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The Ration Book Olympics
The Ration Book Olympics
Oct 8, 2024 3:27 PM

Author:Clare Balding,Clare Balding,Various

The Ration Book Olympics

The 1948 Olympics were very different from the impressive spectacle that London put on in 2012. Three years after the end of the Second World War, Britain was still gripped by austerity. Rationing was still in force, severe bomb damage was still much in evidence and no new sports facilities could be built. Visiting athletes were put up in schools and RAF camps. Yet the Games were a resounding success and actually made a profit. Clare Balding meets athletes who competed in 1948, including cyclist Tommy Godwin, who won two bronze medals, and Dorothy Manley, who won silver in the athletics. She also talks to Roger Bannister who saved the day for the British team in the opening ceremony. The programme also includes fascinating voices from the archives, including Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals.

Reviews

A great concept and an interesting read ... and I'm flattered!

—— Paul Weller

This is a wonderful account of an adolescence and an obsession. It is extraordinarily frank, often painful, frequently very moving, and, above all, consistently hilarious.

—— David Nobbs

A charming book packed with musical nostalgia, embarrassing misadventure and formative drinking experiences. Fans of Andrew Collins and Nick Hornby will approve

—— Q

The Modfather fizzes with nail-biting obsession, heartbreak and ear ticklingly funny adolescent misunderstandings

—— MOJO

A witty, well-informed collection of fact and anecdote, full of fascinating bits and pieces

—— Uncut

Goddard widens his previous book's mixture of detail and passionate celebration to Morrissey's entire aesthetic universe

—— Dave Hill , The Guardian
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