FITTING FAREWELL
The late Iain James is honoured with a 10-bell salute
FURTHER to last week’s item on the passing of Iain James, former Bournemouth EBA Chairman Ken Honniball has contacted me again with details of Iain’s funeral. This was held on Friday January 29 at The Priory Church, and the interment was at Hill View Cemetery, Wareham, Dorset.
“BEBA were represented by the President, Dave Fry, and myself,” Ken said. “Had there not been restrictions on numbers, owing to the present situation, there would have been hundreds there. At the service the vicar allowed the 10 bells to be given in recognition of Iain’s service to boxing, which I duly carried out.
“I know it is a strange thing to say, but his funeral was the best one I have been to. Everyone was so sincere, and I felt privileged to have been included in the proceedings. Iain was indeed an honest and trustworthy person, which is a hard thing to find in this day and age. Donations to Poole Hospital, in memory of Iain, may be sent to Albert Marsh Funeral Directors, St Michaels Road, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4QU, or made online via www.funeraldirector.co.uk/ iain-james.”
The current Home Counties EBA newsletter includes a tribute to the late Tony Burns MBE, former head coach at the Repton Boxing Club. I quote: “Tony was an accomplished boxer himself, representing his country of Wales on 22 occasions. Many champions have been trained by Tony and our deepest sympathies are with his family and everyone at Repton.”
One of the times Tony represented Wales was in a match against Scotland, and Tony met – and beat – future world lightweight champion Ken Buchanan. The first time I met Tony was in 1973, when BN’S amateur man – my good friend Terry Baker – was unfortunately unwell, and I was asked to cover an amateur show. Tony was very helpful in supplying details of the boxers on the bill. One of them was Ray Cattouse, who of course later turned pro and won the British lightweight title (and came agonisingly close to becoming European champion, getting an ‘Italian draw’ when he challenged champion Giuseppe Gibilisco in Campobasso in February 1982). I was sorry to hear recently that Ray apparently hasn’t been too well, and I’m sure everyone will join me in wishing him a speedy recovery.
The latest Punch Lines – Essex EBA’S monthly newsletter – has an interesting piece on the Marina Boxing Club, in London’s Canning Town. This was started
by Bill Taylor in 1934 and was initially very successful, but sadly interest waned and it closed around 1938. But it’s good to see articles like this in EBA newsletters, ensuring these historic venues aren’t forgotten.
There’s also a piece by Nigel Harding on his great-grandfather, former pro welterweight Harry Duncan (described as “tough as old oak!”). Boxing before and after World War I (he joined the army and served on the Western Front), Duncan had well over 200 bouts and defeated several middles and light-heavyweights. He boxed at some of the great venues of the time, including Wonderland, Premierland, the National Sporting Club, the Holborn Empire, Liverpool Stadium and The Ring, Blackfriars. His ‘day job’ was timber porter on the docks, and the piece describes how he would walk four miles to work, to start at 6am and put in “a stiff 12 hours a day. After his day’s work he would walk the four miles to the Shoreditch Bars Gymnasium and put in two hours of hard training on the punchbags, skipping ropes and with sparring partners.” Then Harry would walk the four miles home – six days a week.
Harry was also sparring partner for big-punching American heavyweight Frank Moran, who challenged Jack Johnson and Jess Willard for the world title. Moran had three bouts in Britain in the 1920s, all in London. He scored tworound wins over British champions Joe Beckett and Frank Goddard in 1920, but was halted in seven by Beckett in their 1922 rematch.