“YE’VE GOT IT A’ WRANG!”
The headline above was uttered by a person on the other end of the phone. The caller was referring to boxing and the Premierland pieces we have had in recent months.
When I inquired exactly which bits of the article were “wrang”, he refused to say, instead saying that a local newspaper “should ken a’ the facts”.
Then he hung up.
He’s obviously not grasped that articles in BwB are mainly readers’ opinions and recollections, and are put in to fuel debate.
Obviously, if I have facts to hand, then I’ll add them in.
One reader much more polite was Dundee’s DOUGLAS WHITE, who offered more input into the Premierland boxing arena saga, our last piece of which was on August 4.
“I’m sure the ‘Premierland’ building was called Haddington Hall at one time, and was a dance hall,” said Douglas, who lives in the Douglas area of the city.
“I stayed in William Street at that time, at No. 5, which was across the road from the sawmill and Dorward Builders yard.
“We left in 1939/40 when I was about 12, as the family were offered a new house in Linlathen.
“There was a collection of buildings beside Haddington Hall, and these included the Unemployed Workers Union hall, which was part of the Communist Party.
“There was also a cycling club and Robertson’s Shopfitters.
“In the early 1930s, most of the boxing took place in a marquee in William Lane.
“Some of the Evans family — the carnival people at the time — lived in a caravan there, and I always took it that they owned the marquee.
“Most of the other property in the area was owned by Dr David Jacob, who was Jewish.
“He had a practice on Victoria Road, just at Nelson Street, and, when we played in that area or around any of his other properties, he used to come out and chase us away.
“Looking head-on at the photo in BwB on August 4, the Marquee would have been to the left of the building.”
Our files don’t reveal or, indeed, confirm any of the above from Mr White, although there is a suggestion in some correspondence that there was a “canvas boxing booth” in Wellington Street.
NO CELTIC CLUB IN RHODES
ANDY WALKER, who started the ball rolling in the first place, came back from his recent holiday in Rhodes with further input.
“The problem with Premierland, it seems, was that certain promoters were putting on fight after fight, exploiting their boxers,” said Andy, who despondently revealed he couldn’t find a Celtic Supporters’ Club on the Greek island.
“Norrie Tennant once fought Jim Brady, then the following evening took on Benny Lynch. And there were reports that one boxer fought 160 fights in Premierland.
“Mickey Summers, on his way to his championship fight on December 14, 1933, fought on November 16 to beat Banty’s Nipper (Jarrow) at the Premierland venue. He was in the ring again on November 20 to oust Joe Frame at Blantyre’s Pier Pavilion and, three days later, beat Jim Meechan (Clydebank) at the Forresters Hall in Dundee.
“Fred Tennant defeated Jim Brady on points on Tuesday, May 23, 1933, then he defeated Tony Young of Aberdeen at Stenants Pavilion, Aberdeen, the following evening.
“On the Tennant/Brady bill, Jack Gordon (Lochee) beat Jim Grogan (Lochee). As revealed previously in BwB, there were clashes of boxing contests on the same night — on November 20, Jim Cowie lost his title to Tony Butchers at The Ring, Glasgow.
“Unemployment began to rise and, obviously, spending was restrained.
“When Premierland opened up after the war, one of the tenants was the Caledonian Amateur Boxing Club.
“The venue opened on Wednesday, September 7, 1932, and the promoters were The Dundee Boxing Syndicate, made up of business men Tom Miller, Archie McAllister, Charles Black and Joe Miller. The club manager was Albert Evans.
“At this time, there was no British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).
“Boxers could fight anybody in ‘catchweight’ bouts, giving away as much as two or three stones.
“The unsavoury and sinister promotions men put up the purses and fixed the odds.
“Serious injuries went unchecked and, it was with this in mind, that political figures called for action.
“Joe Bell was invited to a dinner where the cleaning up of boxing was the only point on the agenda.
“The audience was invited to promote boxing as a credible sport to participate in or watch as a spectacle. The three main speakers were the Duke of Montrose, Lord Lonsdale and Sir Ian Colquhoun.
“The resolution to form the BBBofC of Great Britain, with BBC of Scotland as a national branch, was passed unanimously — and Premierland was under control of this organisation.
“Within two months of the boxing venue opening, night-time greyhound racing would start at Dens Park, and the dogs would go on to attract crowds of up to 13,000.
“Boxing promoters then started to hold contests the same night as the racing, with Joe Bell appealing for them to hold contests on different nights.
“However, this fell on deaf ears and the choice in the 1930s was going to see Fred Tennant fight Benny Lynch over 10 rounds or go to the dogs at Dens!
“The bills for some of these evenings of entertainment were plastered all over the cities. How the boxers managed must have been a Herculean effort.”
THE SAME JIM BRADY
Staying with boxing, Dundonian KEITH MACFARLANE reveals that he is “a big boxing fan and collector of all things boxing.”
“I have started to read up on the late great Benny Lynch,” he said.
“As I researched his fights, I noticed he had fought a Jim Brady, who was from Dundee, like myself.
“However, I was amazed to discover that this was the same Jim Brady who taught me to box as a boy at St Francis Boxing Club.
“I had about 14 fights for St Francis and remember winning a wee title as boy around 1963/64, but can’t remember what it was.
“It may have been an area schoolboy final and I’m sure the boy I fought in either the semis or the final at Lochee Boys Club was called Gaffney, who was at the Rocky (Rockwell) with me.”
“BEST SINCE DICK MCTAGGART”
JIM SMITH, of Mill o’ Mains, Dundee, sent in the above photo — a wonderful momento of the time he sparred with the legendary Emile Griffith.
“It was taken around 1976 when I lived in South Africa, and Emile had come to Johannesburg to box a South African southpaw,” said Jim.
“We trained at the same gym and, with me being a southpaw, we sparred together.
“He was a great champion, having won five world titles, and I was delighted when we posed together for the photo.”
Jim returned to Britain in 1979, but then moved on to work in Saudi Arabia before returning again to settle in Dundee.
Given the accolade of Dundee’s most successful boxer since Dick McTaggart, Jim boxed for amateur Scotland many times at three weights — welter, light-middle and middle — and he, too, was coached by Jim Brady at St Francis, along with Frank Quinn.
Indeed, the former St John’s HS pupil was deemed to be short-sighted and, as such, was continually refused a professional licence.
He regularly fought in the later stages of the ABA championships and lost narrowly on points to the great Tom Imrie for the Scottish light-middle title.
DUNDEE AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
MIKE ARNOTT, of Yarrow Terrace, Dundee, is currently involved in a project called “Dundee and the Spanish Civil War”.
“Perhaps some of your readers can help as we’re particularly interested in any information, possibly from team archives, on two Dundee junior footballers who were killed fighting in Spain with the International Brigade,” said Mike.
“One is John ‘Patsy’ McEwan, who was killed in July 1937, age 25 or 26.
“He lived at 30 Todburn Lane and was a junior player with Osborne and Downfield.
“The other was Allan Craig, who lived in Clepington Road, and may have played for Lochee Harp before marrying and moving to Glasgow.
“He was killed in the Battle of Jarama in February 1937.
“We have McEwan’s obituary from The Courier, but have little else to go on.”
BOXER MICKY SUMMERS
LAURA DOHERTY wrote to me on behalf of her father Frank.
“He’s looking for more information on Mickey Summers, the boxer from Dundee.
“I read the article online (BwB, April 8), that someone had written in, and my grandfather was friends with Mickey.
“He would like to see a photo of him, and wants to contact the family.
“Any help from BwB readers would be appreciated.”
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