In this exclusive film made especially for Saga Magazine, enjoy hearing some fascinating memories of the 1948 'Austerity Games' from the mouths of some athletes who took part. The last time the Olympic Games came to London rationing was still in force, the city was peppered with bombsites and there was a great spirit of 'make do and mend'. Well-wishers sent food parcels and equipment, the athletes, all amateurs, slept on bunk beds in requisitioned classrooms and some of these Brits even had to make their own shorts! The whole shebang cost about £750,000 -- and was deemed a great success. See these remarkable Olympians' portraits too in the August 2012 issue of Saga Magazine.
Click here to watch Remembering the Austerity Games on YouTube.
Shot and directed by Joseph Turp
Edited by Isaac McCardle
Featuring:
Audrey Beaver, gymnastics
Denise Newman, diving
Dorothy Tyler, high jump
Edna Child, diving
Gordon Thomas, cycling
John Peake, hockey
Lionel Price, basketball
Michael Lapage, rowing
Muriel Hearnshaw, athletics
Paul Bircher, rowing
Robert Collins, rowing
Tommy Godwin, track cycling