Way of the White Tiger Research and Book Launch

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 I have always believed it is important that my students and I should know the history and origins of our club and style. Over the years this belief has driven me to enquire from my Sifu (Master John Holden), and other previous teachers details of the past masters within our club. In 2005, this desire coincided with new rules coming into place within our governing body, (the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts (BCCMA)) that traditional clubs should have a proven knowledge of their lineage. This prompted me to redouble my efforts and investigate further by visiting several of the past masters at their homes.

The only names I had previously known were a T Wong and an F Wong printed on old licences. Following several discussions, I became aware of a name that I had not heard of before which was Cheung. After scouring the internet, with this new information I eventually found a web page written by a Jerry Davis in the United States. After contacting Jerry by email, he passed me onto an Eric Tsai in Hong Kong who I then emailed. Eric asked what I knew. The only details I had were that Bob Johnson had trained in Hong Kong between 1949-1951, and that he served in the Military Police, a big man at 6’ 3”, and that he learnt only self-defence and fighting. Eric then informed me that after Grandmaster Wong had passed away, many of his students still kept in touch because they had formed the Hark Fu Mun Wong Cheung Association, and would meet every year on the anniversary of his death. This association had maintained the gym, headquarters in Bute Street and had also met the costs to cover the utility bills of this site. The general up keep of these premises has been conducted by a few old loyal students that also lived close to the gym in the same building. Some of these old guys were around in the 1950s and he would ask them if they could remember anything. After about a week, Eric emailed me back saying that several of the old students did remember a big English Military Policeman training with Grandmaster Wong Cheung at that time and so welcomed me into Hark Fu Mun.

From early 2006 I started to learn the Hark Fu (Black Tiger) forms via dvds sent by Eric and slowly introduced them into our club training. On the 7th November 2006, Robert Buckler (a good friend and student) and I arranged a trip to Hong Kong to meet Eric. During this trip we went through the forms already learned to make any improvements and several new forms were also learnt. This process of instruction has continued with me travelling to both Hong Kong and Texas in the USA learning the Black Tiger routines.

In mid 2007, one of our students wrote on a forum about how we had found our roots. This post invoked a critical response from several sources in the USA. These people miscalled Bob Johnson, and this was picked up by some of his old students in Leicester. From these disparaging remarks, James (Jim) Bedford-Stradling and Pete Smith decided to write a book on their former master, Robert Henry Johnson to publicise his martial arts training and his remarkable achievements. During their research they contacted me in late 2007, and travelled to Bedworth to interview me about our links with Bob via Tom Carey and our Black Tiger style. After the interview, I asked them if they would demonstrate some of Bob Johnson’s White Tiger style which they enthusiastically did. I at once appreciated the similar techniques within Black Tiger, but more importantly the devastating effectiveness of these practical street self-defence moves. I asked Jim and Pete if it would be possible for them to teach me some of these techniques. They accepted, and in January 2008, they both returned to my Bedworth academy to teach several of my instructors and myself. This training has continued on a regular monthly basis, passing on various elements and topics including forms such as “The Hand Form, The Training Form”, and then the two man Tiger self-defence forms. After achieving the majority of these teachings, I was graded by them to instructor level in December 2009. Jim and Pete continued to trace many of Bob’s old students, interviewing them to gain as much information as possible. After several years of research and writing, Jim and Pete completed their book entitled “Fightmaster” in early 2011. Unfortunately due to some family objections from one or two of Bob’s children, this was only a limited release of approximately one hundred and eighty books to friends and students etc. This release was performed through a book signing session at Gordon Hooke’s club venue of the British Legion Club in Wigston, Leicester.

As soon as I started to read Fightmaster, I was amazed by what an incredible person Bob Johnson was and the lengths he had gone to, to study martial arts. Also several of the prominent people within the book mentioned Tom Carey who was the head of our branch in the Coventry and Nuneaton area. I decided to research Tom Carey and build a better picture of his life within the martial arts. Through this research, I was constantly being drawn back to Bob Johnson. After completing Fightmaster, I found there were several areas where information was missing about Bob and some beliefs could not be proved. I was left wanting more and an insatiable desire to find out about these uncertain facts regarding this remarkable man. I decided to research both Tom Carey and Bob Johnson expanding on the information and research provided by Pete Smith and James Bedford-Stradling. I felt compelled to write this book as a mark of respect and to pay homage to a man who I felt is an unsung hero and almost forgotten legend in Britain’s Kung Fu history.

Bob Johnson was openly teaching Kung Fu from 1957 before the general public had even heard the word Kung Fu or knew who Bruce Lee was. In my opinion, he was the founder of Kung Fu in Britain paving the way for many others to follow. His style was a practical blend of Chinese Kung Fu and the Sikh Indian fighting arts (known today as either Gatka or Shaster Vidya). As a sign of respect to his Nihung teachers and the Sikh community, Bob used the more common generic term of Muka Bazi as a smoke screen to hide his real Nihung teachings.

I spent the next eighteen months travelling around the Leicester and Melton Mowbray areas interviewing many of Bob Johnson’s old students and friends gathering all the information I could about this incredible man. This included collecting old newspaper cuttings, photos and licences that helped to provide a more in depth study giving details of the facts that made up his remarkable life. One of my students, Sean Krauth, helped me with his fantastic research on the internet which not only provided details and proof on some of the historical facts surrounding Bob, but also lead to several new contacts. These were made via the internet of students that lived around the world and had trained with Bob during his times in New Zealand. These old students supplied an astonishing amount of information about Bob with many documents and photos of their time with him.

A major source of information was supplied by another one of my students called Sundeep Singh Deol. Sundeep helped to provide and clarify details regarding the Sikh facts and topics within this book. Due to his contacts and connections within the Sikh Nihung community, Sundeep was able to enlist the help of Nihung Navjeet Singh who is the Head Sewadar (Servant), of Budda Dal, UK. Navjeet has kindly instructed us and been a tremendous source of information and verification of the various facts pertaining to the Sikh Martial Arts and philosophy to which the Khalsa Army adheres to. It was with his grace that we were entitled to gain permission from the Head Nihung Battalion "Shromani Panth Akali Budda Dal Panjwa Takht 96 Crori Chalda Vaheer" to publish this book with particular facets pertaining to the highly secretive organisation. This particular army is the current force under which all other Dals (Sikh battalions) gain instruction from and is said to be eternally blessed with the privilege of being forever free from any Law besides its own strict commandments enshrined by the very first General of the Khalsa Army, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Nihung Navjeet Singh has graciously verified and endorsed this book regarding the Sikh and Nihung content.

After all of this research and writing I finally completed my book which I titled “Way of the White Tiger - The Bob Johnson Story”. I then relied on another student and friend, Robert Buckler who helped to proof read this book as well as providing ideas to help with making certain topics more understandable to the reader. When all the background work was finished and the books printed it was suggested that the best way to launch this book was by a release and book signing at Gordon Hooke’s Wigston club the same as James (Jim) Bedford-Stradling and Pete Smith had done with their book. I informed all the people that had contributed information about this book release which was scheduled for Saturday 22nd September 2012. By chance, several weeks before this date the Leicester Mercury newspaper printed an article about Kung Fu in Leicester during the 1970s and mentioned Bob Johnson in this report which was on their Mr Leicester page. I got in touch with reporter, Austin Ruddy who asked if I could send him a copy of the book so he could review it. Austin sent me an email a week or so after this stating that he had some good news for me. He said he was very impressed with the book and had decided to devote a full page to it on his Mr Leicester page two days before the release at Gordon’s club in Wigston. This review in the Leicester Mercury greatly publicised the book and its release, helping to bring many more people to the launch, besides the ones I had already informed.

Article Written by Paul Burkinshaw

Paul Burkinshaw & Tony Stanger (AKA "Moose")

The following comments are from people who have kindly offered their thoughts on the book "Way of the White Tiger":-

"Hi everyone I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to really fascinating book. It was written by my Sifu ( Paul Burkinshaw) . The Way of the Tiger gives us a unique insight into the life of Bob Johnson. Bob was the man we have to thank for introducing the White Tiger Style of Kung Fu into the UK in the 1950's. It depicts his life from when he was a young man training in India in the art of Sikh fighting, to the latter part of his life when he returned to the UK and he began teaching his own unique style. I would strongly recommend purchasing the book since picking it up I haven't been able to put it down."
Beverley Coulson

"May i tell you all about a book me and my daughter are reading, It’s on the founder of Kung Fu in Britain & is called "Way of the White Tiger" the Bob Johnson story. This book has been written by Aaliyah's Sifu, Paul Burkinshaw, it’s a very interesting read full of interesting facts and pictures of Bob Johnson, it has been very well written and would recommend it to anyone who is involved or interested in Kung Fu."
Joclyn George Lewis

"I would like to congratulate my Sifu Paul Burkinshaw for what is a fantastic book well done."
Lee Lynam

"Great book. Thanks, Paul."
Jerry Davis (El Paso, USA)

"Great book, you must have spent hours and hours on it. Well done."
Pete Hancock

"Hello Paul, I just read your book and [watched your] video. I have learned a lot more about Bob's time in India & New Zealand and found it was very interesting."
Arthur Knott