We know that Bert Assirati promoted during the late 50’s but out all the posters and programmes that the collectors on here have generously shared with the rest of us I don’t think there has been one from any of Bert’s shows. Are these very, very rare?
The other conundrum. Night And The City is the favourite wrestling film for many members. It was based on a novel by Gerald Kersh and I have heard that he had wrestling career before the war but have not been able to find more detail. Anything known?
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.
Fascinating news about the great Bert A. I started regularly attending Camberwell Baths around 1964 and all wrestling was staged under the Dale Martin banner although Bobby Palmer was still MC. The South London venue proved very profitable for the promoter as it was always packed to near full capacity with some cracking contests. Believe it or not Charlie Fisher was a local hero and was always a "blue eye".
I had shared some in the gallery but that is gone. I'll dig them out again.
Still a very short main event, Ron, not what Dale Martin would have wanted.
Like I say, it's a Dale Martin printed programme and they have him as British Champion in 1960. It's very very strange.
I bet that was one of Bert's very last Dale Martin appearances.
Early outing for Pat Barrett, too, and he had a along undefeated run seven years later.
Had a look at Kersh , Ray , and although he clearly had an interest in the wrestling , I can't see anything to suggest that he did it big time. The link below has a bio that states that he had three All in Wrestling matches.
https://www.london-books.co.uk/gerald-kersh
As for ASTA Promotions , now that we know that , given that I have access to the digital newspapers , these bills are still very rare and hard to find.
The interest for me is that after Bert left Joint , he gave a chance to up and coming wrestlers to work with him as well as working with old friends who were built to withstand a battle with him. Guys like Les Thornton went in with Bert very early on , took a lot of bottle, and, it seems you earned respect if you got stuck into old Bert , and your money went up. The example shown has Thornton (Pierlot) and Streiger only a couple of years into their wrestling careers on a bill with Bert. Nothing to indicate the Promoter , but quite possibly Jack Taylor.
Very interesting. Thanks Ron. The first bill comes as no surprise. I went to a couple of these shows myself and It looks familiar. Young Samson, Capelli, Bert of course. I remember that Marjorie got a credit as matchmaker. But if the Dale programm realy is1960 that is a mystery. Joint had Billy Joyce as champion then.
I wonder if anyone will get to the bottom of Gerald Kersh?
He won Anglo , his name is ticked.
Dale Martin billing Bert as British champion in 1960! And he lost!
But he lost in R2 so clearly wasn't doing his 25 minutes, in the main event.
All very very odd. Maybe this was his final DM bout and he deliberately blew it and knocked himself out in short time.
Happy New Year Ray , I had to go to Mike Hallinan for advice about Bert's Promotion.
It seems he went in with Jack Taylor as ASTA Promotions.
I have bills in 1958 and 1959 where he looks to be working for Jack rather than the partnership , but it's impossible to work out if this was the case behind the scenes.
Left an example of ASTA with Bert in with Black Mask George Nuttall of Marple, using his Independants name of Alec Nuttall (CapetownTosh)(1958)
Also news to me Dale Martins used ASTA and then bought them out.
And finally below and actual match with Bert performing in 1960.