Following the end of World War 2 in 1945, track and field activity flourished throughout the British Isles. Thousands of spectators watched athletics meetings in provincial venues and at London's White City, which was the location for most international meetings.

Many world-class athletes were competing in Britain during the 1940's and 1950's including the Trinidadian-born sprinter Emmanuel McDonald Bailey, the Jamaican-born 440 yards/880 yards expert Arthur Wint (both resident in the country following service in the Royal Air Force) and many British-born athletes who reached international standard such as Sydney Wooderson (middle and long-distance an cross country), Donald Finlay (sprint hurdles), Jack Holden and Jim Peters (marathon), Alan Paterson (High Jump), Sheila Alexander (later Lerwill, High Jump), Dorothy Tyler (also High Jump but almost as proficient at Long Jump and hurdles), Gordon Pirie (middle and long-distance and cross-country), Roger Bannister (celebrated miler), Jean Desforges (later Pickering, sprint hurdles and Long Jump), Thelma Hopkins (High Jump) and Derek Ibbotson (world record miler and also outstanding at longer distances).

Throughout those years most athletes were amateurs and had full-time jobs away from athletics and performance-enhancing drugs were just a rumour to all but a few. The track surfaces were not synthetic all-weather surfaces, as today, but rough cinders or grass (often bumpy).

Athletics historian, Michael Sheridan, who has previously published two books on the period 1946-1950 in British athletics, has now published

Sunset of the golden years BRITISH ATHLETICS 1951-1959 which looks at the development of the sport during that decade in Great Britain and includes:

• memories of the 1950's by athletes who were there

• pen pictures of leading athletes, mean and women

• AAA Championship results

• how British Athletes fared in the international arena, Olympic Games, European Championships, British Empire and Commonwealth Games results; British world record setters

• women's athletics, history and WAAA Championship results

• features on athletics clubs and their histories

• road running, race walking, cross-country running, athletics in the Armed Services, junior athletics, student athletics, the amateur rules and some vivid characters on the athletics scene

• "Top Ten" statistics for men and women for each year of the 1950's

• extensive index of athletes

The book can be obtained for:

£15.50 (UK)

25 Euros

$30.00 (USA)

(price includes postage)

Other parts of the world, prices on request.

Payment by:

1. cheque drawn on a British bank payable to Michael Sheridan

2. cash

3. PayPal - email info@britishathleticshistory.co.uk for payment details

Michael Sheridan, 27 Yew Tree Park, Congresbury, Somerset, BS49 5ER

email: info@britishathleticshistory.co.uk

Previous books in the series

Rally round and tell your friends BRITISH ATHLETICS 1946-1949

£15.00 (UK)

24 Euros

$28.00 (USA)

(price includes postage)

Other parts of the world, prices on request.

Long Spikes, short rations BRITISH ATHLETICS 1950

£10.00 (UK)

15 Euros

$18.00 (USA)

(price includes postage)

Other parts of the world, prices on request.

Related projects

The author has also published a booklet detailing the running career of the great English world record middle-distance and cross-country runner

Sydney Wooderson.

Forthcoming publications planned are:

• A who's who of British international athletes, men and women 1945-1960

• Statistical ranking lists for British athletes for each year from 1951 to 1957 to depths never previously issued

Michael Sheridan, 27 Yew Tree Park, Congresbury, Somerset, BS49 5ER

email: info@britishathleticshistory.co.uk

Sunset of the golden years British Athletics 1951-1959

Available to buy now

Click on the picture above or go to the shop