Architect and archaeologist Ralph Lavers said
he took inspiration from classic Roman and Greek
lamps. The inscription, 'Olympiad to London with
thanks to the bearer XIVth Olympiad 1948' and
the Olympic rings are chiselled on the upper
part and the torch is made of stainless steel.
1,416 runners carried the torch 3,160 km from
Olympia to Wembley Stadium. Because of the
war, there had not been an Olympic Games
for 12 years and they became known as the
Austerity Games as no new venues were built.