To celebrate the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, we thought we’d post these stories about the opening of the 1948 London Games.
We love reading old newspaper reports about the OlympicGames in the Archive, as the old-fashioned, Corinthian spirit of the Olympics really shines through these stories. We also love the quirky stories, such as the ‘missing luggage’ (and wine!) of the French Team in 1948.
Known as ‘the Austerity Games’, the ‘make do and mend’ and ‘’can do’ attitude spirit of the 1948 Olympics is fascinating to read about.
The torch in 1948 was lit by John Mark, a 23-year-old former Cambridge athlete who worked at St Mary’s Hospital in London. We wonder why he was chosen to light the flame? And we also wonder who’ll be lighting the flame for the 2012 ceremony?
After King George VI declared the 1948 Games open, the choir sang the Olympic hymn, ‘Non Noblis Domine’, which was written by Rudyard Kipling.
We hope you enjoy reading the stories below, and that you find many other interesting, moving and quirky stories about the Olympics (from 1896 to 1948) in the Archive.
Western Daily Press – Friday 30 July 1948
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000513/19480730/008/0002
