Web Page 1074
8th September 2012
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Picture: Jimmy Saville presents the very first Top of the Pops
Bottom Picture: Staff in the first Habitat Store
The Olympics
During our school life
we lived through four sessions of Summer Olympic Games, ( I was only 2 when the
1948 Games were held). Probably the best remembered were the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, which were
held in Melbourne.
The 1956 Games were the first to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as the
first to be held outside Europe and North America.
Melbourne was
selected, in 1949, to host the 1956 Olympics by a one-vote margin. The first
sign of trouble was the revelation that Australian equine quarantine would
prevent the country from hosting the equestrian events. Stockholm was selected
as the alternative site, so equestrian competition began on 10 June, five and a
half months before the rest of the Olympic games were to open, half the world
away.
The problems of
the Melbourne Games were compounded by bickering over financing among
Australian politicians. Faced with a housing shortage, the Premier of Victoria refused to allocate money for the Olympic Village and the country's Prime Minister barred the use of federal funds. At
one point, IOC President Avery Brundage suggested
that Rome, which was to host the 1960 Games, was so far ahead of Melbourne in
preparations that it might be ready as a replacement site in 1956. As late as
April 1955, he was still doubtful about Melbourne, and was not satisfied by an
inspection trip to the city. Construction was well underway by then, thanks to
a $4.5 million federal loan to Victoria, but it was behind schedule. He
still held out the possibility that Rome might have to step in.By the beginning
of 1956, though, it was obvious that Melbourne would be ready for the Olympics.
Egypt, Iraq, and
Lebanon announced that they would not participate in the Olympics in response
to the Suez Crisis. Meanwhile, in 1956 the Soviet Union crushed
the Hungarian
Revolution, and the Soviet presence at the Games led to the
withdrawal of the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. Less than two weeks
before the 22 November opening ceremony, the People's Republic of China chose
to boycott the event because the Republic of China had been allowed to compete
under the name "Formosa". Although the number of countries
participating (67) was almost the same as in 1952 (69), the number of athletes
competing dropped sharply, from 4,925 to 3,342.
But how did the
UK fair at these Games? Here are a few names from the past, how many do you
remember?
Gold
Chris Brasher — Athletics, Men's 3.000m
Steeplechase Terry Spinks — Boxing, Men's Flyweight Richard McTaggart — Boxing, Men's Lightweight Bertie Hill, Laurence Rook, and Frank Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event
Team
Gillian Sheen —
Fencing, Women's Foil Individual Judy Grinham — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
Silver
Derek Johnson — Athletics, Men's 800m
Gordon Pirie — Athletics, Men's 5.000m Jean Scrivens, Heather Armitage, June Foulds,
and Anne Pashley — Athletics, Women's 4x100m Relay Thelma Hopkins — Athletics, Women's High Jump Thomas Nicholls — Boxing, Men's Featherweight Arthur Brittain, William Holmes, and Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Team Road Race
Robert Perry, David Bowker, John Dillon, and Neil Kennedy-Cochran — Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Class
Bronze
Derek Ibbotson — Athletics, Men's 5.000m Michael Wheeler, Peter Higgins, Derek Johnson,
and John Salisbury — Athletics, Men's 4x400m Relay
Nicholas Gargano — Boxing, Men's Welterweight
John McCormack — Boxing, Men's Light
Middleweight Thomas Simpson, Donald Burgess, Michael Gambrill,
and John Geddes — Cycling, Men's 4.000m Team
Pursuit Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Individual Road
Race
Frank Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event
Individual Peter Robeson, Pat Smythe, and Wilf White — Equestrian, Jumping Team
Margaret Edwards — Swimming, Women's 100m
Backstroke Terrence Smith and Jasper Blackall — Sailing, Men's Sharpie 12m²
Graham Mann, Ronald Backus,
and Jonathan Janson — Sailing, Men's Dragon Class.
At
Court Lane school of course the Olympic hero was Jim Fox who was just leaving
when I joined the school. He was one of the most
influential figures in the development of the Modern Pentathlon in Britain. He
won the British title record ten times and is the only British pentathlete to
have competed in four Olympic Games. His fourth place in the individual event
at München in 1972 was the best placing by a Briton up to that time and has
only subsequently been matched by Richard Phelps in
1984. He made his Olympic début in 1964, when he placed 29th in the individual
event, and in his second Olympic appearance in 1968 he improved to finish
eighth. After the 1968 Games, at that time he was a sergeant in the REME,
announced his retirement but he was dissuaded by his coach, Ron Bright, and
remained in the sport for another eight years. During that period he set a fine
example his final individual effort was at the 1972 Olympics he won a gold
medal in the 1972 Olympics he won a gold medal in the team event in 1976. Fox,
who was later commission in the REME, was first awarded the MBE and subsequently
the OBE for his services to the sport.
He now lives in Wiltshire and suffers from Parkinsons
Disease.
Sport was never my thing at school although I did play twice
for the school football team and came second in the cross country. Also Griff
reminds me that he was Fleming team captain and he was awarded a Certificate of
Merit for his discus throwing. See attached picture!
Stay
in Touch
Peter
You Write:
News and Views:
Scott McKenzie, best known for the "Summer of Love" anthem, "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)," died Saurday (August 18) in Los Angeles at the age of 73.
Scott McKenzie, best known for the "Summer of Love" anthem, "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)," died Saurday (August 18) in Los Angeles at the age of 73.
On this day 8th September 1960-1965
On 08/09/1960 the number one single was Apache - The
Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific
Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's
Division 1 champions. The big news story was Grandma Moses is 100-years-old.
On 08/09/1961 the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and
the number one album was Black &
White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show
was Sunday Night at the London
Palladium and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's
money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was TUC votes against Unilateral Nuclear
Disarmament
On 08/09/1962 the number one single was I Remember You -
Frank Ifield and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top
rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia.
A pound of today's money was worth £12.89
and Everton were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 0809/1963 the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer and the
number one album was Please Please Me -
The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash
was The Great Escape. A pound of
today's money was worth £12.64
and Liverpool were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Sussex win first One Day Cricket Tournament
On 08/09/1964 the number one single was Have I the Right? - Honeycombs and the
number one album was A Hard Day's Night
- Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box
office smash was Dr Strangelove.
A pound of today's money was worth £12.24
and Manchester United were on
the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 08/09/1965 the number one single was I Got You Babe -
Sonny and Cher and the number one album was Help - The Beatles.
The top rated TV show was Coronation Street
(Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's
money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming
the Season's Division 1 champions.
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