Ocky Davies, boxer

[Garethboxing]

Hi,
     I'm trying to discover some background regarding Ocky Davies, from Haverfordwest, who boxed professionally in the 1920s and 1930s. He claimed on his licence application (Nov 1932) to be 22. I believe his real name was William David and in 1930 he was living at West Hill Farm, Steynton, Milford Haven.
     He was apparently a milkman by trade. Was the name Ocky traditionally given to milkmen - I'm thinking of "Ocky Milkman" in Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'  - or was it short for something?
     Can anyone help?
        Regards, Gareth
     

[Priscilla]

Have you looked at this website ... ?
http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/dlist.html

[Garethboxing]

Thanks, Priscilla, I know a fair bit about the actual boxing. It's his life outside the ring where I need to fill in a few gaps - where and when was he born? where and when did he die? Was William David indeed his real name? And, particularly, why Ocky? 

[OrganicJohn]

A shop in Haverfordwest which closed down recently was apparently opened in 1910 by "Ocky" White. His real name was Octavius White.

[Garethboxing]

Thanks, John. Does anyone know if Octavius was a (fairly) common name in Pembrokeshire at one time? Maybe, even if he was really William David, my man might have had it as a middle name or perhaps his father's ...

[Orielbenfro]

I'm trying to discover some background regarding Ocky Davies, from Haverfordwest, who boxed professionally in the 1920s and 1930s.

Gareth
Prior to the Great War West Hill Farm was in the hands of Thomas Thorne. Given that there is no reference to the birth of a William David 1908 to 1915 in Pembrokeshire, but a good number listed for up the valleys, (there is a William Owen Davies born Neath 1906) perhaps that is where you should be looking next for his family connections?

You could try following the Voters Lists at Pembs Archives during the 1920’s and 1930’s for the Farm. This would give you the surnames of those on the Farm and perhaps confirm the surname David being on the Farm.

Have you perhaps considered contacting one of the Boxing Clubs in the county to see if they have anyone interested in the history of the subject in the county? I would also try a letter to the ‘Telegraph’ for such modern history/research, see if anyone perhaps remembers his bouts.

Rgds
Owen Ap Benfro

[Garethboxing]

Diolch, Owen.
    Some useful suggestions there which I'll follow up. The absence of William David among the county's births at the time does indeed suggest he might have been born elsewhere. But the first William David I checked out in the 1911 Census turned out to have been wrongly transcribed and the head of household had a slightly eccentric way of writing his final S - on examination of the actual census image it proved to be Davies  . The "William David" was given as his real name on his application to the newly formed British Boxing Board of Control for a licence; these forms were often filled in by the fighters' managers and not always guaranteed to be accurate.   

[fordysmrs]

hi ocky Davies had 2 daughters June and carol, both still alive
June happens to be my mother in law

[Garethboxing]

That's fantastic news. I wonder if it would be possible to speak to her? Perhaps you would be so kind as to let me have her phone number - but please do it via a Private Message so it's not open to everybody. I note you're a newcomer to Rootschat - I believe you have to have made three posts before you can send a PM, so maybe you could send a couple of token replies to this thread first and then you would qualify 

      Thanks a lot,
        Gareth