William "Billy" Beech (x2) and Isaac "Ike" Beech

Dear friends, HOBBY-ist from the United States is me, Paul, talk to Paul Mitchell of Salford (hes on Heritage), in his thread on Lancs belts he speaks about Westhoughton Nursing Association wrestling championships, in fact it was an official name of the title belt Jack Alker won/held in the early to mid 1930s. Belt became property of Beech after 1937 (I think) and after that he usually was billed as a middleweight and a 'gold belt holder' I made quite a few posts on Heritage re this subject. Belt was around in the 1950s and used by Jack Taylor of Accrington in his promotion (there's a photo of his protégé wearing it)...other famous champs who held it in the 50s-60s were Fred Woolley and Gentleman Jim Lewis, both of Salford.

Ted Beech nearing the end of his career. Maybe someone can tell me which one went by the name of Buddy Beech.

Maybe someone can tell me which one went by the name of Buddy Beech.

Looks like Ike Beech liked a trip to Morecambe. Promoter Kathleen Look

Cheers Ron thats a belter!

This one is a nice look back at Billy.

Ike Beech was my great grandfather, and Billy "his son" my granfather. Its great to see all this history online, thanks for taking the time to remember them guys.

Steven Lee Beech

I've also uncovered this. https://issuu.com/wlct/docs/pf39 Take a look at pages 40-41, the letter entitled "Marylebone Village". Embedded here for ease - looks like Billy Beech ran a gym of some sort

I think a lot of these belts came from a different age and often they were lent out by promoters for photo shoots.

In the case of Alker he was said to have won the Amateur title in 1932 and of course promoters would be very happy to bring that reputation to the pro ring.

Johanfesson , Billy Riley and Harold Angus all did similar things. It just gave colour and realism to wrestling.

I agree it looks to be the same belt , but like I say the opportunity was arranged.

I always say in pro wrestling , belts were not won but awarded.

Another mystery around Billy Beech/Jack Harrison. In the picture I shared earlier in the thread, Billy is wearing his lightweight championship belt. The picture is estimated to be from 1935 as that's when we can prove he held it. It's the same belt awarded to Jack Alker in 1932 that, as far as we can tell, he held in an unbeaten run until at least 1936. So, the facts I have at this stage seem to contradict each other. Billy held the title in 35. Alker also is supposed to have held it throughout 32-36 and wasn't beaten. The belt is the same one as Alker's as I have a picture of Alker wearing it too. Do we know if Billy ever faced & beat Alker to win the belt? Could Alker have been called away in 1935 (to go to Africa where the army was active knowing that Billy was older at this time and unlikely to have served and therefore held it on an interim basis)? Could there have been 2 belts both identical in name? Here is the picture of both men wearing the same belt.

Keeping in mind that 1935 is the year in question around Billy winning the title. I noticed that on Alkers bio page that in August 1935 there was a lightweight title match held in Liverpool featuring Alker but the opponent and result are unknown. Could this have been when Billy won the title? I also see in 1935 that Jack dislocated his shoulder in a match. Might this have resulted in a lay-off that allowed Billy to gain the title? Either way, so far I have no records of a match between Alker and Beech. For Billy to win the title and Alker to regain presumably there'd need to have been at least 2 bouts between them?

The Fighting Pitmen is a great way to put the three of them together. It makes for great reading in a way that we can learn easily.

Great example from Bkendo1 , I for one was having a hard time of finding a suitable Doctor Death worker who I could be certain was Ted.

Got a feeling I might have seen Ted as Dr death at Wythenshawe.

And Atherton , even they had wrestling , makes me wonder if any towns never put a show on.

Ted

Read our tribute to Billy, Ike and Ted in the Local Heroes series

The Fighting Pitmen

@RON HISTORYO....Time Cop Billy "Jack Harrison" or Billy "Ted" Beech? I know that Billy/Jack would say he was from loads of different places or at least that's what I've learned with regards his bouts. He'd be billed as being from a few different places. However Billy/Jack isn't connected with Elizabeth Rigby. Elizabeth married Ike (Billy/Jack's brother). I don't know anything about her other than what I've got on the family tree. Based on my research she had 7 siblings, 1 sister and 6 brothers however none of the brothers were named Tommy or Thomas. We've got John, James, William, Richard, Edward and Joseph. Sister was Ellen. Based on the documentation I've found she was born in Shevington, Lancs which is 30 miles south-west of Padiham. I've got her on 2 censuses living at home with her family prior to marrying Ike and no mention of a Tommy or Thomas on either.

Shevington is where Ike and brother Billy initially travelled to after they left Biddulph, Staffs presumably to find work in the mines. Ike pops up on the census there living in a house with just his mother in 1911 living at 27 Broad O'Th' Ln. at 20 years old with his mother, Minnie. He's working in the mines and he married Elizabeth in 1913. I'm sure there are a lot of Rigbys, maybe a cousin of Elizabeth?

It's great to see you get something out of this thread Paul and I have a mystery for you to consider.

I have actually seen Billy Beech billed from Padiham.

Ike Beech married Elizabeth Rigby. Do you know anything about her. Did she have a brother Tommy Rigby , a boxer and wrestler billed from Padiham. he is on the second bill I put on this thread.

Could it be you also have Rigby wrestlers in your genes.

@RON HISTORYO....Time Cop Here's a pic of Ike Beech much later in life at the wedding of his daughter (Elsie O'Connor nee Beech) who was my paternal grandmother and the sister of Billy "Ted" Beech. Based on the marriage records, this picture is from 1947 and I believe the wedding was in West Bank in Widnes at St. Mary's.

Thanks Paul and Ron. That's news to me that Billy Beech and Jack Harrison were one and the same. Looks like we need to do a bit of work on our A-Z.

Round about 1912 , in the main , the music hall wrestling had fizzled out and some of the Lancashire wrestlers promoted outdoor wrestling at local football grounds. Probably to be more professional and use turnstiles to collect money.

That year I found Ike Beech wrestling at Pemberton Rugby club and Billy Beech at Atherton football club. These were truly "catch" wrestlers.

Date of death for Billy senior. I reckon late 1959 Ince in Makerfield.

I am sure Hack especially will be keen to note that Jack Harrison and Billy Beech were one and the same. Not sure if this is a discovery.

You ask about old wrestlers.

When wrestling got going in 1931 promoters were desperate to get as many British wrestlers that they could . There just were not enough. Lots of the old Catch Wrestlers who had wrestled in fields found a few more miles in the tank,

Even in the 1980's we still had many veteran wrestlers propping up what had become an industry in decline.

I shall have a dig for more bills. There are plenty of Ted.

@RON HISTORYO....Time Cop reading the poster about 47 hear old Billy has jogged my memory to a long-forgotten story from a relative. He would wrestle under different names, one of them was "Jack Harrison" often prefixed with mad/wild. That led me to find this: https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/hharrison.htm

Jack Harrison

In March, 1931, when Jack Harrison lost to Billy Riley on the first All-In Wrestling show at the Winter Gardens, Southport, he was billed as Northern Counties Middleweight Champion, another of those mysterious regional titles that seemed to come and go through thin air. Usually billed from Wigan, we have found alternative hometowns of  Bury, Stoke on Trent and Tyneside. Accounts tell of a tough wrestler described on occasions as “Wild Jack.”  Only in the surreal reality of pro wrestling could we find the erstwhile Northern Middleweight Champion billed as “Light Heavyweight Champion of the World” in 1935, a few weeks later defending the “British Junior Lightweight Championship,” and later in the same year “holder of a light heavyweight championship belt given by the West Houghton Nursing Association.”  All wrestling codology, of course, but a clear indication that this busy worker of the 1930s was an accomplished wrestler.