Walter McGuffie and his brother Les were both keen wrestlers with the Bolton Harriers Club, and the siblings were coached by their father Thomas, a former wrestler. Walter was a local mill worker, and in 1938 went to work in Birmingham before returning to Bolton in 1940 to enlist for the Army, but failed an eye test and throughout the War had to work at a bleach works in Salford. After the War McGuffie worked in the warehouse of an engineering firm. During the War he had won English, Irish and Scottish wrestling titles, and despite being the British freestyle wrestling flyweight champion three times prior to the 1948 Olympics, McGuffie competed in the Greco-Roman style at the Games because the freestyle berth went to the reigning British champion, Harry Parker. McGuffie won the British title four times, 1944-46 and 1949. Apart from representing Great Britain at the Olympics, he won representative honours for Lancashire and England.
Great Britain