Winston Churchill’s lost Olympic speech found in Cambridge

Churchill delivered the speech at Mansion House, in the City of London, in July 1923, supporting an appeal chaired by his close friend Lord Birkenhead, who was trying to raise £40,000 for the athletes.

He added poignantly that the Games would be taking place “after a war in which our youth and manhood has suffered far more severely than some of the other great nations whom we shall meet in friendly rivalry”.

Mr Packwood said: “The interesting things about this speech is it is not included in the comprehensive publication of Winston Churchill’s speeches by Robert Rhodes James, it’s not included in the official biography of Winston Churchill and yet it’s a fascinating speech setting out his views on the Olympics.

“What struck me about it was many of the concerns mentioned in it are equally relevant to today – the need for funding so that everyone can compete regardless of background, the need for professionalism in sport and the power of sport as a uniting force in difficult international times.”

The 48-year-old politician was in a brief period out of parliament at the time, having lost his Dundee seat in 1922.

From 1924 until 1964, he was elected MP for Woodford, Essex.