Henry Cooper at the Thomas a Becket
Met Henry in dartford when we was on a school trip from st michaels - dockhead.. he was opening a Munich 72 sports shop there.. he was a proper gent then as he is now.. and he took time out to have a chat with us little toe-rags..
When travelling to Paragon school in the early 60's always went on the top deck of the 42 to try and see Sir Henry Cooper training upstairs in the gym if we caught the lights at the junction of Albany Road and Old Kent Road. And were those really bomb shrapnel marks in the walls from WWII action?? my Dad said they were........remember the cold store opposite the pub, apparently when it was demolished the ground underneath was frozen to a great depth and hampered the demolition.
My uncle (East End) also a boxer was in the army boxing squad with Henry C. My father was an amateur boxing ref. my mum a Bermondsey girl. I remember a very heavy sort of velvety curtain just inside one of the doors of the Thomas behind which my parents hid me on occasion when they popped in for quick visit I can still smell stale beer and cig smoke.
When my nan was in St Olaves hospital c 1964 we were visiting her at the same time as the Cooper twins were visiting their gran in the next bed. What a lovely man 'Enry is and so lovely to hear that Bermondsey accent. Just like listening to my dad and my uncles talking.
Boxing and rowing were such important sports (apart from football) in Bermondsey werent they. My Grandad - George Dixon - was a tiny little bloke but he had his flat full of trophies he had won in the Ring at Blackfriars.
Hi Hethmar
Yep we all loved 'Our Enry' he was a big part of us growing up in Bermondsey.
He was a bit of inspiration, made me join a club and do a bit of Boxing although i don't
think i was that good, and i didn't like getting hit may have spoiled my good looks?
There is a short clip of Enry on the (Bermondsey) Video sung by Dick Emery putting
Cassius Clay on the canvas.
I remember listen to it on the radio....great stuff....if only?
What was you Gdads fighting name? do you have any more info.
Bermondseyboy
Steve
My uncle, Jimmy Longworth, used to box.
Two of Jimmy's friends were Henry Cooper's manager Jim Wicks and the boxing referee Harry Gibbs.
Both my mum and dad's families knew Jim Wicks mum Mary Wicks.
Mums' family lived in Dix's Place and dad's family lived in Paulin Street.
I think several members of my family used to box. I know my cousin Ronnie Dixon was also a boxer for defo.
Sorry Steve, dont know what Grandad's ring name was. My dad was the youngest of 9 kids so there was 25 years between him and his eldest bro :) Grandad was well in his 80s when he died but I was only about 5. (He ruptured his stomach carrying a hundred weight bag of coal home!) Great shame, Id love to have been able to talk to him a lot more about his early life.
I remember sitting in his and nans flat at Swan Estate and there was this HUGE Clock on the sideboard with George and the Dragon figures either side of it - all in "gold" It used to fascinate me and dad said that was one of the prizes grandad got for fighting. There were other things all over the place under glass domes but its that big clock I always remembered. Course, everything disappeared once nan died too in the 60s.
Nan also had a very big family in Rotherhithe - the Cheals.
I just thought, Nan sometimes called Grandad charlie, it was his second name? But he was only an amateur so I doubt Ill find anything about him. I have an old postcard of the Ring at Blackfriars but I believe it burnt down during the war?
Dad told me grand dad had a chance of going to the states to box but nan vetoed it (but legends tend to grow dont they :)) I know two of his bros went to the states but sadly not which ones.
