It will be one of the great symbolic moments of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, a huge bell from  the very foundry which cast Big Ben to ring in the Games.

It is a terrific idea but one which has been done before, at arguably the most infamous of all Olympic Games, those held in 1936 in Berlin.

At the behest of the Nazi Government, the Organising Committee spared no expense to make their Games, and indeed their Opening Ceremony, the greatest yet seen.

Central to their plans was a huge bell, designed by Walter Lemcke in 1933, it was cast from 16.5 tonnes of molten steel in the town of Bochum. When the time came for transportation to Berlin, it was set upon a huge transporter which had been used to carry the stone to make the memorial to President Hindenburg.

As the bell made its way through Germany at a stately 12 miles an hour, crowds came out onto the streets to watch its progress and at certain key points, German military bands were waiting to send it on its way with a musical salute.

"The German radio informed their hearers (sic) about the transportation of the bell to Berlin and the festivities en route," said the Official Report of Berlin 1936.

Factory hooters sounded and church bells pealed as it passed through each town.



"The Olympic bell is a symbol of Peace," said Rudolph Hess in a speech to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1936, apparently without irony.

"It bears the inscription I summon the youth of the world. In changing this to I greet the youth of the world, I am voicing the feelings of the Fuhrer and all the German people."

More menacingly, the bell was greeted by a rally of Hitler Youth.

"The bell will swing above the demonstrations of our unity. On this occasion let us cast a glance into the future. I see generations upon generations f German men and women approaching, magnificently resolute in their physical strength and staunch loyalty to the sacred soil of the father land,"  said Hans Von Tschammer und Ostend, a leading Nazi sports official.

One early morning in May, amid great secrecy, it was raised to the top of a tower at the Olympic Stadium. It was powered by a massive electric motor. It rang on the opening day of the Games and is shown prominently in Leni Riefenstahl's legendary film "Olympia".

When the Games were over, the bell tolled a solemn farewell as searchlights lit the skies above, a portent of the conflict to come.

When after the war the bell was once again put on display at the stadium, welders had done their work. Where once an Eagle clutched the swastika, the Nazi symbol had been obliterated.



The Germans were absent from the Games in 1948, but what of the Opening Ceremony which took place the last time the Games were in London? The IOC members lined up to be introduced to King George VI before the parade of nations, a quarter of the size that  will be seen this summer. It was headed according to tradition by Greece.

The instructions to each team were rather patronising.

"It is IMPORTANT that an official from each nation and the athlete chosen to carry the flag should present themselves at Wembley Stadium East Gate, in order to have the instructions for the ceremony fully explained to them on the ground. Please make every effort to be punctual at this rendezvous."

As it turned out it was the host nation which had most to worry about.

As Great Britain entered the stadium, few realised an embarrassing moment had been avoided. The organisers had forgotten to provide a British flag but Chef de Mission Evan Hunter had packed one in his car. His prescience was awarded, his young assistant, a certain Roger Bannister retrieved it in time and no one was any the wiser when Emrys Lloyd dipped said Union Flag in front of the King.


The Ceremony was simple to the point of austerity. After the King's speech, limited to the traditional words, a release of pigeons – birds supplied by local fanciers and a 21 gun salute, the flame arrived carried by Cambridge University athlete John Mark (pictured) who was even asked to hand his pass back after the Ceremony.

The Archbishop of York offered a blessing, the choir sang Roger Quilter's hymn Non Nobis Domine, complete with words by Rudyard Kipling. There was also  a quick burst of the Hallelujah chorus, both conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent before hurdler and Spitfire ace Donald Finlay took the oath.

A quick "God Save the King" and the whole thing was over in under two hours.

Philip Barker, a freelance journalist, has been on the editorial team of the Journal of Olympic History and is credited with having transformed the publication into one of the most respected historical publications on the history of the Olympic Games. He is also an expert on Olympic Music, a field which is not generally well known.