Catweazle family

[Paul 1]

Hi my name is Paul and I remember the late catweazle, I was atleast 10yrs old and my late father was the time keeper at the Liverpool stadium for many yrs and catweazle used to stay at my parents house at the time i was practicing the organ and he used to sit at the side and pretend he was playin ha, I've got photos of him with myself, I'm now 43 but still have fond memories.

[Larryboy]

Excellent stuff, Thankyou Appolo.

 

The reason I asked the question was because his name (catweazle) came up indirectly during coffee with a friend this morning. To cut a long story short...I googled him and amidst the little I found was his name, Gary Cooper, and some you-tube clips of him in action.

Now where is all this leading you may ask...well...having recognised his face and bearing from those clips I did more research and it turns out that I went to school with Catweazle.

It's going as the new header to my CV now..."I went to school with Catweazle!"

 

Thanks to everyone else as well.

 

Like you Fishcake I remember those old wrestlers with affection. My maternal grandmother was the closest person in my childhood and she loved the "sport." As well as watching the "Kent Walton" era on telly she would also take me to the Corn Exchange in Doncaster for the live bouts. I remember lots of umbrellas...whatever the weather ...and Les Kellet, Leon Arris the Wild Bull of the Pampas (Brian Glover), Pallo, Mcmanus etc.

Watching those Catweazle videos earlier, it struck me how "genteel" and skillful it all was. Pantomime of a sort and ...dare I say FUN!

I can't bear to watch the current form...WWF or whatever it's called. It has such low energy. Testosterone overkill for me.

 

I am also trying to research Catweazle. I have been told that he used to teach at my school in Hednesford, Cannock. As he was from Doncaster, and went to school with you, I wondered whether you had heard anything about him teaching anywhere?

 

---------- Post added 10-05-2013 at 20:03 ----------

 

hi my name is steve greaves about background informationabout catweazle he was born in 1939 in armthorpe nr doncaster he went to secondry modern school he was the eldest of 8 children there was him dave anne arthur gweneth stan pat and steven myself he worked in rockware glass factory after school wile joining armthorpe wrestling club to pass time on in the evenings he drank around the pubs in doncaster as a young man with his brothers and was married in his mid twentys all the time carrying on with his sport he was seperated from his wife wen he in his early 30ts and moved to london were he was sitting in a cafe and met mickmacmanus who started him on the road in professional wrestling as ayoung child and him being my older brother this was a very proud time for me but i was proud of all my family has he became ill in 1990 while he was on holliday in europe he fought the cancer for 18 months and died in 1992 he was cremated in london and all the wrestlers of the time attended the funeral i often watch footage of him and it makes me happy to know that people still remember him fondly and i wish all his fans the very best

 

Hi, Steve, as Catweazle/Gary's brother, you might be able to answer this question.

Did Gary ever work as a teacher in Hednesford, Cannock?

I work there now and have been told this, but am struggling to confirm it.

Thanks

[bonkersmad]

he lived at either 6 or 8 gypsy road gardens. opposite my nan. we used to see giant haystacks there all the time, he was scary but a lovely bloke. catweazles daughter was a bit older than me so we weren't friends but it was cool to see him most saturdays when we visited my nans after just watching him on the telly.

[jjscreeds]

hi, just came across this post about catweazle and as i went to kingmead high i can confirm that i had a science teacher called mr meredith that we thought was catweazle, it must have been a school story that became a local truth, I only realised this after just seeing that his real name was gary cooper, you have all ruined a 20 year claim to fame for me. lol .

[CooperL]

Hi all..

I am working on behalf of one of Gary's daughters who would like to be back in contact with his family. I notice that Steven is a member here as sasysteve1 however i cant contact him until i have posted 5 times.... So, sorry for the dul posts that will follow!

Many thanks

LC

[Superlulu]

Not sure if anyone is still following this thread, but too am looking for information. I am looking for information on a lost relative, my grandmother who is believed to have been a girlfriend/wife of catweazle and lived with him in London. She was born Clara Stephens, but went by the name Clare, she married my grandfather by the surname of Harrison and we believed after they divorced she became a Marriott. Does anyone have any information on this, it would be very much appreciated! 

[JonOxford]

I've been researching the family trees of a few of my favourite wrestlers from the 1970s and 80s. Here is what I have found out about Catweazle. Although I believe it is all correct, I may have made mistakes, so please don't rely on any of it as gospel.

 

Catweazle was born as Garry John Cooper in Armthorpe on the 9th October 1937 to Gladys Cooper (1916-2002) who was not married at the time.

 

In 1938 Gladys married Alec Lambert (1903-1948) and there were five children from that marriage. I believe at least three have died since 2009. Since Garry was not given the Lambert surname after his mother's marriage, I guess Alex Lambert was not his father.

 

In 1959, 11 years after the death of her first husband, Gladys married Kenneth Greaves (1920-1976) and there were two children from that marriage, though one of them was born in 1956.

 

Garry John Cooper married in 1961 and may had as many as four children from that marriage.

 

Garry John Cooper died of cancer in London on the 19th March 1992 and was buried (or cremated?) at the Camberwell New Cemetery and Crematorium on the 19th June 1992 (this two month delay seems unlikely, but that seems to be what the records say).

Edited June 3, 2022 by JonOxford

[alan p]

Hello gaz.

I knew Alan very well he taught me how to swim, I was at the Park baths on City road. Did you know Tim Lomas? He used to partner Alan when they was a tag team wrestling called the silent ones. Tim lived on the Woodthorpe and went in the Richmond Hotel. I haven't seen Alan for many years now hope he is well.  Regards Alan