Bob Turner

Photo: Freddie Mills, Turner, Alf Cozens

• Brother of fellow manager Jack Turner.

Jack and Bob Turner moved from Manchester and came to live in Bournemouth before the second war in about 1933. they set up a boxing gym in lower Parkstone, Station Rd , they stayed there .for a few years, the gym was then moved to Westover road in Bournemouth, they stayed in Westover road then. Freddie Mills trained at both of the gyms. Before Jack Turner had his own boxing booth, he used to take some of his boxers to Sam and Ester McKeowens booth, which travelled around the west country with Chipperfields circus. Jack and Bob Turner then started their own boxing booth which also travelled through the west county. Jack and Bob Turner managed in excess of forty boxers, some of who were area champions,including the likes of Teddy Peckham,,Harry Legge ,etc the best known fighter they managed was Freddie Mills, a few boxers that were not born in Bournemouth were managed by the Turner brothers,they include the Jamaican born Con Mount Bassey,,Welsh born Jimmy Redman amoungst others. it was Bob Turner that took Freddie Mills to within a couple of fights,before he won his first title beating Len Harvey for the British crown it was Ted Broadribb that took Mils to the world title when he beat Gus Lesnevich for the world lightheavy weight title.. some of their boxers did not stay long with them,, others stayed for the whole of their career.. Jack Turner staged boxing at the Green Park Hotel, Bournemouth, the wimter gardens etc in Bournemouth, he also put on boxing shows in Poole,,Boscombe,,and Weymouth,, back in 1936 JackTurner ran a compition for local boxers the prize was a glass rose bowl..it was won by Freddie Mills,,he had to defeat four local boxers to win it,,they were Reg Davis,Jack Scott,,Slugger Wilson,,and George Heskett. at the time o of the compition Freddie Mills boxed under tha name of Fred Mills of Parkstone,,so that his mother would not worry about him boxing,,he was just 17 years old when he won the rose bowl in 1936,, both Freddie Mills and his brother Cherlie were born at no. 7 Terrace road Bournemouth,Charlie being the older brother by 10 years,, it was very usual for the TURNER brothers to put two of their boxers in the ring to fight eachother.,as with Fred Lennington and Freddie Mills and with Young Barfoot and Freddie Mills another example is Reg Davis and Freddie Mills in 1936 Jack Scott and Freddie Mills fought each other twice in one night,,as the crowd was dissapointed with the first fight, both fights ended with a KO in favour of Mills in round 3,, both fighters were trained and managed by Jack Turner..both fights took place in Bournemouth, Dorset, Freddie and Christine Mills nee (Broadribb )set up home in a house named JoggiVilla... although BobTurner was not a professional boxer he used to spar with his older brother Jack Turner ,,he also spared with some of the boxers of that time.. Ted Broadribb used to have several of his boxers on one bill.ie Freddie Mils,,Johny Williams ,and Don McKorkindale at one time..The Jack Turner boxing booth (now called the Freddie Mills both )used to go every year to the Great Dorset steam fair in Blandford Dorset.. Jack Turner started his first Gym .in the Railway Hotel in lower Parkstone.it is now renamed as The COW hotel..and the Gym no longer exists ...