This week the Museum had a unique visit by Olympian Avtar Bhurji, a member of the Ugandan hockey team that took part in the 1972 Games in Munich which saw the terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. The Ugandans were housed on a level just above the Israelis but only once caught a glimpse of a balaclava-clad terrorist on the higher balcony. They were unaware of the drama unfolding so close to them until the following morning.

It was Uganda’s first and only Olympics and, although they finished 15th of 16, they earned draws in their pool games with Argentina (0-0), West Germany (1-1) and Spain (2-2) before beating Mexico 4-1 for 15th place.

After being taken on a museum visit by the Curator, Mr Bhurji gave an Oral History interview with volunteer Evelyn Somerville which will be posted on the THM website in due course. Particularly welcome gifts to the Museum were a number of memorabilia items from the Games, including a booklet with images and signatures of Uganda’s athletes in a range of sports.

Avtar was born in Punjab in 1944 and lived in Uganda and Kenya, where he sat his GCEs, before continuing his schooling in England at Kingston College, then taking A Levels at Wolfram College, Wolverhampton. He returned briefly to Uganda where he played for Sikh Union club in Kampala (which supplied nine of the 18-man Olympic squad) and was selected for the Munich Olympics.

He returned to the UK soon after those Games, to live in Croydon and play for Blackheath and London Indians. It was back to Kenya in 1984 while his wife, son and daughter stayed in UK, but he came back to England three years later and has lived here ever since, apart from a brief return to Uganda to help a younger brother set up a construction business. He played social hockey with the Llamas before ending his playing career in 1991 and has been an active coach since then. He now lives in Worcester Park, Surrey.

Mike Haymonds, 29.1.2020