Ralph Lavers

The 1948 London Games, known as “the austere Games,” were the first to follow World War II, and much of London was still in ruins, with rationing still in place. The lighting of the flame by a torchbearer at the Opening Ceremony marks the start of the Olympic Games. The torches are carried by amateur athletes who each complete a leg bearing the flame on its journey from Olympia in Greece to the Olympic site. A recently acquired Olympic Torch from the 1948 Games was also part of the arts exhibit, which is thought to have been used on the Belgium leg of its trip across Europe. The British Olympic Committee chose architect Ralph Lavers, a native of Australia and expert in classical architecture and archaeology, to design a functional torch representing British craftsmanship at its best. He accompanied several expeditions to Egypt, Crete and Mesopotamia and illustrated their reports.

Lavers designed two versions: a light one made from polished aluminum for the relay stage runners and a heavier one in stainless perforated steel for the final runner. The design of the torch was used once again for the 1956 Melbourne Games. The height of the aluminum torch was 47 cm with a weight of 960 g. A total of 1,688 pieces were produced in 1948 for 1,416 runners. Both types were manufactured by EMI Factories Ltd. and High Duty Alloy Ltd. The music company EMI also manufactured electronic equipment at Hayes in West London, and weapons during the war. The torches were cast at High Duty Alloys Ltd, a company that produced aluminum parts, mainly for car and aircraft engines. It was founded in 1927 in Slough, Berkshire, and then expanded to Redditch, Worcestershire.