Dixie Brown
Encyclopedia
Anthony George Charles, a boxer
known as Dixie Brown, was born in Castries
, Saint Lucia
, 27 June 1900. He worked on the construction of the Panama Canal
and emigrated to Cardiff
, Wales
in 1919. In the West Country
of England, he survived by working as as a bare-knuckle boxer
in fairground booths. He moved with his wife, Lily Sellick, to Bristol
in 1923, and registered as a professional boxer, fighting 85 bouts in the 1920s and '30s, as welterweight
and middleweight
. He trained at the White Horse in Milk Street. He could not contest any British championships owing to the colour bar then in operation. He had two wins, both over one-time champion Billy Green, five losses and two draws in his professional career.
Brown started family life in the "tough neighbourhood" of Philadelphia Street, St Jude's
. He was blinded in a fight in the 1930s and then moved with his family to Knowle West, Bristol
after the Blitz
. A collection was made to send him to the Catholic shrine of Lourdes
in France, in search of a cure. He was visited by many African American
soldiers during the Second World War, as they respected him as "a well known and a much admired character". Brown had nine children and thirty grand-children. One of his grandsons used to take him to his local public house, the Venture Inn, where he had his own special chair. He was popular and well respected throughout Bristol. Brown died in 1957 and is buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery
in Bristol. Bristol historian Madge Dresser described him as "a family man who founded a virtual dynasty of Bristolians of mixed heritage, all of whom remember him with fondness."
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
known as Dixie Brown, was born in Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, 27 June 1900. He worked on the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and emigrated to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1919. In the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
of England, he survived by working as as a bare-knuckle boxer
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
in fairground booths. He moved with his wife, Lily Sellick, to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1923, and registered as a professional boxer, fighting 85 bouts in the 1920s and '30s, as welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
and middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
. He trained at the White Horse in Milk Street. He could not contest any British championships owing to the colour bar then in operation. He had two wins, both over one-time champion Billy Green, five losses and two draws in his professional career.
Brown started family life in the "tough neighbourhood" of Philadelphia Street, St Jude's
St Jude's, Bristol
St Jude's is an area of Bristol bordering the Broadmead shopping area of Bristol. The main car park for Cabot Circus is located there. Despite its position, the area is not very well off, an entrance to Bristol's main shopping centre is located at the end of a street on what is otherwise a normal...
. He was blinded in a fight in the 1930s and then moved with his family to Knowle West, Bristol
Knowle West, Bristol
Knowle West is a neighbourhood situated on a low plateau in the south of Bristol, England, about from the centre of the city. Most of the area is coterminous with the Filwood ward of Bristol City Council, although a small part of the estate lies within Knowle ward to the east. To the west are...
after the Blitz
Bristol Blitz
Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II. The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the...
. A collection was made to send him to the Catholic shrine of Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
in France, in search of a cure. He was visited by many African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
soldiers during the Second World War, as they respected him as "a well known and a much admired character". Brown had nine children and thirty grand-children. One of his grandsons used to take him to his local public house, the Venture Inn, where he had his own special chair. He was popular and well respected throughout Bristol. Brown died in 1957 and is buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery
Arnos Vale Cemetery
Arnos Vale Cemetery , located in Arno's Vale in Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadian landscape with buildings by Charles Underwood.Arnos Vale cemetery is located on...
in Bristol. Bristol historian Madge Dresser described him as "a family man who founded a virtual dynasty of Bristolians of mixed heritage, all of whom remember him with fondness."