The film “Chariots of Fire” is a surprising yet deserving Oscar winner about 2 remarkable runners for Britain in the 1924 Olympics. This was the second Olympics after the horrors of the first world war. It was in Paris and saw the world coming together to heal its wounds through sport. This was the Scotsman Eric Liddel, who famously refused to run on a Sunday, and the famous son of Bedford Harold Abrahams. It’s not surprising. Bedfordshire people are a decent lot as those looking at Bedfordshire Park Homes For Sale will tell you. Go to http://www.parkhomelife.com/our-parks/pine-view-park-homes-maulden-bedfordshire/ to see what we mean.
That Abrahams got to run at all is quite the story. His father was a Polish Jew who fled Poland to escape from Russian pogroms. As with any immigrant it was hard to start but Abrahams Senior was a skilled financier and with his Welsh Jewish Wife Esther they settled in Bedford.
Harold was the youngest of three brothers who were all concerned with sport. His eldest brother made great advances in sport medicine and his middle brother competed at the Olympics in Long Jump. From University Harold soon proved his worth showing that he was far and away the best in the country. He used new techniques and training breaking new ground in athletics.