carnforth’s Mick Duffy, brought to our attention by Heritage member Beancounter. Beancounter remembers Mick Duffy from working on the independent shows in the 1960s, both as himself and in the guise of masked wrestler “The Mask.” Beancounter discovered that Duffy was a lorry driver for Hartley’s Sand and Gravel in Carnforth. Mick Duffy is remembered mostly for his work for independent promoters but did work for Joint Promotions in the second half of the 1960s.
Jaime Dula
Jaime Dula (often Anglicised to Jamie) was a muscular heavyweight from Morocco spent most of his career working in France and Germany, with visits to Britain in between 1958 and 1963. Mostly worked in the north but ventured further south in the 1960s. His big moments were at the Royal Albert Hall with aloss to Maori John Da Silva in October, 1959, and a drawn verdict against Albert Wall in 1963. So regular were his appearances in Britain during this time we suspect he may have set up home in the country.
Cyril Dummer (Also known as Cocky Watson, Rough House Watson)
Born in Newbury in 1930 Cyril Dummer was a Light heavyweight who trained under Bruno Elrington at Bruno’s gym in Portsomouth. An agricultural mechanic by trade he began professional wrestling in 1956, working for Joint Promotions and facing classy opposition such as Eddie Capelli, Jim Lewis and Chic Purvey. In the summer of 1959, he set up his own training school in the Hampshire village of Cowplain and began promoting his own shows. During the 1960s he worked for the independent promoters and was seen occasionally in the 1970s using the name Cocky Watson or Rough House Watson. Cyril Dummer died on 17th May, 2020.
Rene Dupont
Acclaimed as French welterweight champion Rene Dupont made sporadic visits to Britain between 1933 and 1938. Reports are of a very skilled wrestler who had classic encounters with the best of the lighter men, including George deRelwyskow, and veteran Peter Gotz.
Rene Duprez
French Welterweight escaped from occupied France in 1942 and joined the Free French Army as well as wrestling occasionally around London.
Dave Duran
One of the hard men of wrestling who emerged onto the 1970s wrestling scene in Blackpool under the guidance of Bobby Barron. Well, Bobby and dad, because Dave (John Palin) is the son of wrestler Harry Palin. Dave’s debut, just 16 years old, came sooner than he expected, when he was called to substitute for a wrestler who failed to appear. Dave Duran was born in Widnes, so rugby was his first sporting love, and played league for Widnes. Dave appeared regularly on television in the 1970s and 1980s. His reputation amongst fans was as an all action wrestler, whilst his reputation amongst colleagues was as a very hard man to wrestle.
Robert Duranton
Whether it was the silk gowns, the long blond hair, the posing or the disregard for the rules, or a combination of all of them, something made the flamboyant Frenchman Robert Duranton one of the most unpopular heavyweights of the 1950s and 1960s. A strutting peacock who slowly disrobed, to the jeers of the crowd, to reveal a muscular body that had earned the Mr France title on no less than four occasions. Eddie Rose remembers, “Duranton was the possesser of a Mr Universe build, tanned, long hair and rather camp.” Known as the “Orchid Man” he found success on both sides of the Atlantic, usually accompanied by his valet, Firman, who would unsurprisingly tend to get involved in the match to his master’s advantage. He first visited Britain in 1957, wrestling mainly in the north,but returning for southern fans the following year. In the years that followed Robert Duranton would make frequent short visits to Britain most years until 1966; working throughout the country, usually for Joint Promotions but flirting with the independents in the early 1960s.
Paul Duval (Kent)
This Paul Duval remained something of a mystery to us until recently when we met up with him at the Kent Reunion in August, 2010. We knew of his existence, and had seen photos of this other 1960s Paul Duval who was definitely not the Paul Duval we knew. He was not a heavyweight, did not have Caribbean heritage, and looked as though he had never blown up a hot water bottle until it exploded. Jack Burns was a young middleweight who made his professional debut in 1960, working for the independent promoters. A quirk of fate led to him acquiring the name Paul Duval a few years later. Jack was working for London based promoter Tony Di Marto. When a French wrestler, Paul Duval, failed to show up for one of Tony’s shows the promoter asked Jack to step in, and introduced him to the unsuspecting fans as Paul Duval of France! After retiring from wrestling Paul reverted to his birth name and became a professional toastmaster.
Arnold Dyson
Born in Oldham and working in Liverpool as a policeman Arnold Dyson is remembered for his body building achievements as winner of the Mr Universe competition in 1953 and The ‘Worlds Strongest Man’ title. Less known is that Arnold had a short wrestling career in 1954, often billed as Mr Universe. Born in 1926 Arnold Dyson died on 2nd July, 2009. aged 83.
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