ON a freezing October morning in 1927, a London typist made history of sorts when she swam across the English channel.

It was Mercedes Gleitze’s eighth attempt. Exhausted after 15 hours afloat, the first Englishwoman to conquer the channel collapsed and fell unconscious for two hours. But she had succeeded ... or so, she thought.

A day later, another woman managed the same feat – in just over 13 hours. Stories began to fly and Mona McLennan soon owned up. Her swim was a hoax.

Now, Gleitze’s swim also came under a cloud. Was it a hoax, too? Miffed, she vowed to do it again. So, on Oct 21, two weeks after her first swim, she plunged in again.

The conditions were harsher and Gleitze was in pain. But a huge crowd had joined her. They sang songs, played music and cheered her on. And she laboured on.

The advertisements the day after hailed her great achievement, but in reality, she did not complete her swim. The brutal cold – and an attempt so soon after her first – proved just too much. After some 10 hours of trying, a beaten Gleitze was finally hoisted from the icy waters onto a boat.

Source: Malaysia Star