Austerity Olympians Evoke Milking Cows in Postwar London Games

Edna Child was too busy milking cows in the British war effort to train more than a few hours a week for the diving competition at the 1948 London Olympics.

“I got one morning off a week, Saturday morning,” Child, 89, whose training diet was controlled by rationing rather than coaches, said in an interview. “We were allowed an extra amount of meat and that was a big thing, but no cheese and milk.”