In January we thought that we had found one of the ‘Holy Grail’ items of hockey when it was reported from Dublin that one of the 1908 Olympic Silver Medals had been discovered. We only had a small photo to go on but, as Ireland took the silver medal in the 1908 London Olympics, it was presumed that the find was correct. Sadly it was not.

It transpires that the medal in question is a participation medal that was presented to all those who took part in the Games. Although the winning England team did receive gold medals, and we at the Museum know of at least four of them, it now seems fairly certain that no silver medals were ever presented – unless you know different?

Mike Smith, March 2016

Ireland team photo from 1908 Olympic Games.