Eric Turner.
I'm sure the title of this thread will have given Anglo Italian a smile. Maybe SaxonWolf and John Shelvey too. They may remember our discussion of years ago. Well, admittedly it was a one sided discussion.
It must be nearly fifteen years since I raised the name of Eric Turner. Eric Turner? Do you mean Eric Taylor they asked. No, of course I don't mean Eric Taylor. If I had meant Eric Taylor I would have said Eric Taylor.
I bring him to our attention once again because there is so much weird stuff up in Main Mask's attic that finding the illusive Eric could be his greatest challenge yet.
Get up that ladder Main Mask. Turner is the name. Eric Turner.
The story. Eric Turner was a wrestler from Leyland, Lancashire. My home town. In 1965 when the MC announced that Eric would be on the next bill I was so exccited. Well, I was 11 years old. Excitement was an understatement. Leyland wasn't known for famous people. Bill Tunney and Dave Finch were on the same bill. But that was Preston, five miles away. Not Leyland. We were a bit parochial.
One month later Eric was up there in the ring. He was up against Stoker Brooks. Stoker was a good wrestler. Eric was.. let's just say he was a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand he was from Leyland. I saw him again a month or two later, at Chorley, against Casey Pye. He got a fall against Crafty Casey. It was a memorable fall. Memorable because someone in the crowd shouted "I could get a Leyland bus under those shoulders."
Further investigations revealed that Eric was a milkman at one time, his mum lived on the Broadfield estate, a neighbour said she thought he had gone to America and Heritage member Wryton discovered he had a couple of matches for Joint Promotions under the name Eric Leyland. One was against Jack Dempsey. I trust Eric's mum said her prayers that night.
So, Main Mask the challenge is on for you to find Eric Turner up in your attic. We've looked everywhere else.
For everyone else to report any sightings or knowledge.
For Eric to contact us if he's still with us.
And for Ruslan to know that if he finds a photo of Eric wearing a belt it will be a fake.
Hi Ost, thhanks for your request for photo of Willenhall programme for 3rd. March 1967.Sorry can not help with photo. I only have it as a written bill in my file. here is the full bill. Starr V Streiger, Kovacs V Roach, Keegan V V. Stewart, Downs V Leyland. Hope this helps you. I thought this was better than nothing.
All the best, Ian P.
Hi Hack. Have found one more programme with our friend. Willenhall Baths, Friday 3rd March 1967 Bob SteeleVEric Leyland. Steele won 2-0.
Kind regards, Ian Pringle
Hi Hack, ihave found one more programme with our friend. Willenhall baths Friday March 3rd. Bobby Steele V Eric Leyland. Steele won 2-0.
Kind regards Ian Pringle.
Yes the Eric Turner/Eric Leyland saga reached a conclusion. Though I was disappointed that Eric had not got in touch to say he hadn't heard of himself.
Eric Turner
But Ron knows how to push the buttons and I thank him for this latest Eric find
Well done Hack!
What satisfaction in any walk of like to get a result after 15 years sleuthing.
But in a field as important as old-time British pro wrestling, the satisfaction escalates.
I've retitled the topic because it may be that the Eric Turner saga has reached a conclusion. Fear not boys, all is about to be shared, there's no private secrets for Bkendo1.
At launch in 2007 Wrestling Heritage promised to celebrate all those who played their part in the success of post war professional wrestling, giving credit to unsung and long forgotten players who did their bit and allowed the perceived stars to shine. If anyone has stretched that ambition to it’s limit it must be Eric Turner, a middleweight type from Leyland in Lancashire.
We had watched Eric twice, a few weeks apart in 1967. At Preston Public Hall he wrestled Stoker Brooks and a few weeks later, Casey Pye at Chorley Town Hall, both for Cape Promotions. Recollections of the matches are scant. We remember black tights, an unimpressive physique, know that as local boy Eric came out the winner, and that we were disappointed. Eric failed to impress a local crowd who so much wanted to be impressed, “I could get a Leyland bus under those shoulders,” shouted a ringside fan as the referee counted Eric’s pin of Casey Pye.
Eric’s disappearance from wrestling was mercifully swift, gone but not forgotten at Heritage. Who was he? What became of him? For fifteen years we asked those questions. Progress was painfully slow. Eventually we located a lady who said she had been a neighbour on the Broadfield estate in Leyland, that he sometimes wrestled as Eric Leyland, and she had heard he went to America. Someone else said he had gone to work in the Middle East. Progress of sorts, but then nothing more. We found a couple of Eric Leyland matches, one of them against Jack Dempsey, which still makes us anxious about Eric’s safety.
We did hear that he had been drinking in the British Legion in Leyland, but that must have been over forty years ago. The biggest break came when we heard from a friend of Eric’s, Bruce. After all these years Bruce was keen to share memories of a man who had made an impression,
“Hello to anyone who bathed in the effervescent glow of Eric Turner’s fun personality. Boy oh boy, Eric was 'a piece of work', always with a big grin and a quick quip. When he came into the 'Brazilian Coffee Bar' he lit the place up. Everyone knew and liked Eric. his fund of stories from when he was driving 'heavy-goods', were enthralling to those of us stuck in Leyland as teenage apprentices, and had never been anywhere.
I helped him deliver milk around the Sandy Lane area when he drove an electric-milk truck for Millers milk out of Bamber Bridge. He even let me 'drive' in some quiet streets.
His story of driving a Waggon Wheels” truck through a hedge, as his brakes failed, and climbing out of the wreckage to find the cows feeding on wide-strewn “Waggon Wheels” still makes me smile.
He would have a 'go' at anything, and wrestling was typical of him. Wherever he is, I wish him well as he left warm memories with me.”
Bruce’s stories were supported when our research uncovered a 1961 news report headlined “Scrambled Eggs.” A trailer of an articulated lorry mounted a pavement, demolished a lamp post and distributed four tons of eggs across the Chester Road in Erdington, Birmingham. The driver of the lorry? That’s right, Eric Turner of Leyland.
The next piece of the jigsaw was provided by Heritage member Wryton who provided a photo of a wrestler called Laurie Leyland. Could this be our Eric? Possibly, said wrestler Paul Mitchell, who recalled the wrestler, though thought he was called Eric Brooks. Paul told us that Eric had been trained by Alan Wood, which came as something of a surprise, and believed that by the late 1960s was living in Adlington, a few miles from Alan’s home in Coppull.
The Laurie Leyland name enabled us to make the final, definitive link, they were one and the same person. In 1939 Eric was three years old (born 1st August, 1936) and living with his parents in Chorley, four miles from Leyland and Adlington. So, it looks like he was born in Chorley, moved to Leyland, later Adlington and then goodness knows where.
A twenty year old who earned a crust as a milkman, lorry driver and a bit of wrestling. The link with Alan Wood most likely gave him access to Wryton Promotions and contests with Jack Dempsey, Terry Downs, Colin Joynson and probably a few others.
Whatever happened next we don’t know. If he’s still enjoying life we wish Eric well, and thank him for our enjoyable journey of discovery. We hope he reads this and enjoys his re-discovered fame. Probably more famous now than the night he pinned Crafty Casey.
Boo, disqualify him ref.
Public Warning to Hack!
We have lived through the Eric Turner saga communally for over ten years and now we get close to a solution you say you will resolve via the scourge that is a Private Message!
You have milked it for all it was worth and now you leave us flat as a cowpat.
Booooo! Or Mooooo!
Thanks bkendo1. Adlington sounds good, and the reference to cows and milk not necessarily off the mark as he was a milkman. I will email you with more information that is not suitable for the site. His A to Z entry will be updated in the next few days. Ironically it will probably be less interesting now we have made further discoveries.
Hack I hope you've traced him and my recollection not confused the matter.It was indeed Adlington autocorrect fault for Arlington.the pic of Laurie looks like a guy called Eric but I was sure he wrestled as brooks couple of other things but one I didn't want to upset any family members who may view the site.However with your further info it may not be him so here goes, his abilities considering he knew Alan and I thought he might have got him into the game were poor he had some amatuer moves but was not fluid and appeared reticent ,this resulted in a fellow worker saying he should stick to the cows and the milk which I took to mean he was a farmworker. This probably eliminates the guy from being the missing Turner.
There's a breakthrough on the Eric Turner story with confirmed birth details, but I'm waiting a day or so in the hope that bkendo1 will confirm the Adlington connection.
You could be on to something here bkendo1.
Arlington?
Do you mean Adlington? I guess you do as there doesn't seem to be an Arlington round here.
Adlington is 5 miles from Coppull where Alan Wood lived.
It's 4 miles from Chorley and 9 miles from Leyland.
Chorley is 5 miles from Leyland.
So we are in the same neck of the wood
Eric Turner lived at one time on Broadfield Drive, Leyland. But there was a connection with Chorley. The closeness of Chorley and Adlington could have meant that the connection was with Adlington and just referred to as Chorley. I had guessed the Chorley connection was where he had been born, but that might be wrong and maybe he did live in Chorley/Adlington at some point whilst wrestling.
Eric Turner, Eric Leyland and Laurie Leyland matches are all in 1967 (there's even an instance of a Barry Leyland that fits in the pattern). What years did you come across Eric Broooks bkendo?
Eddie or Eric Brooks is not a name I've come across. Obviously you've not imagined that bkendo but if these are all the same people I would be very surprised if Eric Turner's actual name was Brooks as he was known as Turner in Leyland. The friend who previously got in touch and told us about working with him knew him as Eric Turner, and so did his next door neighbour.
Still, you've got us tantalisingly close bkendo. Thanks. My guess is that we are there, but actually knowing it or proving it we are not there yet.
Eric Turner could turn out the man with more names than matches.
The picture of this Laurie Leyland looks very similar to a guy who Alan Wood wrestled a few times and certainly trained with,but if I remember correctly he was from Arlington and was called Eddie or Eric Brooks .
Flashy and bombastic cape-swisher - he bears all the hallmarks of being from Leyland.
He's back. Eric Turner, the boy that just can't be kept down. Just to recap the story so far Eric Turner lived in Leyland (possibly born in Chorley), a milkman, wrestled fleetingly in the mid 1960s, using the names Eric Turner and Eric Leyland. Last seen in the Leyland British Legion, nothing to do with wrestling.
Well, Heritage member Wryton (remember him?) has been in touch.
He's sent a few references to Eric Leyland
And now ....
A photo and a question.
Was Laurie Leyland also Eric Turner. Does anyone know Laurie Leyland? Can we eliminate him from our enquiries. Here's a photo of Laurie Leyland.
It's 55 years ago, I couldn't tell you if this is our Eric. I do know Eric wore tights, as does Laurie, and with a physique like that it is quite believable. Could well be a milkman.
Who was Laurie Leyland?
Hate to say it Main Mask. This was Eric. Best start in the basement.
Are you still up that ladder Main Mask?
Don't stay up too late. I fear we are talking obscure here.
I'm on this Latest Case HACK!-The 1965 Time Frame is a good starting lead!-I'll begin the Trawl Today
and keep you posted!
I Love your last line concerning RUSLAN!!
MAIN MASK