Press
Post Office Olympians
27 July 2012
Did you know that Post Office employees took part in almost all Olympic games 1936-1988?
With the London Olympics well underway, research from The British Postal Museum & Archive shows that Post Office employees took part in all but 2 Olympic Games from 1936 to 1988.
The Post Office has always had many clubs and associations that its staff could get involved with, especially where sport was concerned. Most large offices had their own football, cricket or tennis teams, and Post Office staff has taken part in many other sporting championships.
Given how seriously sport was taken it is perhaps unsurprising that there were more than a few people from the Post Office chosen to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games. These athlete’s achievements were celebrated in the Post Office staff magazines, and by looking through these one can find out about a lot of the people that were chosen and their athletic achievements.
Post Office employees taking part in the games included:
- 1936 (Berlin) - Miss B. O. Crowe from the Money Order department was who was selected for the Women’s Gymnastic team.
- 1948 (London) - Mr G. F. Ward for the 10m high board diving. He worked as a clerical officer in the Savings Bank department and already held the title for the Men’s High Diving Championship in England.
- 1952 (Helsinki) - Mr K. A. Richmond, a Night Telephonist from London Telegraph Region Directory Enquiries, was selected for the Heavyweight Wrestling and took the bronze medal.
- 1964 (Tokyo) - Ray Middleton from Golders Green Sub-District Office was selected for the 50km walk and finished 12th place out of 32.
- 1988 (Seoul) In the Paralympics, Ian Hayden won gold in the javelin and discus and took silver in the shot put. He was an equal opportunities officer at Royal Mail Oxford.
For more information on other sporting heroes of the Post Office, including Albert ‘Tiny’ Sangwine who represented England at the 1924 Paris Olympics, please see the BPMA’s online exhibition Playing for the Cup.
You may also be interested in...
Collections
Our collection spans more than 400 years of postal history
View a selection of fascinating and unique items from our archive, museum and philatelic collections online.
Exhibitions & Events
A complete listing of all BPMA exhibitions and events
The full details of our exciting programme of exhibitions and events, held at venues across the country.
