William Thomas Wells

William Thomas Wells was born to William Thomas Wells and Emily Rhoda Farrier. His father was a musician and his mother was a laundress. William was one of nine children, the eldest of his five brothers. Better known as "Bombardier" Billy Wells, William began amateur boxing sometime in the early 1900s. In 1906, he joined the Royal Artillery and boxed in championships for his unit, boxing in divisional and all-India championships. He had great success and began training full-time as a boxer, leading to his buying himself out of the army. He returned to Great Britain and began his professional career in 1910. Billy's boxing record consisted of 48 wins - 30 were knockouts - and 11 defeats - 10 were knockouts. He was the first heavyweight to win the Lonsdale Belt, introduced in 1909. The original belt was made of 22 carat gold, unlike later versions. William Wells married Ellen Kilroy on September 7, 1912 and they had four children: Ellaline, William, Audrey, and Cynthia Wells. William and Ellen eventually parted ways.