@Powerlock During the last year of my working at St James' 1965/66 there was an OAPs Bingo session at the Hall on a Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately my services were not required on those occasions.
"Get Carter" has been my all time favourite film since it was released in 1971; I have lost count of the number of times that I have seen it as I have had bot Video and CD plus the number of times it has been screened on TV. I still shout out various locations, people in the background that I have known but I never realised that the bingo hall was St James; another viewing is now in order. Mind Carter must have followed Margaret a long way from the hall as I think that it was outside Manors Station that he caught up with her!
yeah a bit like whatever happened to the Likely lads, walk down a street in Wallsend turn the corner and they were in Felling. Boxing wasn't being promoted at the hall after 1967 as far as I know so if the bingo took off which it obviously did they would add extra sessions, reasonably cheap to run, multiple sessions per week. sometimes twice daily. The diminishing returns in what was a big hall that had seen better days it was inevitable the promoters would call it a day and move to the City Hall. The betting shop scene in Get Carter was filmed about 200 yards from my grans house most of the people in the shop were locals. The undertakers was Joe Donnelly's funeral parlour not far from the bookies both in Hebburn.
I may by no means have found them all but Whipper Watson was at St James 3 times in 1938 , 6 times in 1939 and 1 time in early 1940 , he went back to Montreal 30thMay 1940 from Liverpool on the Ship Duchess of Richmond.
Don't know if it is of any interest but he was also on a few times at Whitley Bay.
Hi Wilburns6. 1958 is after I left Newcastle ,so I can't help on matches at that time.
However, coming onto your last point, there were never any cameras at St James' Hall that I know of and I don't think that there is any footage from that stadium.
If you are looking for further information on the set up of the hall and the staff there, then I did put up a post in my early days on this site.
the only footage that was broadcast as far as I know was a boxing show which I think featured either Marice Cullen or George Bowes both at the top of their respective weights in the mid 1960s. On film the hall is featured in the 1971 film Get Carter when it had become a bingo hall both internally and externally
Thesz's 58 match was 8th Feb and the newspaper bill was in poor condition. The previous night he was at Leicester. Only info I have is that Thesz beat Orford that night.
The very first Wrestling was 24th Feb 1931 at St James Hall.
Irslinger beat Oakeley and Prof Joseph Speding Robinson beat Bulldog Bill Garnon.
3rd March 1931.
Modrich v Boganski and Assirati v Irslinger.
More on the 17th March Irslinger and Oakeley drew in a return and George Boganski beat Assirati. That gives us the first three cards.
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Unknown member
Jan 05, 2021
Thanks Dave, will do. I am in particular looking for information on Lou Thesz's 1958 match and any matches that Billy "Whipper" Watson appeared on. Also, at the Hall, was the TV cameras ever present? Or any cameras for that matter? Could they be any footage of the Hall out there?
Hello Wilburns and welcome; if you search this site and look for Bernard Hughes (bjh of the current thread), Powerlock, Ian Pringle or myself Dave Sutherland we have all, over the years, contributed bits about North East wrestling especially St James' Hall.
Post any queries and I'm sure that someone will try to help you.
Like
Unknown member
Jan 05, 2021
Hi guys, I have just come across this website. I'm a Geordie and I own a few wrestling websites writing about the history of the American territories, the NWA, the WWF and WCW but I am heavily interested in finding out about wrestling in my hometown of Newcastle. I have picked up Archie Potts' book called Headlocks and Handbags and it is a great read. Do you guys know of anything else I could pick up or any websites that I could check out? Thanks for keeping all this stuff alive so I found this today!
Thanks Ron. I asked about 18/5/46 bill because, previously we had discussed George Clark and the results showed that Clem Lawrence beat G. C. on that bill.
Your results are different and seem more likely.
I am halfway through a precis on Chick Knight and his results at Newcastle.
Whipper seemed to keep coming back but never won.
Whipper Watson v Jack Pye at Whitley Bay.
A few Newspaper adds.
Oh my god lads, great stuff and I am loving the posters. I'll also check out Get Carter so I can see inside the Hall. Thanks for all of this!
They used Priory Skating Rink during this pre war period. Got at least 4 with Whipper on there.
Using my own bills and the Ray Plunkett Index I have found 19 visits for Whipper Watson to St James Hall.
There could be a few more as there are gaps where no newspapers have been looked at.
3rd April 1937 v Bob Fife
28th April 1937 v Johnny Dallas
12th Feb1938 v Hans Lagren
16th April 1938 v Vic Hessle
4th June 1938 StClair Gregory beat Watson
9th July 1938 v Ali Alaba
6th August 1938 Khonke beat Watson
27th August 1938 Watson v Terry Van
29th October 1938 Watson v McNeil
3rd December 1938 Watson v Blue Mask
17th December 1938 Mansfield beat Watson
4th March 1939 v Bert Mansfield
25th March 1939 v Black Butcher Johnso
2nd Sept 1939 v (Dave Armstrong) but result 1-1 with McLaughlin
23rd September 1939 v Red Devil
14th October 1939 Jim Atlas beat Watson
4thNovember 1939; Team Match Hessle/Wills/Cerino/Morrow v Atherton/McLauchlan/Watson/Tarzan Hunter
2ndDecember 1939 Dave Armstrong beat Watson
6th January 1940 Wally Seddon
I may by no means have found them all but Whipper Watson was at St James 3 times in 1938 , 6 times in 1939 and 1 time in early 1940 , he went back to Montreal 30thMay 1940 from Liverpool on the Ship Duchess of Richmond.
Don't know if it is of any interest but he was also on a few times at Whitley Bay.
Hi Wilburns6. 1958 is after I left Newcastle ,so I can't help on matches at that time.
However, coming onto your last point, there were never any cameras at St James' Hall that I know of and I don't think that there is any footage from that stadium.
If you are looking for further information on the set up of the hall and the staff there, then I did put up a post in my early days on this site.
Hack, can you help please ?
Thesz's 58 match was 8th Feb and the newspaper bill was in poor condition. The previous night he was at Leicester. Only info I have is that Thesz beat Orford that night.
The very first Wrestling was 24th Feb 1931 at St James Hall.
Irslinger beat Oakeley and Prof Joseph Speding Robinson beat Bulldog Bill Garnon.
3rd March 1931.
Modrich v Boganski and Assirati v Irslinger.
More on the 17th March Irslinger and Oakeley drew in a return and George Boganski beat Assirati. That gives us the first three cards.
Thanks Dave, will do. I am in particular looking for information on Lou Thesz's 1958 match and any matches that Billy "Whipper" Watson appeared on. Also, at the Hall, was the TV cameras ever present? Or any cameras for that matter? Could they be any footage of the Hall out there?
Hello Wilburns and welcome; if you search this site and look for Bernard Hughes (bjh of the current thread), Powerlock, Ian Pringle or myself Dave Sutherland we have all, over the years, contributed bits about North East wrestling especially St James' Hall.
Post any queries and I'm sure that someone will try to help you.
Hi guys, I have just come across this website. I'm a Geordie and I own a few wrestling websites writing about the history of the American territories, the NWA, the WWF and WCW but I am heavily interested in finding out about wrestling in my hometown of Newcastle. I have picked up Archie Potts' book called Headlocks and Handbags and it is a great read. Do you guys know of anything else I could pick up or any websites that I could check out? Thanks for keeping all this stuff alive so I found this today!
Thanks Ron. I asked about 18/5/46 bill because, previously we had discussed George Clark and the results showed that Clem Lawrence beat G. C. on that bill.
Your results are different and seem more likely.
I am halfway through a precis on Chick Knight and his results at Newcastle.
Coming shortly.
By the way Bernard , as a matter of interest , Where/How would you rate Chick Knight.
The Newspapers that year were in bad condition Bernard.
I have dug it out.
The results were different.
NEWCASTLE
Assirati 2-1 Brooks
C.Lawrence bt Brooks
Cyril Knowles bt Johnny Austin
Bert Collins bt Sam Crossley