Walter Pilling

Bradford-born Walter Pilling won seven British wrestling titles between 1952-64. He won the flyweight title in 1952 and 1953 but could not defend it in 1954 as a result of putting on weight through eating well during his stint doing National Service in the Royal Air Force (RAF). After completing his two years in the RAF, Piling fought as a bantamweight and won the first of five British titles at that weight in 1957.

Pilling competed in the first of two Olympics at Roma in 1960, and in 1962 he competed in both the World Championships at Toledo, USA, and the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Perth, Australia, where he won a silver medal. Pilling lost the Commonwealth gold medal match to Pakistan’s Muhammad Siraj-ud-din, who had also beaten Pilling at the Roma Olympics.