1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. These were the first games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952.
It was at these games that the "Miracle Mile" took place between Roger Bannister and John Landy at Empire Stadium. This was the first time these two (and at that time the only two) sub-four-minute mile runners appeared in the same race, and also the first time two runners broke four minutes in the same race. On the same afternoon, Jim Peters, the holder of the world best time for the marathon, entered the stadium 17 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, but collapsed on his final lap, and never completed the race.
The games were attended by 24 nations and 662 competitors.
Contents
Venues
- Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics: Empire Stadium, Hastings Park
- Bowls: West Point Grey Club, New West Club
- Boxing: Exhibition Forum, Pacific National Exhibition
- Cycling: Empire Oval (Track), 1155 East Broadway (Road)
- Fencing: Lord Byng School, West Point Grey
- Rowing: Vedder Canal, Chilliwack
- Swimming and Diving: Empire Pool, University of British Columbia, West Point Grey
- Weightlifting: Exhibition Gardens, Pacific National Exhibition
- Wrestling: Kerrisdale Arena
- Athletes' Village: University of British Columbia, West Point Grey
Participating teams
24 teams were represented at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
(Teams competing for the first time are shown in bold).
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
British Guiana
Canada
England
Fiji
Gold Coast
Hong Kong
India
Jamaica
Kenya
New Zealand
Nigeria
Northern Ireland
Northern Rhodesia
Pakistan
Scotland
South Africa
Southern Rhodesia
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Wales
Medal table
* Host nation (Canada)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England |
23 | 24 | 20 | 67 |
| 2 | Australia |
20 | 11 | 17 | 48 |
| 3 | South Africa |
16 | 6 | 13 | 35 |
| 4 | Canada* |
9 | 20 | 14 | 43 |
| 5 | New Zealand |
7 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 |  Scotland |
6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 7 |  Southern Rhodesia |
2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Trinidad and Tobago |
2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 |  Northern Ireland |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 |  Northern Rhodesia |
1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | Nigeria |
1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 12 | Pakistan |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 13 | Wales |
1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 14 | Jamaica |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Barbados |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Hong Kong |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Uganda |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 |  British Guiana |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (18 entries) | 92 | 89 | 89 | 270 | |
Medal winners
Athletics
Bowls
Boxing
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight Men | Dick Currie (SCO) |
Abe Bekker (NRH) |
 Warner Batchelor (AUS) |
| Bantamweight Men | John Smillie (SCO) |
Gordon Smith (SRH) |
Abubakar Idi Garuba (NGR) |
| Featherweight Men | Leonard Leisching (SAF) |
Malcolm Collins (WAL) |
 Dave Charnley (ENG) |
| Lightweight Men | Piet van Staden (SRH) |
Frank McQuillan (SCO) |
Brian Cahill (AUS) |
| Light Welterweight Men | Mickey Bergin (CAN) |
Aubrey Harris (SRH) |
Des Duguid (AUS) |
| Welterweight Men | Nicholas Gargano (ENG) |
Rodney Litzow (AUS) |
Hendrik van der Linde (SAF) |
| Light Middleweight Men | Wilf Greaves (CAN) |
Freddy Wright (NRH) |
Bruce Wells (ENG) |
| Middleweight Men | Johannes van der Kolff (SAF) |
Arthur Crawford (NRH) |
Marcel Piau (CAN) |
| Light Heavyweight Men | Piet van Vuuren (SAF) |
Tony Madigan (AUS) |
Bill Misselbrook (CAN) |
| Heavyweight Men | Brian Harper (ENG) |
Gerry Buchanan (CAN) |
George Jenkins (SAF) |
Cycling
Track
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Trial Men | Dick Ploog (AUS) |
00:01:12 | Keith Harrison (ENG) |
00:01:13 | ||
| Alfred Swift (SAF) |
||||||
| Sprint Men | Cyril Peacock (ENG) |
+not awarded | Tom Shardelow (SAF) |
|||
| Individual Pursuit Men | Norman Sheil (ENG) |
00:05:03 | Peter Brotherton (ENG) |
00:05:09 | Robert Fowler (SAF) |
00:05:07 |
| 10 Miles Scratch Men | Lindsay Cocks (AUS) |
00:21:59 | Keith Harrison (ENG) |
Don Skene (WAL) |
||
+ Lionel Cox did not receive a silver medal, the Australian cycling team refused to participate in the gold and bronze medal playoffs and were subsequently disqualified.
Road
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Race Men | Eric Thompson (ENG) |
02:44:08 |  John Baird (NZL) |
NTT | Bernard Pusey (ENG) |
NTT |
Fencing
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foil Men | René Paul (ENG) |
John Fethers (AUS) |
Allan Jay (ENG) |
| Foil – Team Men | England (ENG) René Paul Allan Jay Ralph Cooperman |
Australia (AUS) Ivan Lund John Fethers Rod Steel |
Canada (CAN) Carl Schwende J.A. Howard Roland Asselin |
| Épée Men | Ivan Lund (AUS) |
René Paul (ENG) |
Carl Schwende (CAN) |
| Épée – Team Men | England (ENG) René Paul Allan Jay Charles de Beaumont |
Canada (CAN) Carl Schwende Edward Brooke Roland Asselin |
Australia (AUS) Ivan Lund John Fethers Laurence Harding-Smith |
| Sabre Men | Mike Amberg (ENG) |
Ralph Cooperman (ENG) |
John Fethers (AUS) |
| Sabre- Team Men | Canada (CAN) Carl Schwende Leslie Krasa Roland Asselin |
England (ENG) Michael Amberg William Beatley Ralph Cooperman |
Australia (AUS) Ivan Lund John Fethers Rod Steel Laurence Harding-Smith |
| Foil Women | Mary Glen-Haig (ENG) |
Gillian Sheen (ENG) |
Aileen Harding (WAL) |
Rowing
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Sculls Men | Don Rowlands (NZL) |
00:08:28 | Sidney Rand (ENG) |
00:08:43 | Bobby Williams (CAN) |
00:08:51 |
| Double Sculls Men | Mervyn Wood & Murray Riley (AUS) |
00:07:55 | Bob Parker & Reg Douglas (NZL) |
00:08:05 | Donald Guest & Lawrence Stephan (CAN) |
00:08:29 |
| Coxless Pairs Men | Bob Parker & Reg Douglas (NZL) |
00:08:24 | Tom Christie & Nicholas Clack (ENG) |
00:08:24 | Dave Anderson & Geoff Williamson (AUS) |
00:08:30 |
| Coxed four men | Lionel Robberds, Dave Anderson, Peter Evatt, Geoff Williamson & Mervyn Wood (AUS) |
00:07:58 | Bruce Culpan, Kerry Ashby, Murray Ashby, Bill Tinnock & Stanley Callagher (NZL) |
00:08:04 | Geoffrey Page, John Macmillan, Alastair Davidson, Maurice Legg & David Glynne-Jones (ENG) |
00:08:05 |
| Eight men | Douglas McDonald, Glen Smith, H.J. Zloklikovits, K.J. Drummond, Lawrence West, Ray Sierpina, Robert Wilson, Thomas Toynbee & Thomas Harris (CAN) |
00:06:59 | Alastair Davidson, Alan Watson, David Glynne-Jones, Geoffrey Page, John Pope, Joe Eldeen, M.G.C. Savage, Maurice Legg & John Macmillan (ENG) |
00:07:11 | ||
Swimming
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 yd freestyle | Jon Henricks (AUS) |
56.5 | Cyrus Weld (AUS) |
58.5 | Rex Aubrey (AUS) |
58.7 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Gary Chapman (AUS) |
4:39.8 | Jack Wardrop (SCO) |
4:41.5 | Graham Johnston (SAF) |
4:43.3 |
| 1650 yd freestyle | Graham Johnston (SAF) |
19:01.4 | Peter Duncan (SAF) |
19:22.1 | Gary Chapman (AUS) |
19:28.4 |
| 110 yd backstroke | John Brockway (WAL) |
1:06.5 | Lincoln Hurring (NZL) |
1:06.9 | Cyrus Weld (AUS) |
1:08.6 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | Jack Doms (NZL) |
2:52.6 | Peter Jervis (ENG) |
2:52.6 | Alan Hime (ENG) |
2:52.8 |
| 4×220 yd freestyle relay | Australia David Hawkins Gary Chapman Jon Henricks Rex Aubrey |
8:47.6 | Canada Allen Gilchrist George Park Gerald McNamee Ted Simpson |
8:56.0 | South Africa Dennis Ford Graham Johnston Peter Duncan Billy Steuart |
8:56.3 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | Australia Cyrus Weld David Hawkins Jon Henricks |
3:22.0 | New Zealand Frederick Lucas Jack Doms Lincoln Hurring |
3:26.6 | Scotland Jack Wardrop John Service Robert Wardrop |
3:27.3 |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 yd freestyle | Lorraine Crapp (AUS) |
1:05.8 | Virginia Grant (CAN) |
1:06.3 | Joan Harrison (SAF) |
1:08.2 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Lorraine Crapp (AUS) |
5:11.4 | Gladys Priestley (CAN) |
5:19.6 | Margaret Girvan (SCO) |
5:21.4 |
| 110 yd backstroke | Joan Harrison (SAF) |
1:15.2 | Pat Symons (ENG) |
1:17.4 | Jean Stewart (NZL) |
1:17.5 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | Elenor Gordon (SCO) |
2:59.2 | Mary Morgan (SAF) |
3:03.3 | Margaret Grundy (ENG) |
3:04.5 |
| 4×110 yd freestyle relay | South Africa Felicity Loveday Joan Harrison Machduldt Petzer Natalie Myburgh |
4:33.9 | Canada Beth Whittall Gladys Priestley Helen Stewart Virginia Grant |
4:37.0 | England Daphne Wilkinson Fearne Ewart Jean Botham Valerie Nares-Pillow |
4:41.8 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | Scotland Helen Gordon Margaret McDowell Margaret Girvan |
3:51.0 | South Africa Joan Harrison Machduldt Petzer Mary Morgan |
3:52.7 | Australia Jann Grier Judith Knight Lorraine Crapp |
3:55.6 |
Diving
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Metres Springboard Diving Men | Peter Heatly (SCO) |
146.76 | Tony Turner (ENG) |
145.27 | Jack Stewart (NZL) |
144.98 |
| 10 Metres Highboard [Platform] Diving Men | Bill Patrick (CAN) |
142.7 | Kevin Newell (AUS) |
142.06 | Peter Heatly (SCO) |
141.32 |
| 3 Metres Springboard Diving Women | Ann Long (ENG) |
128.26 | Barbara McAulay (AUS) |
127.74 | Irene MacDonald (CAN) |
126.19 |
| 10 Metres Highboard [Platform] Diving Women | Barbara McAulay (AUS) |
86.55 | Eunice Miller (ENG) |
79.86 | Ann Long (ENG) |
79.53 |
Weightlifting
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight – Overall Men | Maurice Megennis (ENG) |
281 | Frank Cope (ENG) |
276.5 | Keith Caple (AUS) |
274 |
| Featherweight – Overall Men | Rodney Wilkes (TRI) |
313 | Jules Sylvain (CAN) |
297 | Ron Jenkins (WAL) |
279 |
| Lightweight – Overall Men | Vern Barberis (AUS) |
347 | George Nicholls (BAR) |
344.5 | Jan Pieterse (SAF) |
333 |
| Middleweight – Overall Men | Jim Halliday (ENG) |
362.5 | Lionel de Freitas (TRI) |
342 | Julius Park (BGU) |
338 |
| Light Heavyweight – Overall Men | Gerry Gratton (CAN) |
403.5 | Louis Greeff (SAF) |
367 | Tony George (NZL) |
353.5 |
| Middle Heavyweight – Overall Men | Keevil Daly (CAN) |
399 | Lennox Kilgour (TRI) |
392 | Joseph Barnett (ENG) |
376.5 |
| Heavyweight – Overall Men | Doug Hepburn (CAN) |
471.5 | Dave Baillie (CAN) |
453.5 | Harold Cleghorn (NZL) |
421.5 |
Wrestling
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight Men | Louis Baise (SAF) |
Fred Flannery (AUS) |
 Muhammad Din (PAK) |
| Bantamweight Men | Geoff Jameson (AUS) |
Muhammad Amin (PAK) |
Ian Epton (NRH) |
| Featherweight Men | Abraham Geldenhuys (SAF) |
Herb Hall (ENG) |
John Armitt (NZL) |
| Lightweight Men | Godfrey Pienaar (SAF) |
Ruby Leobovitch (CAN) |
Dick Garrard (AUS) |
| Welterweight Men | Nick Loubser (SAF) |
Abdul Rashid (PAK) |
Ray Myland (ENG) |
| Middleweight Men | Hermanus van Zyl (SAF) |
Jim Christie (CAN) |
Harry Kendall (ENG) |
| Light Heavyweight Men | Jacob Theron (SAF) |
Bob Steckle (CAN) |
Dan van Staden (NRH) |
| Heavyweight Men | Ken Richmond (ENG) |
Keith Maltman (CAN) |
See also
In Spanish: Juegos de la Mancomunidad de 1954 para niños
Black History Month on Kiddle
Famous African-American Pilots:
 | James B. Knighten |
 | Azellia White |
 | Willa Brown |
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1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.