William Thomas Wells, better known as Bombardier Billy Wells (31 August 1889 – 12 June 1967), was an English

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

boxer. Fighting under the name "Bombardier Billy Wells", he was

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

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. Phil Grant held his Lonsdale belt when he was in the TA. Wells, who was and was between , fought with an orthodox style.

Early life

Wells was born at 250 Cable Street,

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

, in the East End of London. He was the eldest of five brothers and was one of nine children. His parents were William Thomas Wells, a musician, and Emily Rhoda Farrier, a laundress. He attended Broad Street elementary school, Queensbury until about the age of twelve, then becoming a messenger boy. He began to box as an amateur during this period. In 1906, Wells joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

as a gunner. He was posted to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

where he boxed in divisional and all-India championships, with great success. He was promoted to a bombardier, and began training full-time with the help of a civilian coach. It became apparent that Wells was good enough to make a living from boxing, so in 1910, he bought himself out of the army and returned to Britain. This was at a time when boxing was becoming very popular as a spectator sport, in Britain and elsewhere.

Professional career

Wells had his first professional fight on 8 June 1910, against Gunner Joe Mills, winning on points over six rounds. In his first eight fights he recorded seven wins and one defeat. In his next fight he fought for the British Heavyweight Title, at the National Sporting Club,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, London. The fight was in April 1911 against Iron (William) Hague, the holder, and Wells won by a knockout in the sixth round of twenty. Wells was matched to fight the current world heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in October 1911, but religious opponents of excessive prize money, led by

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

minister Frederick Brotherton Meyer, and opponents of contests between the races, caused the fight to be cancelled by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, who was then

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

. A colour bar remained in British boxing until 1947. In December 1911, Wells fought Fred Storbeck at

for the

Heavyweight Title, scoring a knockout in the eleventh round to gain his second title in one year. In June 1913, Wells fought the extremely talented Frenchman Georges Carpentier for the European Heavyweight Title. The bout was held in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and Wells lost by a knockout in the fourth round. Wells defended his British heavyweight title three times in 1913, and then in December of the same year, he had a rematch with Carpentier for his European title. The bout was held at Covent garden, but again Carpentier won, this time by a knockout in the first round. Wells continued to box and successfully defend his British heavyweight title, even after the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In May 1915, Wells joined up for military service (in the Welch Regiment) and was later made a sergeant. He continued to box until the end of 1916, and in 1917 was sent to France to organize physical training amongst the troops. After the end of the war, Wells resumed his boxing career. His fourteenth defence of his British heavyweight title, and of his British Empire title was against Joe Beckett, a boxer whom he had beaten on points two months previously. The bout was held in February 1919, in Holborn, London, and Beckett won by a knockout in the fifth round to take Wells' titles. Wells then had five more bouts, winning them all, before having a rematch against Beckett in May 1920. The bout was held at Olympia,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, but again Wells was knocked out, this time in the third round. Wells continued to fight, having eight more bouts, winning five and losing three. His last fight was in April 1925. Wells was one of several people to fill the role of the " gongman" - the figure seen striking the gong in the introduction to J. Arthur Rank films.

Private life

In 1911, he published a book, ''Modern Boxing: a Practical Guide to Present Day Methods''. On 7 September 1912, Wells married Ellen Kilroy, the daughter of a publican. They had four children before eventually parting; Ellaline Beryl Wells, William Thomas Wells, Audrey Ellen Wells, Cynthia Diane Wells. In 1923, he published the book, ''Physical energy: Showing how physical and mental energy may be developed by means of the practice of boxing'', Publisher: T.W. Laurie. The Lonsdale Belt that Wells won was the original heavyweight belt and was crafted from 22 carat gold unlike later belts. The belt was kept at the

Royal Artillery Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, is a barracks of the British Army which forms part of Woolwich Garrison. The Royal Regiment of Artillery had its headquarters here from 1776 until 2007, when it was moved to Larkhill Garrison. History In 171 ...

in Woolwich, south-east London, but is now at Larkhill, Salisbury following the move of the home of the

. He lived in

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

, London and died there on 11 June 1967, aged 77. His ashes were laid to rest in the crypt of St. Mary's parish church in Hanwell, west London.

Professional boxing record

, style="text-align:center;" colspan="7", 48 Wins (30 Knockouts), 11 Defeats (10 Knockouts),Bombardier Billy Wells' Professional Boxing Record
Retrieved on 2018-10-30. , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round, Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , - align=center , Loss , 48-11-0 , align=left
Jack Stanley
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 48-10-0 , align=left
''Soldier'' Jones
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 47-10-0 , align=left, ''Gunner'' Bennett , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 46-10-0 , align=left
Charlie Penwill
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 45-10-0 , align=left, Jack Bloomfield , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 45-9-0 , align=left, Frank Goddard , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 45-8-0 , align=left
Albert ''Kid'' Lloyd
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 44-8-0 , align=left
Paul Journee
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 43-8-0 , align=left, Joe Beckett , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 43-7-0 , align=left, Eddie McGoorty , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 42-7-0 , align=left
Paul Journee
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 41-7-0 , align=left, Harry Reeve , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 40-7-0 , align=left, Arthur Townley , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 39-7-0 , align=left
Jack Curphey
, , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 38-7-0 , align=left, Joe Beckett , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 38-6-0 , align=left, Joe Beckett , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 37-6-0 , align=left, Ivor Powell , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 36-6-0 , align=left, Eddie McGoorty , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 35-6-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Dan Voyles , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 34-6-0 , align=left, Dick Smith , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 33-6-0 , align=left, Matthew Curran , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 32-6-0 , align=left, Dick Smith , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 31-6-0 , align=left, Bandsman Dick Rice , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 30-6-0 , align=left, Dick Smith , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 29-6-0 , align=left, Frank Moran , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 29-5-0 , align=left, Bandsman Dick Rice , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 28-5-0 , align=left, Dan McGoldrick , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 27-5-0 , align=left, Colin Bell , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 26-5-0 , align=left, Bandsman Dick Rice , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 25-5-0 , align=left, Albert Lurie , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 24-5-0 , align=left, Bandsman Jack Blake , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 23-5-0 , align=left, Gaston Pigot , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 22-5-0 , align=left, ''Gunner'' Gus Rawles , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 21-5-0 , align=left, Georges Carpentier , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 21-4-0 , align=left, Gunner Moir , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 20-4-0 , align=left, Pat O'Keeffe , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 19-4-0 , align=left, Patrick 'Pakey' O'Mahony , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 18-4-0 , align=left, Georges Carpentier , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 18-3-0 , align=left, ''Gunboat'' Smith , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 18-2-0 , align=left, George Rodel , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 17-2-0 , align=left, Tom Kennedy , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 16-2-0 , align=left, Al Palzer , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 16-1-0 , align=left, Fred Storbeck , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 15-1-0 , align=left, ''Iron'' Hague , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 14-1-0 , align=left, Dan Flynn , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 13-1-0 , align=left, Gunner Moir , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 13-0-0 , align=left, ''Seaman'' Parsons , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 12-0-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Dan Voyles , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 11-0-0 , align=left, ''Corporal'' Sunshine , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 10-0-0 , align=left, ''Corporal'' Brown , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 9-0-0 , align=left, ''Gunner'' McMurray , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 8-0-0 , align=left, ''Gunner'' Joe Mills , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 7-0-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Clohessy , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 6-0-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Clohessy , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 5-0-0 , align=left, ''Sargeant'' Gale , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 4-0-0 , align=left, ''Corporal'' Goulborn , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 3-0-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Tansell , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 2-0-0 , align=left, ''Private'' Jarvis , , , , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 1-0-0 , align=left, ''Gunner'' Turner , , , , align=left, , - align=center

Selected filmography

* '' Kent, the Fighting Man'' (1916) * '' The Silver Lining'' (1919) * '' Beloved Imposter'' (1936) * '' Make-Up'' (1937) * '' We'll Smile Again'' (1942) * '' Happidrome'' (1943)

References

Sources

* Oxford DNB article: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/53467 * * * * * * *

External links

Profile and list of bouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Bombardier Billy 1889 births 1967 deaths British Army personnel of World War I English male boxers Heavyweight boxers People from Stepney Boxers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Royal Artillery soldiers Welch Regiment soldiers Military personnel from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets