The funeral of Olympic hockey gold medallist Joseph “Joe” Galibardy took place at Our Lady and St Georges Church in Walthamstow yesterday, followed by a cremation service at the City of London Crematorium at Manor Park.
Galibardy played left half in the India team that crushed Germany 8-1 in the final at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where the performance of the Indian team prompted Adolf Hitler to storm (he did a lot of that) out with the host nation 4-1 down, disgusted with the performance. Hermann Goering presented the medals.
Galibardy, born in 1915, was the last surviving member of the teams that played in the Berlin final and at 96, had been the oldest living Olympic hockey gold medal winner.
Galibardy had lived in Walthamstow since he emigrated from India in 1956 with his own parents, his wife and seven children.
The Sports Journalists Association and Hockey Commission of the AIPS was represented at the funeral by Patrick Rowley who, along with Dil Bahra, also represented the Hockey Writers Club.