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London's Austerity Olympics

How the 1948 Olympics helped London emerge from its post-war gloom.

In 1948, London hosted what became known as the "Austerity Olympics".

The games were held just three years after the end of World War II - in a city where streets were still scarred by bombing and Londoners still lived on rationing.

The Olympics helped lift the mood of the nation.

Helena Merriman talks to Dorothy Tyler, who competed in the high jump in 1948.

This programme was first broadcast in 2010.

PHOTO: Dorothy Tyler in action (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Available now

10 minutes

Last on

Mon 30 Jan 201203:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 27 Jan 201223:50GMT
  • Sat 28 Jan 201206:50GMT
  • Sun 29 Jan 201213:50GMT
  • Mon 30 Jan 201203:50GMT

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