These are our shorter Biographical portraits which we would like to extend if you can provide information or memories.
Mustafa Shikane
The mad man of Turkey, though we understand he was born in Syria and lived in Germany, where he was a martial arts coach for the Hamburg police. He was said to be the worlds craziest wrestler when he invaded Britain’s rings in during the 1965-6 season and again in 1968, We have only vague memories of his two television appearances (against Johnny Eagles and Joe Keegan) though we were young at the time. Honest! But old enough to know he was a bad un. Three years following his retirement, on 18th July, 1981, outside of the ring he was believe to have mixed with undesirable elements and was tragically killed, believed murdered, aged 43.
Jack Flash Shirlow
One of the most famous wrestlers in Ireland Lisburn’s Henry Shirlow was known to one and all as Jack “Flash” Shirlow. Not only was he one of the top heavyweights in Ireland he was also one of the country’s biggest wrestling promoters, bringing the likes of John Quinn and Giant Haystacks to Northern Ireland and taking the opportunity to wrestle them in main event matches. He was also responsible for encouraging Billy Joe Beck to take up professional wrestling. Flash and Billy Joe worked together in England during the 1980s, Born in 1941, Jack Flash Shirlow died in 2012.
Diamond Shondell
Diamond Shondell was one of the most entertaining wrestlers to come out of Ireland. He could hold his own with the best of them. He had some cracking matches with ‘Iron Man’ Steve Logan, Jim Breaks, Brian Maxine, Billy Torontos etc. A very funny character out of the ring it was always a pleasure to be in his company.
Highlight of his career may well have been taking part in the last Royal Albert Hall wrestling show, against Alan Kilby, on 30th October, 1985, 81 years after George Hackenschmidt had defeated the American champion Tom Jenkins in that great venues first wrestling tournament. The very next day Diamond was in Barnsley, Yorkshire. Okay, the surroundings may not have been quite so grand, but he was there for the recording of a televised match that was to be broadcast on December 14th, again with Kilby in the opposite corner. Trained by Dave Finlay Snr Diamond was one of a band of successfull Northern Ireland wrestlers that included Judo Eddie Hamill, Fit Finlay, Johnny Howard, and Billy Joe Beck.
Enrique Shubasco
Long dark curly haired haired, muscular heavyweight invader from Panama Enrique Shubasco came to Britain in 1970 following professional wrestling adventures throughout South America and the United States. Having been born in British Honduras Enrique held a British passport, allowing him to stay for five months without the working restrictions that applied to most visitors. He looked the part but his success was less impressive, including a loss against Lee Sharron at the Royal Albert Hall. His professional career followed successful amateur experience in which he was a member of his country’s amateur wrestling team. Having married and set up home in Germany we were surprised not to have seen more of him during the 1970s.
Phil Siki (Also known as The Black Arrow)
UK based Trinadian Phil Siki was one of the pre war all in greats who continued to wrestle post war and took part in the World Heavyweight Championship tournament at Harringay on February 18th, 1947. Not just that.. he did also wrestle post war greats Ernest Baldwin, Francis St Clair Gregory, Mitchell Gill, Dave Armstrong, Bill Garnon, Alf Robison, Jack Pye Bert Assirati.. Obviously a top class wrestler who lived up to his title of Heavyweight Champion of the West Indies.
Bill Silcock
Son of Bob Silcock young Bill followed his dad into both his trades, making his wrestling debut in the Isle of Man and running a fruit stall on Wigan market. That professional debut was at Laxey Glen in June, 1956, against a heavier opponent, Alec Bray. Bill surprisingly won that encounter with falls in the fourth and sixth round against Bray’s opener in the third.
Ricky Silver
Born in December, 1943, Ricky Silver was one of those who brought our wrestling heritage years to a close. Richard Winter learned the trade in the wrestling booths of southern England in the 1960s and 1970s. Heritage member Joe King recalls seeing Ricky, Johnny Kincaid and Mel Stuart working on the booth for a local man, George Sanders. He went on to work for Dale Martin Promotions, with career highlights at the Royal Albert Hall and wrestling Mick McManus on television. Ricky Silver continued wrestling until around 1998.Terry Cristel told us, “I had many bouts with Ricky, who was a great entertainer.”
Joss Simms
Joss Simms was a middleweight from Sale who appeared on the scene in 1935, billed from the outset as (possibly the first and maybe the last) middleweight champion of Cheshire. Matches were confined to northern England, usually in a supporting role with opponents that included Milio Popocopolis, Joe Reid and Doulas The Turk. Our last sighting was at Hull in January, 1946.
Alan Simpson
1960s and 1970s welterweight from Witton Gilbert, near Durham City. A popular good guy in the ring Alan wrestled for both independent promoters and Morrell-Beresford. When not wrestling he could often be seen as the third man in the ring.
Lucky Simunovich
Fans adored the handsome Yugoslavian born six foot two inches tall visitor, Zivko “Lucky” Simunovich, who reached British shores in the early 1960s. Having moved from his native Yugoslavia to Honolulu whilst a teenager in the 1930s Simunovich played American football professionally for the Hawaiian warriors before joining the police force as a motor cycle patrolman and eventually entered the professional wrestling ranks as a result of the encouragement of American promoter Al Karasick. That professional debut was in 1943 and Lucky soon gained experience both in Hawaii and mainland United States. Lucky and Bobby Bruns were the first holders of the NWA Hawaii tag team championship (in 1952), a title they were to hold three times. He toured the world as a wrestler, including not only visits to the UK, but also Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, and throughout Europe.
John Sinclair
Our memories of John Sinclair are of a heavyweight willing to mix it with the likes of Klondyke Bill, The Ghoul and other villains of the 1960s/70s independent circuit.
On one occasion we witnessed him tagging with Klondyke Jake as a substitute for Bill. John was none too pleased He was a man who at least appeared to take his wrestling very seriously. A good, workmanlike 15 stoner who was taken on by Joint Promotions, and then we heard no more.
Lord Bertie Sinclair
With top hat and monocle John Walsh looked the part as he assumed the persona of Lord Bertie Sinclair in the northern rings of 1970s and 1980s independent promoters. Beneath the costume was John Welsh who began his wrestling career in 1958, working for numerous promoters around the North East.
A tool maker by trade John emigrated to the United States with his work in 1967, staying for three years until he returned to Britain in 1970. Back in Britain he resumed his career working for opposition promoters Don Robinson, Brian Dixon and Eric Taylor and John Allan.
John also worked on Ron Taylor’s boxing booth, and remembers the day he met Muhammed Ali when the World champion boxer visited the North East. After many years in the ring, at 48 years of age, the knocks began to take their toll and Lord Bertie Sinclair called it a day.
Amarjit Singh
Not to be confused with Ajit Singh. Amarjit was a 1970s light heavyweight from Punjab who settled in Leicester where he formed a tag partnership with his cousin Joginda Singh known as the Bengal Tigers. They were trained by their friend and former welterweight Gentleman Jim Lewis, who took the role of their manager.
Dalbir Singh (Also known as Tiger Singh, Gil Singh)
One of the 1970 and 1980s greats who used a variety of names from Gilbert, through Gil and Dalbir, to be known as the hard-working British Heavyweight Champion Tiger Singh.
Gained his international wings when part of the Yorkshire contingent in the 1974 German tournaments. Never achieved much success at all in Germany and even by 1978 he was losing there to Barry Douglas, whom he would have been expected to defeat every time in the UK. In this sense he is the inverse of Caswell Martin. Singh feuded regularly with the similarly styled Ray Steele. Probably too regularly, an overdose of straight wrestling as an antidote to the unbelievable excesses of Big Daddy and others. One wonders whether the Crabtrees required their heavyweight champion to bottle any charisma to protect their elder member. Oft criticised for lacking colour Tiger Singh did bring much needed credibility t o professional wrestling at a time it was sadly lacking elsewhere.
Daula Singh (Also known as Tiger Daula)
Highly rated Indian heavyweight from the Punjab, he stood over six feet tall and was almost as wide. Trained by his older brother, Fazal Daula, Daula was at his peak when he made his earlier visits to Britain in the 1930s. “Referee,” an Australian publication wrote in August, 1937, that following his tour of Australia “Strangler will journey to England and put the kybosh on Tiger Daula, a big Indian at present busily engaged in breaking the bones of Pukka Sahibs in London.” We have no record of such a match ever taking place but Daula did have wins over Francis St Clair Gregory, Bulldog Bill Garnon, Ray St Bernard and Martin Bucht.
We discover our first report of Tiger Daula in February, 1937, wrestling in Plymouth and said to be the Champion of India. He certainly made an impression and was nicknamed “Uncrowned Champion of the World.”
The barefooted Indian worked his way around Britain as Tiger Daula, arriving first in 1936 before returning to India in 1939. Returned in 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1963 as Daula Singh, working for Joint Promotions, with televised matches against Bill Verna (in September, 1957) and Dave Armstrong (in October, 1957).
Joginda Singh
One time farmer and 1970s light-heavyweight from Punjab settled in Leicester where he formed a tag partnership with his cousin Amarjit Singh known as the Bengal Tigers, trained by former welterweight Gentleman Jim Lewis who appeared in the ring as their manager.
Kashmir Singh
Popular Wolverhampton wrestler Kashmir Singh was a frequent tag partner of Big Daddy, but those who saw him utter nothing but praise for his skill in the ring, so we’ll forgive him. Not only an accomplished wrestler Kashmir was also a well respected referee, said to be one of the good ones who knew just when to look away!
Steven Sipos
Hungarian welterweight appeared in British rings in 1961. Worked for Dale Martin Promotions with opponents that included Bob Archer O’Brien, Jackie Pallo, Ken Joyce and Mel Riss. Disappeared from British rings at the end of 1963.
Carlton Smith (Also known as Sanky Allan, Chameleon)
Delve back into wrestling history and the name Carlton Smith crops up time and time again. Our earliest finding of Carlton is in October, 1937 at Doncaster. In the 1940s the so-called “Cock o’ the North” seemed to be just about everywhere. In His earliest days we have found him billed as Chameleon. Wartime opponents included Jack Harris, Ted Beresford , Norman Morrell and Frank Manto. Frank Manto! The mystery of this man’s wrestling pedigree begins to reveal itself when we consider that Frank Manto was Frank Manterfield, brother of Bert Manterfield (otherwise Bert Mansfield) and Alan Manterfield, otherwise known as Carlton Smith.
Yes, Carlton Smith came from the same great wrestling family as Bert Mansfield and Frank Mantovich, and he clearly continued to learn from his brother Frank during the early days of his professional career. Carlton Smith, born in Barnsley in 1914, was destined to become one of the top post war middleweights, considerably lighter than his brothers. Name any lighter weight wrestler you know from the 1950s and Carlton Smith (or his alter ego Sanky Allan) wrestled them and most likely beat them on occasions. His wrestling career continued until the end of the 1950s, we last spotted him in 1960.
Gordon Smith
Most Wrestling Heritage readers will remember Gordon Smith as one of the referees we saw on television when getting our weekly wrestling fix. In his early twenties Gordon wrestled as a promising welterweight until turning to third man duties in 1960. A northern referee for Morell and Beresford Promotions the tall, slim figure of Gordon Smith moved niftily around the ring at a speed uncommon amongst many of his colleagues. Dave Sutherland recalls seeing Gordon referee at the New St James Hall, particularly the time he devoted talking to a ringside youngster with learning difficulties.
Everyone was agreed how smart Gordon Smith looked in the ring and he always had time for a word with the crowd outside the hall prior to the evening’s matches, usually to discuss the day’s football scores. Unfortunately the last time I saw Gordon he was carried from the ring having been knocked over by two top heavyweights. Iit might have been Albert Wall and John Lees or two fellows of similar stature, who landed on top of him
Gypsy Smith
Gypsy Joe Smith was a 1960s/70s mid heavyweight from Northamptonhire, often remembered as a serial masked man, probably most notably as The Mad Axeman for Jack Taylor and Bill Clarke. Made a television appearance, as Gypsy Smith, against Alan Dennison in 1977. Outside the ring Gypsy Joe worked as a school caretaker in Kettering.
Wrestling Heritage 