BACK in the 1930s and 40s, Worcester was a positive mecca for amateur boxing, but very few of the well-known local names who then fought in the ring for the pure love it ever took the courageous step of turning professional.

Therefore, it's been fascinating to chat to one of those who did, in fact, take the plunge and fought professionally for about four years - George "Battler" Robbins of Turrall Street, Worcester.

Now aged 76, George has fond memories of his decade or so as an amateur and then professional boxer.

It all began in 1938 when, at the age of 12, he began training sessions with local amateurs whose base was in the jockey changing rooms at Worcester Racecourse. Another training venue was the Alma pub in Lowesmoor.

George became a talented amateur boxer and, though his memory for names is not as hot as it used to be, he recalls some of the leading figures on the Worcester boxing scene in the late 1930s and 1940s as Lou Wilde, Gil Messenger, Marcel Callow and boxing promoter and publican Jack Horton of the Forresters Arms in Sansome Walk.

Trophies gradually came George Robbins' way as an amateur, and one of his proudest possessions is the medal awarded to him as winner of a tournament organised by the Worcester Amateur Boxing Club at the Guildhall in early 1945.

It was around that time too, that his natural talents as a boxer were spotted by a work colleague of his bus driver father, Vic Robbins.

"Alas, I can't remember the chap's name but he said he had been watching me training and had sent off my name as a potential professional to Jimmy Wilde, an ex-world flyweight champion, who was based in Blackpool and managed several professional boxers.

"Jimmy wrote back and asked me to go and see him in Blackpool, which I did, and it was then decided I should turn professional," recalled George.

The year was 1945, the Second World War was still raging, and he was aged 19.

Significantly too, George already had a full-time job. After leaving Christopher Whitehead Boys School at the age of 14, he had been working on the railways but, even so, he cunningly connived not to give up this day job during his years of professional boxing.

However, it meant that everytime he was booked for a fight - about four times a year - he had to nip to see the doctor.

"It was a bit awkward because you weren't allowed any days off from the railways except for illness, so each time I used to go and tell the doc I was bad and get three days off!"

George was in a reserved occupation on the railways during the war years, and there would have been no chance of him being given permission to box in the professional ring. He did at one stage try to join the Royal Navy but was turned down because of his essential wartime job on the railways.

George believes his workmates, and perhaps even his bosses, knew of his contrived "sickies" to get away for boxing bouts. These were nearly all up north, and he even used his railway employee pass to obtain free train travel to his engagements!

And as an adept boxer, he rarely returned to work with much facial damage to "give the game away" about the true nature of his "sickness" breaks.

The inducement to go boxing was clearly strong though, as he earned £20 a fight - the equivalent then of a month's wages as a railwayman!

His boxing days were all during wartime and immediate post-war rationing but, thanks to his mother Mrs Gladys Robbins and to extra rations as a railway employee, he always had "good meals," despite having four brothers and a sister in the family home at Martley Turning.

Battler Robbins, a featherweight, fought on boxing bills at Blackpool Winter Gardens, Morecambe Winter Gardens, several venues in the Potteries and once, in a exhibition bout at Malvern Winter Gardens.

In all his fights as a professional, the Battler only lost once - to Don Checkley, an ex-British amateur flyweight champion.

"It was at Blackpool Winter Gardens, and I was knocked out in the fifth round. He landed me a good one and I went down, but I was not unconscious and could probably have got up in time to beat the count. I wasn't frightened about doing so, but realised he was too good for me, and it was commonsense to take the count."

George once appeared on the same bill as Jack Turpin, whose brother Randolph went on, of course, to be a famous world professional boxing champion.

"In fact, Randolph was there too that night, and brought his British championship Lonsdale Belt into the ring to show to the audience."

As to his own personal prowess, George is convinced he was "a born boxer" rather than a fighter, able to use his arms and legs very effectively in the ring. His only injury from boxing was a broken nose, but after three or four years, he gradually became frustrated at remaining only an "8-3" boxer - in other words, booked for eight, three-minute round contests only.

"I came to realise I was at my limit and was not going to progress further. I had all the skills, but still I was not good enough, so I decided to finish my professional boxing," added George. He did, however, continue to retain a keen interesting in boxing at all levels, and helped train amateurs whose base was to the rear of the Star Hotel in Foregate Street.

Ever since his boxing days, George has also tried to stay fit, exercising every day including touching his toes, and swimming at the Sansome Walk pool up to four times a week.

"Exercising obviously became a habit from my boxing days," he said.

He and wife Doreen, who was for 21 years warden of the James Close sheltered flats in Worcester, have four surviving children - one son died at the age of 11 - and nine grandchildren.

Two of George's brothers, John and Mick Robbins have been builders in Worcester for many years.