A former boxer who trained a silver medallist at the second London Olympics in 1948 has finally traced his old friend – and hopes he will be at the London games next year.
Ken Sparkes, 83, joined the military police in 1946 and qualified for the army’s boxing team.
But surgery on a knee injury meant he had to drop out and never got to fight a match.
The great-grandfather of one was sent to a military convalescence depot at Kempton, Bedford, in early 1948 before being posted to a holding depot for military police in Woking.
He was put in charge of the gym and met Don Scott, a boxer from Derby who had been picked for that summer’s Olympics in London, the last time the games was held in this country.
Ken, who lives with his wife Barbara on Harvest Road, Tytherington, helped Don train and they became friends.
Don – a light heavyweight – won silver at the Olympics and although Ken attended, he was on police duty and only saw his mate compete in an early round.
He had wished him good luck when he left for the competition but that was the last time they spoke to each other. Soon after the games Ken left the forces.
Now in the run-up to next year’s games Ken has managed to find his old pal, who he was keen should be invited to the 2012 Olympics – and he would love to go too.
Ken, who has four grandchildren and two children, said: "My grandaughter’s fiance is a boxer and three years ago I said to him I used to box and was associated with Don Scott. Everybody said there can’t be too many medal winners left.
"Don was tremendous. I got thinking about him and trying to find him.
"The 2012 Olympic committee should ask if he wants to go to the boxing.
"I’m sure he must have friends to go with him, but I thought if I could remind him how I helped him train, he might come round.
"But of course he has family and it’s been 63 years.
"We are holding the games again next year and I think former medal winners should be honoured. I would love to go to the Olympics. "
Ken has now discovered that Don Scott is in a care home near Derby.
Mr Scott’s daughter says her dad was invited to carry the Olympic torch in the run-up to the games and has been sent some tickets for the event.
She has now invited Ken to go and visits her dad.
Ken says the Olympics were very different 63 years ago.
He said: "It’s not like now where they are spending billions.
"There was no Olympic village, competitors were based in school buildings and army camps, food was rationed.
"You had to put up with what was there.
"But the atmosphere was something else.
"It was a case of thank the Lord it’s peace again, that the war had finished and we could enjoy a competition like this again."
