TRIBUTES have been paid to a man who became a North- East legend as a teenage pitman boxer during the Great Depression.

William “Chick” Allen, who has died aged 97, could lay claim to be the pitmen’s champion of the region before his 19th birthday, after beating the champion of Northumberland and drawing against the Durham champion.

Mr Allen, of Seaham, County Durham, cut his boxing teeth fighting against hardened men in the boxing booths of the day.

Many of his first 25 fights were unrecorded and won by knockouts or stoppage.

He fought his first fight professionally as a 17-year-old and his first official fight is recorded ten days after his 18th birthday. His last fight was at the age of 19 when he had to stop because of failing eyesight.

On his first outing beyond Seaham – with borrowed illfitting gloves and boots – he won over a Newcastle audience.

Of the 40 officially recorded professional fights, he won 29, lost six and drew five. Four of the losses were at “partisan away venues” for low blows or head butts.

But, Mr Allen was a “ferocious body puncher” and believed three of these were genuine legal body punches.

The low point of his short career came when he fought twice with a ruptured appendix in November 1933 – losing one and drawing the other.

He fought two more bouts within days of discharge from hospital.

During the Second World War he served in the Fleet Air Arm, sailing with the Atlantic convoys. He went on to work as a bricklayer until his retirement.

A regular at Seaham’s Mill Inn, Mr Allen was known as an accomplished domino player.

His daughter, Christina Ruffett, said: “He was a very loving dad.

“My mum (Norah, nee Scollen) died when she was 58 and he took over the role of mum and dad.

“He was a very modest man.

We only found out about his boxing record from someone who was collating information from the period.”

Mr Allen is survived by two sons and three daughters, as well as 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

His funeral service will be held at St Cuthbert’s RC Church, in Mill Road, Seaham, at 10am tomorrow.