REMEMBERING WESTMINSTER’S BLACK OLYMPIANS

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER HAS A PROUD HISTORY OF SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games now concluded, we turn our attention to Black History Month and reignite the buzz and excitement for our historic sporting heroes in this special exhibition on Westminster’s Black Olympians.

While the sweltering heat and bright lights of Japan’s capital may seem a world away from the Chiswick sports ground of West London, it was here that the Polytechnic Harriers Athletic Club was established, training an array of exceptional athletes and Olympians. As part of Black History Month, we take a look back through our archives at some of our most successful sporting champions, and the contribution they made to the University’s, and indeed, Britain’s history. The Polytechnic Harriers Athletic Club was established in 1882 by the University of Westminster’s predecessor, Regent Street Polytechnic. In 1893, the Harriers organised the first inter-club competition – and by 1914, had established 11 world records.

In 1908, two years after the 40-acre Quintin Hogg Memorial Ground at Chiswick opened, the Harriers were invited to organise the trial race for the marathon, which was to be introduced into the Olympic Games in London that year. The race, which was planned by Secretary of the Harriers, Jack Andrew, and the first of its kind to be run in the UK, was run over 23 miles from Windsor Castle to Wembley Park.

At the club’s peak in 1929, the Harriers had over 800 members. Four of these athletes were Arthur Wint, John E London, Emmanuel McDonald Bailey and Harry Edward.

ARTHUR WINT, THE GENTLE GIANT

Arthur Wint

University of Westminster Archive

Known as the ‘gentle giant’ because of his 198cm height, Arthur Wint was born in Jamaica in 1920 and was a successful athlete from a young age.

Before joining the Polytechnic Harriers, Wint already held a number of sporting achievements, including being named Jamaica Boy Athlete of the Year at the age of 18 and winning gold in the 800-metre sprint at the Central America Games in Panama. In 1942, he was sent to Britain for active combat as a pilot in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which was when he joined the Polytechnic Harriers.

In 1948, Wint took part in his first Olympic Games in London and was selected for the Jamaican track team, competing in three different events. He was hugely successful, winning gold for the 400-metre dash, silver for the 800-metre run, and almost having success in the 4x400-metre relay (but getting cramp during the race). Wint’s gold medal was Jamaica’s first Olympic gold, making his success even more poignant.

In 1952, he competed in the Olympics in Helsinki, where he achieved the silver title in the 800-metre run, and was part of the 4x400-metre relay team who broke the world record with their time of 3.03.09.

Wint was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in the USA in 1977 and the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

JOHN E LONDON

John E London

University of Westminster Archive

Regarded as a sprinter of the highest class, John London possessed great natural sprinting abilities and had a short but successful sporting career.

London competed in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, equalling the Olympic 100-metre sprint record of 10.6 seconds in the semi-final and securing the silver medal. He also won the bronze medal in the 4x100-metre relay race with his teammates Cyril Gill, Edward Smouha and Walter Rangeley, behind the USA and Germany teams.

In the same year, London was also awarded the Polytechnic Harriers’s S.A. Mussabini memorial medal for his athletic achievements, and the Studd Trophy – which was awarded annually within the Regent Street Polytechnic for the best athletic performance or series of performances by a Poly athlete.

In 1929, he became the first British sprinter to win the Amateur Athletic Association’s 100-yards race title, and also won the Kinnaird 100 several times.

EMMANUEL MCDONALD BAILEY, THE UNBEATEN

Emmanuel McDonald Bailey

University of Westminster Archive

Emmanuel McDonald Bailey was an impressive runner born in 1920 in Trinidad. He moved to Britain as a member of the Royal Air Force in 1944, joining the Polytechnic Harriers in August 1945. He was first awarded the Studd Trophy in 1946.

Bailey ran at the Royal Air Force athletic championships in 1945 and was crowned champion in both the 100-yard and 220-yard events. He dominated these championships for four consecutive years, winning both sprints on each occasion. He remained the unbeaten title holder until he left the Royal Air Force in 1948.

Bailey took part in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1948 in London, but after suffering from major athletic injuries in the previous year, he had to fight tenaciously to reach the final of the 100-metres event, in which he finished sixth and last.

Soon after the 1948 Olympics, Bailey fully recovered and saw his biggest sporting achievement in 1949 in Reykjavik, where he recorded times like 9.5 seconds for the 100-yards event and 10.2 seconds for the 100-metres event. Bailey returned to the Olympics with Team GB in 1952 in Helsinki, where he won the bronze medal in the 100-metre men’s race.

HARRY EDWARD

Harry Edward

University of Westminster Archive

Born in Berlin in 1895, Harry Edward immigrated to London after World War I and taught French and German at Pitman’s School of Business and Civil Service Training.

While in London, he joined the Polytechnic Harriers Athletic Club and began his career as a track and field athlete.

In the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Edward ran for Great Britain and won bronze medals in the 100- and 200-metre sprints. In 1921, he received the Harvey Memorial Gold Cup as the best champion of the year in London, and won three Amateur Athletic Association championships in 1922 in the 100-, 200- and 440-yard dashes, receiving personal congratulations from King George V.

In 1923 he decided to try his fortune in the United States and participated in the Wilco Games at Yankee Stadium in New York, as well as taking part in athletic events that the New York and Boston Athletic Clubs sponsored.

Following his athletic career, Edward later committed his time to humanitarian and civil rights causes, and worked as a United Nations relief worker.

UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER ARCHIVE

To find out more about Westminster’s rich history, visit the University of Westminster Archive at recordsandarchives.westminster.ac.uk