Boxing champion Randolph Turpin called Turnip in tourism leaflet error

Renowned boxer Randolph Turpin was famed for his prowess in the ring – but a new tourism leaflet calls him a turnip. The misspelling is on a promotional leaflet produced by Llandudno Attractions Consortium. Instead of saying that the Great Orme Summit Complex includes Randolph Turpin’s bar, it instead trumpets the delights of “Randolph Turnip’s Bar”. Bar manager Ron Jones was horrified when it came back misspelt from the printers. He said: “I was embarrassed. We’d had 130,000 leaflets made and distributed and it was too late to bring them all back. The mistake has been made somewhere along the line.”

Tourist Dave Swanton spotted the gaffe in the leaflet. He said: “My dad had once told me about Randolph Turpin so when I visited the complex and picked up the leaflet, I thought it was hilarious.” Printers WO Jones Ltd of Llangefni said it works hard to eradicate all mistakes. A spokesman said: “We endeavour at all times to ensure any spelling mistakes are spotted and rectified. All art work is proof read to the customers and is signed off before going to the printers. If an error is found at a later date sadly this is beyond our control.”



Randolph Adolphus Turpin (1928-1966) was an English boxer born in Leamington Spa. Born to a black father who had emigrated from Guyana and a white British mother, he and his brother Dick were trained at Leamington Boys’ Club. Known as the Leamington Larruper, he was considered by some to be Europe’s best middleweight boxers of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1951, the then world middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson travelled to London and on July 10 risked his title against Turpin, who won the world title by beating Robinson on a 15-round decision. Turpin became an instant national hero and even non-boxing fans knew who he was.

When he signed for a rematch with Robinson and chose Gwrych Castle near Abergele in North Wales to train, fans and tourists flocked there to catch a glimpse of their idol. But Turpin’s days as a world champion didn’t last long. When he made his first trip outside his homeland he lost to Robinson at the Polo Grounds in New York on September 12 1951. In Llandudno, he bought a bar on the Great Orme and was registered licensee between 1952 and 1961. But he missed the trappings of fame and was declared bankrupt. On May 17 1966, he was found dead, aged 37, after committed suicide by shooting himself in his home in Leamington Spa where he lived with his wife and four daughters.