Surprise for woman who inherited 1948 Olympic torch

7:50am Saturday 4th September 2010

By Thais Portilho-Shrimpton

A woman who inherited one of the 1,688 stainless steel torches used in the 1948 London Olympic games relay could be in for a windfall when the sporting event returns to the captial in 2012.

The torch belonging to Rosemary Stamp was recently valued at “no less” than £1,000 when she showed in to an antiques dealer in Ewell Village.

However, she was told it could be worth much more by the time the Olympiad comes to London in less than two years.

Care support worker Mrs Stamp, from North Cheam, took the torch to Bourne Hall’s antiques valuation day in August where it was valuated by antique dealer John Marshall.

Mr Marshall said: “When I saw the torch I told the lady it was worth £1,000. I was very excited – it was fascinating to see it because you don’t come across one of those every day. I told her it would probably be worth a lot more nearer to 2012.”

Mrs Stamp’s torch had been carried from Strete to Dartmouth in Devon by her father - the then Army cadet Reginald Goodman - when he was in his early 20s.

Mrs Stamp said: “I just saw the event at Bourne Hall saying it did valuations and I thought it would be a good idea to take the torch there.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t until a few years before my father died that he mentioned the torch. He was so ill in the end, he never recovered and never told us the story behind it.

“He was in the Army for 30 years, but I don’t know how he got to carry it in the relay.”

Mr Goodman died in 2002, and Mrs Stamp has kept the torch on display in her front room since.

She said: “I’m going to hang on to it until the 2012 Olympics because I’m sure they will be looking for people who have memorabilia from 1948.”

The torch was carried by runners from Greece to England, going through Italy, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, France again and across the English Channel, taken by the HMS Bicester, a destroyer of the Nore Command, from Calais to Dover.

The runners were chosen from clubs affiliated to the County Amateur Athletic Associations, one runner from each club being the general rule, with preference given to those clubs in the areas within the torch’s route.

Do you also own 1948 Olympic games’ memorabilia? Use the form below to let us know...