London Olympics of 1948

• WHEN I read about the farcical situation over Olympic tickets, it reminds me of my own experience in 1948 – the last time the UK hosted the games.

My husband Stephen and I had been married only days before the opening ceremony, and we had borrowed a flat in Wembley, where we had an unexpected guest – a student, Lubor Velecky whom Stephen had been teaching English in Brno, in the then Czechoslovakia.

Lubor had escaped from Communism, by climbing through forests and mountain ranges by night to reach Vienna, which was still under Allied control.

Stephen was Lubor’s only contact in England, when he finally arrived here. 

As he was an athlete, we wandered down the road after lunch, bought three tickets, and were admitted to the ceremony.

The most famous of Czech athletes at the event, was a friend of Lubor’s called Emil Zátopek. The Czech team marched by all of 10 yards from us, but Lubor hid behind us so that his friends would not see him. He was afraid of the consequences for his family in Brno if his whereabouts were discovered. 

He spent many years as a Dominican priest, and came to visit us frequently. 

One summer, he dropped a bombshell. “I’ve left the Church, and I’m going to get married” he told us. 

His bride Jean was another academic.

Sadly Lubor is no longer with us, otherwise he would surely have been on the computer trying in vain to get an Olympic ticket.

OLIVE PEET
Croftdown Road, NW5 

Published: 21 July, 2011