IT WAS his dad’s “proudest possession”.

And now Mike Clash, of Great Barr, is the proud owner of a 1948 London Olympics torch that his father ran with ahead of the first Games since the Second World War.

Bob died two years ago, aged 94.

He was chosen to carry the torch by his commanding officer at his Royal Marines barracks in Chatham, Kent, where he was a physical training officer.

Bob was one of 46 people chosen to run from Dover to Wembley for the first Olympics since 1936.

Bob previously told the Mail: “It’s something I’m still very proud of despite the varied and successful life I’ve had – that’s the outstanding occasion. When I was running past people you could feel there was an atmosphere of excitement. There was quite a lot of national pride about the fact we were the only country to take on the Olympics.”

Mike was aged six at the time. His dad left him the torch in his will.

“He said ‘Do you think they’d want to use my torch again?’,” said Mike, now aged 69.

“Anything the UK got in preference to anywhere else in the world, he was extremely proud about. He was a very proud Englishman.

“I can remember being there and standing on the front seats of the Royal Marines car and looking out the roof and watching him.

“The speed was just as fast as he could run and that was only jogging.”

Bob, a former 440 yards Naval champion, ran three-and-a-quarter miles from the outskirts of Canterbury. Mike added: “All these people were on either side of the road cheering him on. Bearing in mind it was less than three years since the war ended, this was the one thing to bring pride back into the UK.

“Dad said the one thing he remembers was the sheer atmosphere.”

Mike, a retired security boss, has managed to get tickets for next year’s Games and said he planned to take his 16-year-old grandson Elliot to see the athletics and football.

“Without doubt he’ll be up there watching,” added Mike.

“Knowing him, he’d like to be out there carrying the flame again.”