In 1954 the Landlord of the Sportsman Hotel was Mac (Mark) Monkman.   In those days it was a Hull Brewery Public House.  Charles Knott was the publican in 1969.  These are recent pictures of the Sportsman which is still open.

Mac (Mark) and Etheline Monkman at the Sportman.  Mac and Etheline ran the Sportsman Pub on Hedon Road in the 50s and 60s.  Courtesy Liz Monkman

Kenny Till and Johnny Kitching behind the bar at the Sportsman in the early 60s.  Who are the other three?  Courtesy Steve Till

"I was too young at the time for pubs but from memory isn't the Sportsman on the corner of Lee Smiths St & Hedon Road?  If so this was managed between 1946 - 1952 by my pal Trevor Priestman's father.  I remember they had the biggest German Sheppard's I had ever seen. Trevor was the only lad I ever knew that went to school each day with a suit white shirt & tie. His hair was always immaculate.

A real good kid that to my knowledge never got teased.  From memory I think his nickname was sodux kneecap.  I remember the day he was given it. He fell over & split his kneecap. & to everyone's amazement he said Sod it. This is the closest anyone had heard him come to a swear word?" - Arthur Wall.

"Sportsman closed for a long period in the late seventies and throughout the eighties before, like the phoenix, it rose from the ashes.

It was always said about my father that he could never pass the place without stopping for a pint which always made him late for whatever he was due to be doing at the time. I can believe that, for on his final journey we asked that the funeral cortege travel down Hedon Road on its way to Chanterlands Avenue Crematorium. On the journey we met slight traffic problems and were held up. Where did we come to a halt? Yes, you've guessed it - outside the Sportsman!!!!

John Leeman officiated at the funeral and commented that our dad was even late for his own funeral because he couldn't get past the Sportsman!!! (you can use that anecdote).

Dad always had a good relationship with one of the last landlord of the sixties ther Charlie Knott. I always remember when I left the area to join the army that I regularly received in the post a ten-bob postal order from Charlie." - Steven Till.