We were at the 1948 Games

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2 July 2012

A diet governed by food rationing, all sorts of make-do-and-mend apparatus, and a press department of just four … things were a little different at London’s last Olympics. Ianthe Butt meets those who remember it best.

ASSISTANT TO THE BRITISH CHEF DE MISSION

SIR ROGER BANNISTER, 83

“At 18 I was running a mile in about four minutes 10 seconds, and I was asked to be a ‘possible’ in the 1948 Olympic Games. The ‘ possibles’ were British athletes who, due to the severity of the food ration, were given extra food so that they could compete better. I decided I was too young to be exposed to the full force of international competition, so no food parcels for me.

“Instead, I accepted a job as assistant to the British Chef de Mission — the head of the British team. I lived with the teams, and each day was different. Some days I’d escort a VIP around the camp, others I’d deliver mail.

“There was a Union Flag kept in the headquarters of our office and on the day of the opening ceremony, for no particular reason, I took it in the car with us. When the flags were distributed to each country, to march into the stadium, it became apparent that there was no British one. Someone had forgotten it.

“Quick as a flash, I was ordered, accompanied by an army sergeant, to go back to the car to retrieve our flag. The sergeant had to restrain a policeman as I smashed the car window because I didn’t have the keys.

“Well-controlled panic is how I’d describe my mental state. I wasn’t sure I would make it back to the stadium before the team paraded in. Luckily Britain, as the host nation, was last to go in. I managed to thrust the flag into the hands of the flag bearer and all was well — if you look at the official footage you’ll see the British flag is smaller than the others and has a brass spike. It’s a reminder of the small part I played in the opening ceremony, which is ingrained in my mind for ever.”

THE LONG-JUMPER

LORNA LEE-PRICE, 81

“1948 was the first year that the women’s long-jump competition took place. Back then, running wasn’t seen as feminine — women weren’t even allowed to run in the 400 metres. I’d never done a long jump until I was 16. The gym mistress at Wycombe High School asked me to have a go so I ran up, took a jump and cleared the pit completely. The next year I was chosen to compete at the Olympic Games. When I opened the letter telling me, I froze. I couldn’t believe it, it was such a great honour. I was the baby of the athletics team: it was just a fortnight after my 17th birthday when the Olympic Games took place.

“My father spent £10, which was a lot of money in those days, on a pair of customised long-jump spikes [pictured above]. They were beautiful black leather and made to measure. The fit was so good I couldn’t feel I was wearing them.

“Our uniform was a pair of plain satin shorts and a running vest but we had to sew on red, white and blue ribbons and a Union Flag ourselves. There were a lot of rules and regulations about the uniform: the shorts had to be 4in off the ground when kneeling, meaning there wasn’t much room for movement when jumping. I sneakily popped an inch-and-a-half slit between the white and red ribbons on the shorts, and the team manager declared me a ‘brazen hussy’. I wonder what she would think if she were alive to see the outfits the women run in now!”

THE BOY SCOUT

DON KEMPSTER, 79

“‘Is she here?’ I remember wondering, aged 15, as I stood in the middle of Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 people. The ‘she’, of course, was Fanny Blankers-Koen. The superstar of the Olympic Games, Fanny was a Dutch athlete, nicknamed The Flying Housewife, who had won four gold medals in athletics. As I’d only heard radio broadcasts I wasn’t able to pick her out.

“Earlier in the year, a message had gone out to London scout groups asking for volunteers to help at the ceremonies. A few lucky members from my troop, the 21st Harrow Scouts, were selected for the closing ceremony.

“On August 14, a scorching hot day, we lined up outside the stadium in our grey scout uniforms and neatly tied red scarves. Some of us were told to carry placards and others to carry flags — it was quite arbitrary. I had a placard with ‘Egypt’ thrust into my hands, and was told to ‘follow the bloke in front’.

“The equestrian event was ending and all the horses in full military paraphernalia came thundering past. We had to squeeze right back against the sides of the tunnel.

“As we emerged into the stadium the noise was colossal, I had never heard anything like it. We marched out to the band and took our positions in front of the royal box. Walking out on Wembley’s turf — which was considered sacred ground — was pretty daunting.

“At the right time I turned over my placard, and rows of countries formed, and the closing ceremony took place. We sang the Olympic Games hymn, and then it was time to leave. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. I was dead lucky to be involved.”

The full text is in July’s High Life, available on all British Airways flights — official airline of the London 2012 Games.

london2012.com/festival

We were at the 1948 Games

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