Ryan's in this for the long run, dedicating his time to properly commemorate this underappreciated legend...
William “Bendigo” Thompson was an England champion of bare-knuckle boxing in the nineteenth century. Of all 21 matches he fought - some lasting up to 96 rounds - he remained undefeated; outpacing, outsmarting and beating all his opponents, who were often much bigger and stronger than him.
Not only was he a brilliant boxer, but he had charisma coming out of his ears, throwing insults and rhymes at his opponents as he fought them. Think Mohammed Ali but harder and harsher.
The question, therefore, that chairman of the Bendigo Memorial Fund, Ryan Patrick Drain asks is: Why is there not a proper memorial dedicated to one of Nottingham’s finest sportsmen?
With permission from the Council to pop a statue in Trinity Square, but without the cash to make it happen, Ryan reckons he’s found a solution. On April 29, Ryan and others will complete a memorial walk which will consist of 21 walkers, one for each of Bendigo’s fights, following the same path as the boxers funeral procession in 1880.
The 5.7 mile walk will start in Beeston and finish at St Mary’s rest garden, where Bendigo is buried. Each walker is expected to raise £100, which will all go towards the fund to build the new statue of owd Bendigo, as the one currently standing in Sneinton is looking a bit worse for wear.
The campaign has already been going for several years and has gained good momentum through Facebook and boxer Carl Froch. It has even received attention from news sources in the town of “Bendigo” in the land down under, Australia.
Bendigo’s story is a remarkable one. Born in the old Notts slums of Parliament Street in 1811, he grew up in an area which had an average life expectancy of just 22 years. As a 21 year-old myself, that means I’d only have one lousy year left.
By the age of 21, Bendigo was a professional prize fighter, working hard to provide for his mother and all 21 of his brothers and sisters. But like we said, he was undefeated during his career and subsequently made a living teach boxing at Oxford and preaching, until his death in 1880.
Ryan likes to think of Bendigo as ‘the third musketeer’, along with Robin Hood and Brian Clough, and the ‘missing puzzle piece’ for Notts, and we can see why. He transcended the extreme poverty of the 1800s and to become a true Notts legend; one of our city’s greatest ever sportsmen.
The memorial walk will take place on Sunday 29 April, starting at Wollaton Road in Beeston. If you'd like to donate to the cause, visit their crowdfunding page.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
