Bill Watson was discharged from the Army in 1942 with what was described as: “the lowest medical category”. Consequently, he took up weightlifting, and started giving physical training lessons to develop his fitness. It was not long before he was winning championships, and in 1948, after winning the British middleweight title, gained selection for that year’s London Olympics. He finished a creditable eighth out of 24 starters. In the 1950s, many notable sports teams introduced weightlifting into their training programmes, and Bill’s expertise was called upon by the likes of the Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Brom, West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers football clubs amongst others. He also helped the Essex and Warwickshire county cricket clubs.
Great Britain