Online Exhibition - Swimming the Channel

1950s heyday

Races and relays

The fifties saw a growth in the popularity of swimming the channel and a number of races were organised.

 

Relay swims were also popular. Started in 1950, it wasn't until 1954 that the first officially observed and timed relay swim was recorded by Folkestone Club. The rules for relay swimming include: only 6 members and no substitutions, swimmers swim in one hour legs; swimmers must rotate in the same order and enter the water behind the existing swimmer; and no pace-making is allowed.

Races:

1950: The Daily Mail First International Cross-Channel Race (24 contestants)

1951 Festival of Britain International Cross-Channel Race (sponsored by the Daily Mail)

1953 - 1959 Butlin International Cross-Channel race

Since 1959 no race has since been sponsored.

Summary

Tom Blower 1937 - 1951

A factory worker from Nottingham he made 3 successful swims. In 1937 he swam Cap Griz Nez to Abbots Cliff accompanied by the 'Lady Brassey' tug and piloted by Captain Pearson. In 1948 he swam from Archcliffe beach accompanied by Freddie Upton in his Walmer boat 'Sunbeam'. This made him the 2nd person to swim both ways. In 1951 he attempted to swim there-and-back leaving from St. Margaret's Bay but abandoned the return leg after 1 hour. In 1947 he became the first man to swim the Irish Channel. He died in Devon in 1955 aged 41.

France to England: 4/8/1937 (success)

England to France: 30/8/1948 (success), 11/9/1951(success)

 

Elna Anderson 1946 - 1953

Danish swimmer who made 5 failed attempts

England to France: 2/8/1951 (failed), 14/8/1952 (failed)

France to England: 17/9/1946 (failed), 27/7/1947 (failed), 6/8/1953 (failed)

 

Daniel Carpio 1947 - 1951

Peruvian who swam the Channel twice

A solo swim in 1947, Cap Gris Nez to Abbots Cliff accompanied by Jack Burwill in 'June Rose'. His second success was in the 2nd Daily Mail Channel Race in 1951 (Festival of Britain Race).

France to England: 4 and 5/9/1947 (success), 16/8/1951 (success)

 

The Egyptians 1947 - 1955

Each year Egypt sent a team of swimmers to live at Folkestone for the summer, training in the outdoor pool and making various attempts on the Channel.

 

1947:
Fahmy Attalah fails France to England 5/9/1947

 

1948
France to England 29/8/1948

Hassan Abdel Rehim succeeds
(41 year old Army Officer. St. Margaret's Bay to Cap Gris Nez)
Mahri Hassan Hamad fails
Megid Mohammed fails
Fahmy Attallah fails

 

1949
Six Man Relay Team succeeds England to France 5/8/1949
Mahri Hassan Hamed fails France to England 29/8/1949
Fahmy Attallah fails France to England 4/9/1949
Abdel Moneim Abdu fails France to England 4/9/1948
Hassan Abdel Rehim succeeds England to France 17/9/1949
Mahri Hassan Hamad succeeds France to England 18/9/1949
(31 year old Army Warrant Officer. Cap Gris Nez to St. Margaret's Bay)
Fahmy Attallah fails France to England 2/10/1949

 

1950
Hassan Abdel Rehim succeeds France to England 22/8/1950 (1st in Daily Mail Race)
Mahri Hassan Hamad succeeds France to England 22/8/1950 (3rd in Daily Mail Race)
Fahmy Attallah fails France to England 22/8/1950 (Daily Mail Race)
Abdel Moneim Abdu fails England to France 5/9/1950

 

1951
Abdel Latif Abdu Heif succeeds France to England 28/7/1951
(22 year old student. Cap Gris Nez to Fan Bay)
Mahri Hassan Hamad succeeds France to England 16/8/1951 (1st in Daily Mail Race)
Hassan Abdel Rehim succeeds France to England 16/8/1951 (3rd in Daily Mail Race)
Saied el Arabi succeeds France to England 16/8/1951 (4th in Daily Mail Race)

 

1952
Mustafa Dawoud fails France to England 22/7/1952
Bakr Hussein succeeds France to England 15/8/1952
Fahmy Attallah fails France to England 15/8/1952 (7th and last attempt)
Helmy Maraghy fails France to England 15/8/1952
Youssef Girgis fails France to England 15/8/1952
Said Yassin fails France to England 15/8/1952
Hassan Radii fails France to England 15/8/1952
Abdel Moneim Abdu succeeds France to England 17+18/8/1952
(27 year old newspaper reporter. Cap Gris Nez to Shakespeare Cliff)
Ahmed Abdel Kader fails France to England 27/8/1952
Omar Gemaie fails France to England 27/8/1952
Saied el Arabi succeeds England to France 29/8/1952

 

1953
Abdel Latif Abdu Heif succeeds England to France 2/8/1953 (swam 1st leg of relay and continued solo)
Six Man Relay Team succeeds England to France 2/8/1953
Bakr Hosein Soliman fails England to France 3/8/1953

 

1954
Bakr Hosein Soliman fails England to France 15/8/1954
Abdel Moneim Abdu fails England to France 15/8/1954
Mahri Hassan Hamad succeeds France to England 21/8/1954 (2nd in Butlins Race)
Nazik Riad fails France to England 27/8/1954
Fouad el Gazali fails France to England 27/8/1954

 

1955
Abdel Latif Heif succeeds France to England 15/8/1955 (1st in Butlins Race)

 

Phillip Mickman 1948 - 1952

RAF National Serviceman from Yorkshire. At age 18 he was then the youngest swimmer to swim the Channel and at age 21 was the youngest (and 4th ever) to have done the 'double', having swum both directions. He was trained by Temme. In 1949 he swam from Cap Gris Nez to Kingsdown and in 1952 from St. Margaret's Bay to Cap Blanc Nez. Both times accompanied by Jack Burwill.

 

England to France: 23/8/1950 (failed), 28/7/1951 (failed), 14/8/1952 (failed), 21/9/1952 (success)

France to England: 31/8/1948 (failed), 24/7/1949 (failed), 22+23/8/1949 (success)

 

Shirley May France 1949 - 1950

17 year old American who made 3 failed attempts

France to England: 6/9/1949 (failed), 8/8/1950 (failed), 22/8/1950 (failed)

 

First Daily Mail Cross-Channel Race 22/8/1950

24 starters and 9 finished. The swimmers started at Cap Gris Nez.

In order of finishing:

 

Hassan Abdel Rehim, Egypt
Roger le Morvan, France
Mahri Hassan Hamad, Egypt
Sam Rockett, GB
W.E. Barnie, GB
Eileen Fenton, GB
Zasson Zirganos, Greece
Antonio Abertondo, Argentina
Jenny Kammersgaard, Denmark

 

Failed:-

Eduard Mussche, Belgium
Emile Sonor, France
David Frank, USA
Willy Croes Van Rijsel, Holland
G.E. Brewster, UK
Germaine Pique, France
Wanda Boutagy, Israel
George Blomme, Belgium
Edmund Olsen, Denmark
Alfonso Cruz, Guatemala
Lars-Bertil Warle, Sweden
Pantagiotis Kemberos, Greece
Elna Andersen, Denmark
Margaret Ann Feather, UK
Fahmy Attallah, Egypt

 

Florence Chadwick 1950 - 1955

Typist and swimming coach from California. 4 successes in 10 attempts. 32 years old when she became the first woman to swim from England to France in 1951, St. Margaret's Bay to Sangatte. This also made her the first woman to do the double as she had swum France to England in 1950 (Cap Gris Nez to South Foreland). Her 3 England to France swims each took the record for the fastest time, going from 16 hours 22 mins in 1951 to 13 hours 55 mins in 1955. On her last 3 successful swims she also attempted to swim there-and-back but gave up on the return legs.

 

England to France: 10/9/1951 (success), 2/8/1953 (failed), 15/8/1953 (failed), 4/9/1953 (success) 15/8/1955 (failed), 23/9/1955 (failed), 26/9/1955 (failed), 12/10/1955 (success)

France to England: 26/7/1950 (failed), 8/8/1950 (success)

 

Sam Rockett 1950

Was one of 9 finishers out of 24 competitors in the 1st Daily Mail International Channel Race of 1950, Cap Gris Nez to England, 22/8/1950 (and 1st Briton home). Accompanied by 'Rose Marie' piloted by Joe Mercer of Deal. Wrote book 'It's Cold in the Channel' published by Hutchinson 1956. Technical Adviser to Daily Mail for 1951 Race and swimmer trainer. At same time appointed Manager of Folkestone Swimming Pool, HQ of Channel Swimming Association

 

Eileen Fenton 1950 - 1955

A 21 year old English and Divinity Teacher when she swam Cap Gris Nez to England in 1950 in the 1st Daily Mail Channel Race. She was one of 9 to finish out of 24 competitors and won ,1000 as the first woman home, landing at Dover beach. Successful on her first attempt she had 2 more failures.

 

France to England: 22/8/1950 (success), 16/8/1951 (failed), 15/8/1955 (failed)

 

Antonio Abertondo 1950 - 1961

Argentinean who made 5? attempts, only failing his first time. His 4 successes were in the 2 Daily Mail and the Butlins races of 1950, 51 & 54 and in 1961 when he became the fist man to swim both ways non-stop (4 minute break) .

 

France to England: 7/8/1950 failed, 22/8/1950 success, 28/7/1951 success, 21/8/1954 success

Two-Way Double: 1961 success

 

2nd Daily Mail Cross Channel Race 16/8/1951

20 entrants. Sam Rockett was the supervising trainer, based at the Folkestone open air pool. The Egyptians refused their prizes on the grounds that the Daily Mail had slandered the King of Egypt.

In order of finishing;

Mahri Hassan Hamad, Egypt
Roger le Morvan, France
Hassan Abdel Rehim, Egypt
Saied el Arabi, Egypt
Brenda Fisher, UK
Godfrey Chapman, UK
Winnie Roach, Canada
Enrique Duarte, Argentina
Lars-Bertil Warle, Sweden
Raphael Morand, France
Daniel Carpio, Peru
Janny James, UK
Zasson Zirganos, Greece
Antonio Abertondo, Argentina
Jans van Hemsberger, Holland
Sally Bauer, Sweden
Dr. W.E. Barnie, UK
Jenny Kammersgaard, Denmark

 

Failed:
Eileen Fenton, UK
Alain Louis Bombard, France

 

Kathleen Mayo (Mayoh) 1951 - 1952

20 year old Bolton factory girl when she swam Sangatte to East Wear Bay in 1952. She was 1 of 3 successful swimmers on the 15th August 1952. She won the first Butlin International Channel Race in 1953 despite not finishing for she was less than a mile short and no else finished.

England to France: 26/8/1953 (failed)

France to England: 27/7/1951 (failed), 15/8/1952 (success)

 

Abdel Latif Abdu Heif 1951 - 1955

A 22 year old student from Egypt in 1951 when he was the only one of a team 6 Egyptians to swim the Channel, Cap Gris Nez to Fan Bay. He joined the Egyptian Coastguard and made 2 more crossings. In 1953 he was first leg in a successful Egyptian Relay attempt, England to France, but when his leg was over Heif carried on to gain another personal success as well. In 1955 he was one of 4 out of 16 to finish the Butlins Cross Channel Race, Cap Gris Nez to England.

 

England to France: 2/8/1953 (success)

France to England: 28/7/1951 (success), 15/8/1955 (success)

 

Marilyn Bell 1955

The 17 year old Canadian schoolgirl from Toronto held the youngest swimmer title for many years. She swam Cap Gris Nez to East Wear Bay on 31/7/1955 accompanied by her trainer Gus and piloted by Jack Burwill.

 

William Pickering 1955

A 34 year old Bloxwich baths manager weighing 15 stone he made just one attempt on 27/8/1955 and took Florence Chadwick's fastest time record. He swam St. Margaret's Bay to Cap Blanc Nez piloted by Jack Burwill.

 

This list is based on research for Dover Museum's collection - it is not a complete list of all swimmers.