Living Greats in Age Order

Eddie Rose dob 23/03/1940 still going strong!

Thanks for the update Anglo Italian. It's important that we keep up with this. Trouble is that as more die the links to information become more difficult.

Updated today, above.

I visited with Dave Cameron on Friday.

I emailed Lee Scott's son a few weeks ago to ask how his dad was and have not received a reply.

I thought we had established Dave Finlay Senior as having been born in 1936?

Barry Douglas can, regrettably, now be removed from the list.

Perhaps this thread is the one that should be pinned.

This list unfortunately requires further updating following the demise of Jim Breaks and Dwight Ingelburgh

For Mad Mac: Dave Finlay Sr was added here a few weeks ago.

Dave Fit Finlay is now almost 66 and I believe his dad Dave Finlay senior is still alive.

Now Dave senior started in 1963 after a long amateur career and I have read in one article he was age 30.

He was married by 1957 when he and his wife went to Canada and they came back in 1961.

But another anomaly is that he says he lost an eye age 8 towards the end of the war.

So date of birth 1933 or possibly later.

I am unsure if Dave ever wrestled in England. But does that matter. Northern Ireland is UK.

Just found Dave Finlays Canada details. Born 6th April 1936.

He is one of the oldest.

The passing of Gori Ed Mangotich allows a moment to revisit this important list.

It seems clear that Dwight J Ingleburgh is now the longest living wrestler of those we all saw regularly.

I fear this list may have many sad inaccuracies.

Update of 6th November 2023 at the passing of Gori Ed Mangotich

1933 Dave Cameron - a visitor

1933 Dwight J Ingleburgh

1934 Lee Scott

1934 Don Robinson

1934 Bob Sweeney

1935 Horst Hoffman - a visitor

1935 Blackburn Roberts

1936 Linde Caulder

1936 Bob Kirkwood

1936 Sean Regan

1937 Jim Breaks

1937 Bob Anthony

1937 Tony Scarlo

1937 Alan Serjeant

1938 Brian Crabtree

1938 Brian Maxine

1939 John Cox

1939 Bobby Barnes

1939 Mark Wayne

1940 Jon Cortez

1940 Tony Costas

1940 Maurice Hunter

1940 Al Miquet

1940 Mel Stuart

We still need to investigate

Barry Douglas

Ray Fury

Al Nicol

Lou Ravelle - Unsure if he's alive but could be right up there at the top

Judo Pete Roberts

Dean Stockton - Possibly 1942

Peter Kaye

Joe Murphy

Gordon Smith

The list below is already shortening with the news about Seamus and Billy Two Rivers

We have an update on Gori Ed Mangotich, but nothing definite. He stopped going to the luncheon club he attended in Mitcham at the outbreak of Covid and has not returned. But that is true of many of the members of course, so basically we are no further on, he may well be amongst our living greats.

I have found a Business report of a company of which he was a Director (dissolved 1992) and this gives a date of birth of December, 1922 (EDIT: Should read 1932) . A ships passenger list of 1957 states a date of birth of 11th December, 1922, (EDIT; Should read 19320 which would make him older than both Max Crabtree and Sam Betts.

Another snippet I've just come across is that a witness at Edwin Reid's wedding in 1958 was a G. De Jager.

The sad news reported by BKendo of Spencer Churchill's death and Ron's discovery about Bobo Matu is shortening our list. Still no news of Gori Ed Mangotich. We do have two new entries of Mark Wayne in 1939 and Bob Sweeney in 1934.

1925 Mohammed Yakub - a visitor

1926 Syed Saif Shah - Believed to be in Pakistan. Alive according to wrestlingdata.com but then they might just not have up to date information. A problem of including overseas wrestlers.

1932 Gori Ed Mangotich - Unsure if he's alive

1933 Dave Cameron - a visitor

1933 Max Crabtree

1933 Dwight J Ingleburgh

1934 Seamus Dunleavy

1934 Lee Scott

1934 Don Robinson

1934 Bob Sweeney

1935 Billy Two Rivers - a visitor

1935 Horst Hoffman - a visitor

1935 Blackburn Roberts

1936 Linde Caulder

1936 Bob Kirkwood

1936 Sean Regan

1937 Jim Breaks

1937 Bob Anthony

1937 Tony Scarlo

1937 Alan Serjeant

1938 Brian Crabtree

1938 Brian Maxine

1939 John Cox

1939 Bobby Barnes

1939 Mark Wayne

1940 Jon Cortez

1940 Tony Costas

1940 Maurice Hunter

1940 Al Miquet

1940 Adrian Street Esq

1940 Mel Stuart

We still need to investigate

Barry Douglas

Ray Fury

Al Nicol

Lou Ravelle - Unsure if he's alive but could be right up there at the top

Judo Pete Roberts

Dean Stockton - Possibly 1942

Jim Green (The Monster) - Believed to have died

Peter Kaye

Joe Murphy

Gordon Smith

With Spencer now gone before we could ever crown him properly, we move into a Dark Age of uncertainty.

Wondering whether Bobo and Gori Ed are still alive?

Fascinating how we discuss the completed history of fifty, sixty and seventy years ago yet the tectonic plates of the present days continue to unfoot us and keep us on our toes as we strive to maintain links with those glory days.

RON HISTORYO....Time Cop,53m

I have just had an intense look at Dave Shirland/Bobo Matu of Bolton and now believe he was born David Crossman born 16th October 1932 and died 9th October 2020 under the same name. (BOLTON) Looks to me like his Grandfather was from Barbadoes and married an English woman from Rochdale. The Grandfather was a Shirland. The Crossman /Shirland link is a bit hazy and no marriage to cement this up , but Dave's mother Hannah Crossman has a Shirland link on some documents and was married at least twice. To work all this out I started with a clue from The Whose Who of Wrestling , where it was stated in 1971 that he had a wife Enid and 10 year old daughter Bernadette. Sure enough David Crossman married Enid Dolan in Bolton in 1959 and Bernadette was born 1961.

The Time Cop has done it again. Sometimes you must surprise yourself Ron.

To my mind this is an important topic and we shouldn't let it drift away until we reach a satisfactory conclusion.

We have a step forward with confirmation from Bobby Barnes that he was born in 1939. We also had a response regarding Gori Ed Mangotich from someone saying they would try and find out more. This leaves the current 1940 and earlier standings as

1925 Mohammed Yakub

1926 Syed Saif Shah - Believed to be in Pakistan. Alive according to wrestlingdata.com but then they might just not have up to date information. A problem of including overseas wrestlers.

1929 Spencer Churchill

1932 Bobo Matu - Unsure if he's alive

1932 Gori Ed Mangotich - Unsure if he's alive

1933 Dave Cameron

1933 Max Crabtree

1933 Dwight J Ingleburgh

1934 Seamus Dunleavy

1934 Lee Scott

1934 Don Robinson

1935 Billy Two Rivers

1935 Horst Hoffman

1935 Blackburn Roberts

1936 Linde Caulder

1936 Bob Kirkwood

1936 Sean Regan

1937 Jim Breaks

1937 Bob Anthony

1937 Tony Scarlo

1937 Alan Serjeant

1938 Brian Crabtree

1938 Brian Maxine

1939 John Cox

1939 Bobby Barnes

1940 Jon Cortez

1940 Tony Costas

1940 Maurice Hunter

1940 Al Miquet

1940 Adrian Street Esq

1940 Mel Stuart

Not yet known

Bobby Barnes - Ron suspects 1939

Barry Douglas

Ray Fury

Al Nicol

Lou Ravelle - Unsure if he's alive

Judo Pete Roberts

Dean Stockton

Bob Sweeney

Jim Green (The Monster) - Believed to have died

Peter Kaye

Joe Murphy

Gordon Smith

There's still a long way to go but looking at Anglo Italian's original list and other's born 1940 and earlier my latest offering is

1925 Mohammed Yakub

1926 Syed Saif Shah - Believed to be in Pakistan. Alive according to wrestlingdata.com but then they might just not have up to date information. A problem of including overseas wrestlers.

1929 Spencer Churchill

1932 Bobo Matu - Unsure if he's alive

1932 Gori Ed Mangotich - Unsure if he's alive

1933 Dave Cameron

1933 Max Crabtree

1933 Dwight J Ingleburgh

1934 Seamus Dunleavy

1934 Lee Scott

1934 Don Robinson

1935 Billy Two Rivers

1935 Horst Hoffman

1935 Blackburn Roberts

1936 Linde Caulder

1936 Bob Kirkwood

1936 Sean Regan

1937 Jim Breaks

1937 Bob Anthony

1937 Tony Scarlo

1937 Alan Serjeant

1938 Brian Crabtree

1938 Brian Maxine

1939 John Cox

1940 Jon Cortez

1940 Tony Costas

1940 Maurice Hunter

1940 Al Miquet

1940 Adrian Street Esq

1940 Mel Stuart

Not yet known

Bobby Barnes - Ron suspects 1939

Barry Douglas

Ray Fury

Al Nicol

Lou Ravelle - Unsure if he's alive

Judo Pete Roberts

Dean Stockton

Bob Sweeney

Jim Green (The Monster) - Believed to have died

Peter Kaye

Joe Murphy

Gordon Smith

Also on Anglo Italian's list

1941 Johnny Saint

1942 Roy St Clair

Some good ones sneaking in and I've checked Breaks and he is 1937.

Can't check Pete Roberts with any certainty.

Think Bobby Barnes is 1939 but can't be sure.