First Olympic torch in Britain makes £2,520

Jun 5 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

ONE of the Olympic Torches used in 1948 to carry the Olympic Flame on to British soil for the first time sold for £2,520 in Bonhams' Sporting Legends sale, in Chester.

The torch was carried by British athlete John Jenkin on part of the last stretch of its journey from Greece to Wembley for the opening ceremony of the 1948 London Olympics on July 29.

The 1948 London Olympics marked the first time the Olympic Torch Relay had been brought to Britain.

Engraved on its side is the inscription: “Olympia to London with thanks to the bearer XIVth Olympiad 1948.”

It also carries the bearer’s name “John W.I. Jenkin 28th July 1948.”

The Olympic Flame – once used in the ancient games in Greece – was reintroduced in 1928 and the Torch Relay began in 1936.

Other highlights of the sale included Linford Christie's shoes worn to sprint to victory in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. They sold for £720.