Big Mike Mcgurn & The Great Boule

Thanks Ron. You've done more than your fair share to make Heritage a great site. So have so many others. Neither Anglo Italian nor myself imagined when we started the site it would become such a collaborative affair. Talking about our redisscoveries I think Kurt Jorgens was our first.Neither Anglo nor me had heard of him. Then there was Muhammed Yakub, our friend in Fiji, all those North East lads and the ones from the old Mossblown gym. We're not doing too badly.

Derek Oldham is one of those great Heritage success stories. His profile raised so much by those who talk on here.

He joins people like Bomber Bates who Bernard managed to tell us so much about and Gerry Hoggarth who had gone undiscovered for a long time.

Iron Duke was another. Great Salzedo came back after decades in the papers as an unknown.

Doug Clarke was another , still no proof that he ever lost to a British wrestler.

Then we find many of the TV stars were wrestling in the 1940's.

What a great site.

Hi to the Riot Squad, I have passed on the link for The updated page for Derek Oldham to his family and they would like me to pass on their thanks for doing a good job they are well chuffed. Yours David

The Derek Oldham tribute has been updated with new photos.

https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/derek-oldham

Fantastic to see those photos, thanks Ron and David. You wouldn't argue with Big Mike would you. David can we use the photos on the Derek Oldham page?

https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/derek-oldham

Sorry for not answering your previous question David, I missed it.

I don't have any posters of my own, they may well pop up on eBay. I'm not aware of a Belle Vue collection on line but if you look at the Chetham library site, go to the Belle Vue section and search for wrestling there is loads of material about Belle Vue wrestling.

http://www.chethams.org.uk/bellevue/

I cannot believe it that in the year we finally got to see the face of the Ghoul that thanks to David Vickers we now have the face of the Man who Hurt the Ghoul , billed as his greatest opponent Derek Oldham who also went by the fearsome name of Big Mike McGurn.

It's a funny old world David , I was a silent reader /member of Heritage and this program (Timeshift) inspired me to start posting on the Forum , from then on I just kept researching and learning and it's just a bit of fun.

Hi, I watched the TV program about the golden years of wrestling you mentioned in a previous post I looked it up on You tube. A Chanel four programme made in 2012 i really enjoyed it, took me back to a great era much missed I would imagine by many wrestling fans it was said that they where not just wrestlers but entertainers, so true Ricky Starr, Masambula great days it stirred up many happy memories Adrian Street was looking a little bit different than when I last saw him. I would recommend it if anybody missed it as I did. The only problem was it was not long enough it should be a series on TV. Yours David

I've just come across another David, this one from 1958.

I found a little tidbit on Derek will post tomorrow, just need to take a snap of it.

Thanks to David we have now been able to add Derek Oldham to our Local Heroes series

https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/derek-oldham

Just an update for readers of this thread , David will soon be receiving 18 bills for Derek Oldham 1952-1956 , all Joint promotions.

And 37 bills 1958-1964 as Mike McGurn ,, Big Mike and once Mike McGuire , all for smaller promoters and mainly in the north west. Many in Cabaret clubs , some even where Derek Oldham lived.

The great Bula is a mystery as is how long Derek Oldham kept wrestling. It is possible that Derek Oldham could have wrestled part time somewhere like Blackpool for Dominic Pye seeing as Derek knew Jack Pye. This possibility for example would have been small shows that were perhaps not even advertised in the papers.

An interesting comparison is that Shirley Crabtree also started in 1952 as a mighty Blond Adonis only to find before the 1960's that he was not needed by Joint. In 1952 Norman Morrell had a good luck at Oldham wrestling 3 times at Newcastle. 1952 also several times at Glasgow and plenty of work at New Brighton Tower. (Dick Rogers)

But there were a whole host of wrestlers by 1957 working the Manchester area and not so keen on the big promoters making all the money.

Promoters I have listed as Jack Cassidy (Jimmy Thompson) , Danny Flynn/ Fred Wooley and Jim Lewis and would now add Cyril Knowles , Grant Fotheringham , Dominic Pye , Dick Rogers Paul (Jack)Jefferson and probably a few more.

If I had to take a stab at a Great Bula Bill , knowing that was friends with Jim Lewis I would plump for this bill being our Derek under the Bonnet.

Hi Thank you for that, a quick resume of Derek he was born in Ardwick Manchester moved to Openshaw when he got married lived with his wife Hilda and her family most of the time no children (its his wife’s sisters I am in contact with at the moment) but I dont want to push them too much on info as they are in their eighties he was a joiner/ shop fitter by trade had a caravan in St Ives Cornwall for years, we used to borrow it from time to time. He was a big guy not sure how tall but he was proud of his 56 inch chest I got on with him very well though didn’t see him for a long time as we lost touch when I married and moved out of Manchester. Unfortunately I never saw him wrestle it’s one of my regrets. It will be a great pleasure for me and his family to see him rememberd on your web site along with all the other wrestlers of that great era. Yours David

I've deleted your email address David as it's best not to publicise these things. Ron seems to have got it, but if not I can easily pass it on to him. A bit of success for all of us. I hope you'll stay around and join in other topics.

Were you a wrestling fan yourself? If so tell us where, when and your favourites. We've got an updated Derek Oldham entry to launch tomorrow. But if you could tell us a bit about your friend Derek (not necessarily about the wrestling) that would be useful. Heritage started in 2007 saying "It's all about the memories." Look where it's got us. So please do share your memories.

Hi i have heard back from Dereks family just now and they said it could be The Great Bula as there is not a lot of difference in the pronouncement another name they mentioned who was a friend is Gentleman Jim Lewis Yours David

That's fine David , I will write to you soon.

David , I am a bit unsure on this latest Forum how we do a private message so we can exchange emails.

Hack , if you are reading this can you either give David my email or vica versa and I will collect up a package of bills from my collection and Davis can have them as Jpegs. You can then print or even get the best printed at Boots or somewhere like that.

It will just take me a few days only.

On second thoughts about Great Bula , the weight looks a bit light and I have noticed that Charlie Scott has been on a Jim Lewis show at the Dev so I will try and crack the Bula mystery.

David.......

Here I give you an example of the true nature of Wrestling .

Big Mike McGurn working with his friend Hans Streiger at the DEV in Salford in 1963. I think the promoter was Gentleman Jim Lewis. They probably all had a pint after.

Notice it was a night club with cabaret. A bit different to Belle Vue

Wonderful stuff and my guess is that he would be on at Belle Vue as early as 1952-1956 and I don't have those years yet to catch him on the bills. Indeed he is on at the huge St James Hall Newcastle in 1953 at least three times. http://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/apps/photos/album?albumid=15955184

AS it seems Derek was an alternative great Bula and I think the other being a Geordie I think this bill is probably him as he is managed by Manchester based wrestler and Promoter Jim Lewis and here working near Walsall.