Cocky Chick Knight
I saw Chick Knight a few times at Newcastle in ,I think, 1948/9.
A big bulky bustling sort of wrestler, never scientific, but strong and awkward to handle, and in the later years,always prone to heat up the audience a little before his usual disqualification.
Nothing particularly stands out in my memory of Chick, regarding his wrestling style,favourite holds etc.except for the above.
BUT the promoters must have thought well of him as a drawing card , because at Newcastle in 1948/9, (My first period of going there ), he faced the following top line regulars:-
Jack Pye
Bert Asiratti
Ernest Baldwin
Ken Davies
Hassan Ali Bey
Bill Benny
and Wally Seddon.
2 European and British Heavyweight Champions, the King of the Mat, Possibly the strongest man in the world and a couple of hard men.
And that is only the promoters advertising.
Prior to 1948 he was a regular visitor to Newcastle and I think that possibly during the war he must have been in the services somewhere up North.
The first bout at Newcastle that I can find is against Anaconda ,on 20/5/1939.there were 4 more visits in that year.
No appearances in 1940 or 1941,he re-appeared losing to George Clark on 18/4/1942. Could this have been service abroad or elsewhere in the U K ?
There were 2 bouts by Don Knights in June and August 1941, but I don't know if this is connected. During 1943/45 he was there almost every 2 weeks ,so I presume that he was posted up north or moved to live up there.
The last bout that I can find at Newcastle is a loss to Charlie Green in February 1950.
The Hammersmith Hero episode of Secrets of London on the London Live TV channel will air this Sunday at 5.55pm.
This episode documents Chick's double lifesaving feat in the Thames at Hammersmith in 1930 and obviously refers to the book and Chick's colourful life.