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Gong-man Bombardiar Billy Wells

31/8/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
On This Day 31 August 1889 Bombadier Billy Wells was born

William Thomas Wells, better known as Bombardier Billy Wells (31 August 1889 – 12 June 1967)
Billy Wells lived at 99a Streatham Hill and Nimrod Road, Streatham and in 1911 a visitor at 36 Defoe Road Tooting where he is recorded as a Telegraph Clerk. His two sons attended Streatham Hill College
He is best known as the man hitting the gong at the start of Rank films

Billy was an English heavyweight boxer. Fighting under the name "Bombardier Billy Wells", he was British and British Empire Champion from 1911 until 1919, defending his title fourteen times. In 1911 he became the first Heavyweight to win the Lonsdale Belt, which had been introduced for British champions at all weights in 1909.
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Wells, who was 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and was between 182 and 192 lb (83 and 87 kg), fought with an orthodox style.

3 Comments
Peter Forbes
30/12/2021 03:19:34 am

I believe billy wells was my grandfather but this can not be proved without dna analysis is there anything available to get a sample from. Maybe the streatham socity could help. I am struggling to find in depth information. My grandmother was a governess at heathden hall at the turn of the nineteen hundreds

Reply
Tom Taylor Morton
28/2/2022 02:28:08 am

I am a decedent of billy wells my grandfather tells me all the time we are related to him some how

Reply
Mark Bery
30/12/2021 03:50:13 am

Peter
I suggest you do a DNA test through Ancestry and then if other descendants of Billy Wells have done a test you will show as a match to them. The DNA tests are very accurate and I have tracked messing links in my own tree doing this. Why do you think you are his grandson and and can you tell me where "Heathdene" is. If easier please email me on streathamsoc@gmail.com

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    Author

    Mark Bery, Secretary Streatham Society

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