36 Facts About Lofty Blomfield

Major Meynell Strathmore Blomfield ; known as Lofty was a New Zealand professional wrestler, known by another ring name; that of Walter Browning.

Lofty Blomfield competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller and the Dominion Wrestling Union for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association from 1936 until his retirement 1949.

Lofty Blomfield is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand.

Lofty Blomfield had a successful amateur career winning the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles prior to becoming a professional wrestler.

Lofty Blomfield wrestled 490 matches in New Zealand and an estimated 1,200 matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States between 1929 and 1949.

Lofty Blomfield became a successful hotelier in the years after his retirement, as Publican of the Whangarei Hotel, as well as being a noted sportsman.

Lofty Blomfield was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club, a founding member of both the Northland Trotting Club, the Whangarei Powerboat Association, and sponsored countless athletic organisations in Whangarei and Northland, most notably, Whangarei Inter-house rugby.

Lofty Blomfield was involved in numerous charity fundraisers and organizations, especially those involving mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association.

Lofty Blomfield later founded the Northland IHC and the Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre in Whangarei, the latter institution being named in his honour.

In 1990, Lofty Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

Lofty Blomfield is the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee.

Lofty Blomfield was profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999.

Meynell Strathmore Lofty Blomfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 18 July 1908, to newspaper cartoonist John Collis Lofty Blomfield and Edith Amelia Shakespear.

Lofty Blomfield's family moved to Takapuna and, while still a child, he began working with horses there by visiting stables and doing track work for local trainers.

Lofty Blomfield left school after only two years of secondary education and travelled around the country working at various jobs and eventually settled in Waikaremoana, where he became a taxi proprietor.

Lofty Blomfield began playing senior rugby during this time, competing in Auckland, Gisborne, Murchison and Nelson, and was selected to play for Auckland against Waikato in 1929 but he declined to play so he could compete in amateur wrestling.

Lofty Blomfield first married Agnes Myra Lawton at Wairoa on 14 July 1927 resulting in two children born of this marriage.

Lofty Blomfield first travelled to Australia, in order to build up his experience, and worked in Sydney posing as a Canadian wrestler under the name Walter Browning.

Lofty Blomfield briefly returned to New Zealand in 1934, where he first wrestled under the name Lofty Blomfield, before heading to the United States.

Lofty Blomfield was an instant success with crowds in New Zealand.

Lofty Blomfield's popularity was helped by announcer Gordon Hutter's vivid commentaries during radio broadcasts of his matches.

Lofty Blomfield's finishing move, "The Octopus Clamp", was especially popular with fans.

Lofty Blomfield briefly lost the title to Dean Detton in Auckland on 22 August 1938, but regained the belt five days later.

Lofty Blomfield held the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship which he lost to Ray Steele on 10 December 1938.

That same year, Lofty Blomfield was scheduled to meet NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bronko Nagurski in a first-ever "champion vs champion" match.

Lofty Blomfield was the first New Zealander to challenge for the NWA World title and would wrestle five world champions during his professional career in New Zealand.

Lofty Blomfield served both at home and abroad in Egypt reaching the rank of sergeant major prior to his discharge at the end of the war.

Peter Fraser, a one-time Prime Minister of New Zealand, was a supporter and several caucus meetings were stopped at 6pm, and resumed at 10am the following morning, so that members could attend wrestling events at the Town Hall when Lofty Blomfield was making a title defence.

Lofty Blomfield held the national title for well over a decade and retired as champion on 7 June 1949.

Lofty Blomfield remains the longest reigning champion in New Zealand's wrestling history.

Lofty Blomfield financed a large number of sporting competitions and organizations in Whangarei and Northland such as Whangarei Inter house rugby.

Lofty Blomfield was a lifelong supporter of many charities, especially those dealing with mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association.

Lofty Blomfield later founded the Northland IHC branch and established St Nicholas Home and Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre.

Lofty Blomfield actually "camped out" in front of the penny piles to guard them from would-be thieves.

Lofty Blomfield died in Whangarei on 29 June 1971, at the age of 62.

In September 2006, Lofty Blomfield was one of several Whangarei athletes including former All Black Ian Jones, Black Stick field hockey player Charlotte Harrison, and triathlete Sam Warriner portrayed in a community theatre production of "Way to Go" starring 320 students and 14 staff members of Hurupaki School.