| Final 16:20 | time |   |  | 1. Sydney Wooderson |   Great Britain | 3:53.6 | CR |  | 2. Joseph Mostert |   Belgium | 3:54.5 |   |  | 3. Luigi Beccali |   Italy | 3:55.2 |   |  | 4. Niilo Hartikka |   Finland | 3:56.5 |   |  | 5. Toivo Sarkama |   Finland | 3:56.7 |   |  | 6. Jan Staniszewski |   Poland | 3:58.4 |   |  | 7. Jim Alford |   Great Britain | 4:03.0 |   |  | 8. Ingvar Haglund |   Sweden | 4:08.2 |   |  | 9. Robert Goix |   France | 4:10.0 |   |  | -. Pierre Leichtnam |   France | DNF |   |   
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  |  | First 4 from each Heat advanced to Final. |   
| Heat 1 | time |   |  | 1. Joseph Mostert |   Belgium | 3:57.7 | Q |  | 2. Toivo Sarkama |   Finland | 3:57.8 | Q |  | 3. Sydney Wooderson |   Great Britain | 3:58.1 | Q |  | 4. Ingvar Haglund |   Sweden | 3:59.5 | Q |  | 5. Robert Goix |   France | 4:09.0 | Q |  | 6. Renzo Zipoli |   Italy | 4:11.0 |   |  | 7. Frits de Ruyter |   Netherlands | Nt |   |   
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| Heat 2 | time |   |  | 1. Luigi Beccali |   Italy | 4:02.0 | Q |  | 2. Niilo Hartikka |   Finland | 4:02.3 | Q |  | 3. Jim Alford |   Great Britain | 4:02.5 | Q |  | 4. Pierre Leichtnam |   France | 4:03.1 | Q |  | 5. Jan Staniszewski |   Poland | 4:03.6 | Q |  | 6. Jean Deloge |   Luxembourg | 4:12.1 |   |  | 7. Jansson Åke |   Sweden | DNF |   |   
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| Participants |  | 1. Sydney Wooderson | GBR | 1. |  | 2. Niilo Hartikka | FIN | 4. |  | 3. Toivo Sarkama | FIN | 5. |  | 4. Josson | SWE | -?? |  | 5. Luigi Beccali | ITA | 3. |  | 6. James Alford | GBR | 7. |  | 7. Joseph Mostert | BEL | 2. |  | 8. Jan Staniszewski | POL | 6. |  | 9. Pierre Leichtman | FRA | 10. |  | 10.Robert Goix | FRA | 9. |  | 11.Melhose | GER | -?? |  | 12.Schaumburg | GER | -?? |  | 13.Zipoli | ITA | H 6. |  | 14.De Ruyter | NED | H 7. |  | 15.Krastins | LAT | -?? |  | 16.Minder | SUI -? |  | 17.Deloge | LUX | H 6. |  | -.?Ingvar Haglund | SWE | 8. |   
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