Battling Jack Turpin

Battling Jack Turpin
Author: Jackie Turpin
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2012-12-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1780577826

Now in his 80th year, 'Battling' Jack Turpin is the last surviving member of his generation of Britain's best-known and best-loved boxing family. Jack's father, Lionel Turpin, came from British Guiana to volunteer for the British Army during the Great War. He was wounded on the battlefields of France and invalided to Warwick, the first black man to settle in the area. Lionel married a local girl but his early death left her struggling to raise their three sons and two daughters in pre-Welfare State England. As young men, the excitement and gladiatorial glamour of the ring lured Jack and his brothers into professional boxing. From a home-made backstreet gymnasium, they punched their way into the record books and into the hearts of the British people. Battling Jack is a wonderfully narrated account of the life and times of a remarkable man who was once Britain's busiest featherweight. It is also the history of the beginnings of a black presence in British boxing. Turpin offers us a ringside seat at heroic battles and comic encounters. He takes us behind the scenes of a scandal that rocked the sporting world and into his confidence about the mystery that surrounds his younger brother's death. Jack Turpin has out-stared ignorance and prejudice, tasted triumph and celebrity, and endured hardship and tragedy. Heart-rending, raw, honest and funny, his is a story that had to be told.

Battling Jack

Battling Jack
Author: Jackie Turpin
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2005-09
Genre: Boxers (Sports)
ISBN: 9781845960643

"Battling" Jack Turpin is the last surviving member of his generation of Britain's best-known, best-loved boxing family. Now almost 80 years old, he is as charismatic and feisty as ever, and in Battling Jack, Turpin tells his own unique story. It is the remarkable tale of a man whose indomitable spirit has out-stared ignorance and prejudice, tasted triumph and celebrity, and endured hardship and tragedy. It offers a ringside seat at heroic battles and comic encounters as Turpin vividly recalls the sport, sex, and slapstick of life in the now-forbidden boxing booths of the travelling fairs. He takes us behind the scenes of a scandal that rocked the sporting world and into his confidence over the mystery that surrounds his younger brother's death by gunshot. Complete with previously unpublished photographs, this is a wonderfully candid account of the life of a very singular man.

Stars and Scars

Stars and Scars
Author: Jeff Jones
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2023-09-15
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1398109576

Jeff Jones tells the incredible story of Jewish boxing in London - a tale that stretches back centuries and includes a remarkable cast of characters who fought prejudice both inside and outside the ring.

Warwick A Short History and Guide

Warwick A Short History and Guide
Author: Christine M. Cluley
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2011-05-15
Genre: Photography
ISBN: 1445626195

A beautifully illustrated, clear and concise guide to historic Warwick.

Rags and Ragtime

Rags and Ragtime
Author: David A. Jasen
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2013-02-13
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0486144577

Definitive history traces the genre's growth and diversification from its 19th-century origins through its heyday and modern revival. Discusses 48 major composers and 800 rags. More than 100 photos.

The Little Book of Warwickshire

The Little Book of Warwickshire
Author: Lynne Williams
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2015-07-06
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0750965444

Warwickshire, home to William Shakespeare, Rupert Brooke and the legendary Lady Godiva, boasts a rich and engaging history. Revealed within is a plethora of entertaining facts about Warwickshire’s famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, battles and sieges, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, and its customs ancient and modern, including the 800-year-old Atherstone Ball Game, akin in nature to running with the bulls in Pamplona, which is still played every Shrove Tuesday. This reliable reference book and quirky guide can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring attraction of the county. A remarkably enlightening little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

Black Poppies

Black Poppies
Author: Stephen Bourne
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2014-08-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0752497871

In 1914 Britain was home to at least 10,000 black Britons, many of African and West Indian heritage. Most of them were loyal to the 'mother country' when the First World War broke out. Despite being discouraged from serving in the British Army, men managed to join all branches of the forces, while black communities contributed to the war effort on the home front. By 1918 it is estimated that Britain's black population had trebled to 30,000, as many black servicemen who had fought for Britain decided to make it their home. It was far from a happy ending, however, as they and their families often came under attack from white ex-servicemen and civilians increasingly resentful of their presence. With first-hand accounts and original photographs, Black Poppies is the essential guide to the military and civilian wartime experiences of black men and women, from the trenches to the music halls. It is intended as a companion to Stephen Bourne's previous books published by The History Press: Mother Country: Britain's Black Community on the Home Front 1939–45 and The Motherland Calls: Britain's Black Servicemen and Women 1939–45.

Battling Jack

Battling Jack
Author: Jackie Turpin
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2005-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781845960704

'Battling' Jack Turpin is the last surviving member of his generation of Britain's best-known, best-loved boxing family. Now almost 80 years old, he is still as charismatic and feisty as ever. In Battling Jack, Turpin tells his own unique story. It is a remarkable tale of a man whose indomitable spirit has out-stared ignorance and prejudice, tasted triumph and celebrity, and endured hardship and tragedy. Jack's father, Lionel Turpin, came from British Guiana to volunteer for the Great War. He was wounded on the battlefields of France and invalided to Warwick, the first black man to settle in the area. Lionel married a local girl but his early death left her struggling against poverty to raise their three sons and two daughters in pre-Welfare State England. As young men, the excitement and gladiatorial glamour of the ring lured Jack and his two elder brothers into professional boxing. From a homemade back street gymnasium, they punched their way into the record books and into the hearts of the British people. Battling Jack charts the remarkable life and times of the man who was once Britain's busiest featherweight. vividly recalls the sport, sex and slapstick of life in the now forbidden boxing booths of the travelling fairs. He takes us behind the scenes of a scandal that rocked the sporting world and into his confidence over the mystery that surrounds his younger brother's death by gunshot. Complete with previously unpublished photographs, this is a wonderfully narrated account of the life and times of a very singular man. It is also the history of the beginnings of a black presence in British boxing. Heart-rending, raw, honest, and funny, Battling Jack is a story with a duty to be told.

Foreigners

Foreigners
Author: Caryl Phillips
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2008-11-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307472787

From an acclaimed, award-winning novelist comes this brilliant hybrid of reportage, fiction, and historical fact: the stories of three black men whose tragic lives speak resoundingly to the problem of race in British society. With his characteristic grace and forceful prose, Phillips describes the lives of three very different men: Francis Barber, “given” to the 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson, whose friendship with Johnson led to his wretched demise; Randolph Turpin, a boxing champion who ended his life in debt and decrepitude; and David Oluwale, a Nigerian stowaway who arrived in Leeds in 1949 and whose death at the hands of police twenty years later was a wake up call for the entire nation. As Phillips weaves together these three stories, he illuminates the complexities of race relations and social constraints with devastating results.