William Pullum
William Albert Pullum | |
---|---|
Born | Horatio William Albert Pullum 8 April 1887 |
Died | 29 August 1960 | (aged 73)
Occupation(s) | Physical culturist, strongman |
William Albert Pullum (8 April 1887 – 29 August 1960) was an English
Early life
Pullum was born on 8 April 1887
At the conclusion of the Saxon Trio display, a strength competition was held for local strongmen. The winner of this event, William (Bill) Slade, was destined to play a far-reaching role in young W. A. Pullum's health and future.
Pullum in need of local lodging after his parents moved to London, and he wanted to complete his apprenticeship with a local picture frame manufacturer. He found lodgings with the neighboring Slade family, of six brothers, three of whom made a livelihood by competing in strongman competitions.
Exercises
When the oldest, Bill Slade, noticed the poor physical development of Pullum, he opted to design a course of exercises consisting of deep breathing, strand-pulling, and vigorous exercise with light
The Slade brothers' association with the Saxon Trio and other traditional strongmen who frequented the stages of London's music halls, enabled Pullum to observe their strength feats from theatre wings and talk to them in their dressing rooms. In 1905, at a height of five-feet, five-inches and weighing 125 pounds, Pullum appeared with the "Anglo Saxons," a trio specializing in acrobatic feats and classical weightlifting stunts. In 1906, he set his first unofficial world record of 204 pounds in the two-hand-anyhow lift.
Weightlifting club
By 1907, Pullum's center of activities became his four-story dwelling in Southeast London, which served as his home, his office, and the Camberwell Weightlifting Club. Here, Pullum entertained and instructed millionaires, champion boxers, weightlifters, and wrestlers while working as a practitioner in remedial physical culture. He believed in instructing his "more promising" students on an individual basis to produce world-class
Accomplishments
Between 1911 and 1915, Pullum won 192 British and world weightlifting records, won 15 British Championships, and was awarded 53 gold medals.
Acting as an
At the onset of
Following World War I, Pullum played London's
At age 42, retiring undefeated in strength competition, Pullum's two books; "Weight-Lifting Made Easy and Interesting," and "How to Use a Barbell," became standard textbooks.
Return to training
Following a ten year layoff from weight-training, at age 52, Pullum went into strict training and astonished his peers with feats of strength, highlighted by duplicating his original world record of 204 pounds in the two-hand-anyhow lift, which he set in 1906.
In 1942, at the height of the bombing of London, Pullum saved a heavy-set woman from death by dislodging her from a ventilating shaft in a bomb shelter where 17 individuals had lost their lives. In the process he sustained serious internal injuries, causing him to undergo two major surgeries. His final stage appearance took place in 1947.
Pullum purchased Health & Strength magazine in 1956. Associates later suggested the pressure of working day and night was a factor in his decline in health.
Death
William Albert Pullum died in 1960, at age 73 and is buried in Camberwell New Cemetery.
References
- ^ a b "Pullum, (Horatio) William Albert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.