This cartoon strip by Knife & Packer in Private Eye #1335 leaped out at me. In 'It's Grim Up North London', the guys head off to Herne Hill on their scooter to find the blue plaque of Olympic Coach Sam Mussabini.
Reproduced by kind permission of PRIVATE EYE magazine / Duncan McCoshan and Jem Packer
www.private-eye.co.uk
The Herne Hill Society campaigned for several years to get Mussabini recognised, and the plaque was finally unveiled at his former home enext to the Velodrome in July 2012.
Athletics coach Scipio Africanus “Sam” Mussabini (1867-1927) was a pioneer in both professional and amateur sport in Britain. He is best remembered for coaching Harold Abrahams, who won gold in the 100m sprint at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Mussabini’s vital role in Abrahams’s success was later immortalised in Chariots of Fire (1981), in which he was played by Ian Holm.
You can read about the unveiling, and see some photographs, in an earlier blog post.
It's nice to see Herne Hill, and Mussabini of course, recognised in this way. Duncan McCoshan is a Sarf Lunnuner, and it would be interesting to find out if he has a Herne Hill connection. Anyone know?
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