Sunny Lowry
Encyclopedia
Ethel "Sunny" Lowry MBE
(2 January 1911, Longsight
, Manchester
– 21 February 2008) was the first British woman to swim the English Channel
.
Lowry, a student at Manchester High School for Girls
and a keen swimmer from a young age, joined the Victoria Ladies Swimming Club of Victoria Baths
, Longsight, Manchester. At that time (circa 1920) Victoria Baths only practised unisex swimming session and Sunny could only admire the achievements of the men swimmers but couldn't compete against them. She was developing an aptitude for long-distance swimming
and used to train with her sister at Levenshulme
baths so that she could attempt distance swimming competitions on Windermere
. She also practised distance swimming in the sea at her parent's holiday home in Rhos-on-Sea
in North Wales
. On one occasion she swam from her home to Colwyn Bay
and back again.
Her father, noticing her increasing talent at distance swimming in the sea suggested that she train for her ambition to swim the Channel. This she did, choosing Westgate on Sea near Margate
in Kent
as an appropriate venue.
Sunny's trainer in Kent was Jabez Woolffe who had put her on a high protein diet (including eating 40 eggs a week in omelette
s). She trained for 3 or 4 hours a day in the build up to her first attempt.
Her first attempt was from England to France and took place on 19 August 1932. She got quite close to the French coast but eventually the strong east-west currents from France prevented her from finishing. Wolffe and Captain Courtez, the captain of the support tug "Isobelle", called off the attempt. It still took them 45 minutes before they could find her to help her out of the water. Eventually lighting flashes allowed them to see her red swimming cap.
On 27 July 1933, Lowry attempted the swim again only this time choosing to let the current help her instead of hindering her. Accordingly she changed direction and made the swim from France to England. Unfortunately once again she was unsuccessful.
Making her third attempt on 28 August 1933, Sunny, aged 22, successfully swam from Cap Gris Nez
, France
to St Margarets Bay, Dover, England. The swim took her 15 hours 41 minutes.. Once again she was supported by Wolffe and Courtez.
Lowry had a reputation for strong-mindedness which was demonstrated by her eschewing the traditional heavy wool one-piece swimsuit in favour of a, at the time very daring, lighter two-piece suit. For this she was berated as being a "harlot" for baring her knees. This swimsuit is now on display at the Dover Museum "Swimming The Channel" exhibition.
Lowry is one of only five British women to have ever successfully swum the Channel. At the age of 94, in the 2005 Honours list, she was awarded an MBE
for services to swimming in the North-West. In July 2003, at the age of 92, Sunny was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Association's Hall of Fame. She died at the age of 97 on 21 February 2008 at Warrington Hospital.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(2 January 1911, Longsight
Longsight
Longsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
– 21 February 2008) was the first British woman to swim the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
Lowry, a student at Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom...
and a keen swimmer from a young age, joined the Victoria Ladies Swimming Club of Victoria Baths
Victoria Baths
Victoria Baths is a Grade II* listed building, situated in the Chorlton-upon-Medlock area of Manchester, in northwest England. The building is currently on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register....
, Longsight, Manchester. At that time (circa 1920) Victoria Baths only practised unisex swimming session and Sunny could only admire the achievements of the men swimmers but couldn't compete against them. She was developing an aptitude for long-distance swimming
Long-distance swimming
The distances that distinguish long distance swimming from ordinary swimming are those distances that are longer than are typically swum in pool competitions. When a given swim calls more on endurance than outright speed, the more likely it is to be considered a long distance swim...
and used to train with her sister at Levenshulme
Levenshulme
Levenshulme is an urban area of the City of Manchester, in North West England. It borders Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish, and is approximately halfway between Stockport and Manchester City Centre on the A6 road. The A6 bisects Levenshulme. The Manchester to London railway...
baths so that she could attempt distance swimming competitions on Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
. She also practised distance swimming in the sea at her parent's holiday home in Rhos-on-Sea
Rhos-on-Sea
Rhos-on-Sea also known as Llandrillo-yn-Rhos in Welsh, or Rhos or Llandrillo , is a seaside resort in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,110 in 2001. It is a mile to the north but effectively a suburb of Colwyn Bay, on the coast of North Wales...
in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. On one occasion she swam from her home to Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
and back again.
Her father, noticing her increasing talent at distance swimming in the sea suggested that she train for her ambition to swim the Channel. This she did, choosing Westgate on Sea near Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
as an appropriate venue.
Sunny's trainer in Kent was Jabez Woolffe who had put her on a high protein diet (including eating 40 eggs a week in omelette
Omelette
In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat , or some combination of the above...
s). She trained for 3 or 4 hours a day in the build up to her first attempt.
Her first attempt was from England to France and took place on 19 August 1932. She got quite close to the French coast but eventually the strong east-west currents from France prevented her from finishing. Wolffe and Captain Courtez, the captain of the support tug "Isobelle", called off the attempt. It still took them 45 minutes before they could find her to help her out of the water. Eventually lighting flashes allowed them to see her red swimming cap.
On 27 July 1933, Lowry attempted the swim again only this time choosing to let the current help her instead of hindering her. Accordingly she changed direction and made the swim from France to England. Unfortunately once again she was unsuccessful.
Making her third attempt on 28 August 1933, Sunny, aged 22, successfully swam from Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to St Margarets Bay, Dover, England. The swim took her 15 hours 41 minutes.. Once again she was supported by Wolffe and Courtez.
Lowry had a reputation for strong-mindedness which was demonstrated by her eschewing the traditional heavy wool one-piece swimsuit in favour of a, at the time very daring, lighter two-piece suit. For this she was berated as being a "harlot" for baring her knees. This swimsuit is now on display at the Dover Museum "Swimming The Channel" exhibition.
Lowry is one of only five British women to have ever successfully swum the Channel. At the age of 94, in the 2005 Honours list, she was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to swimming in the North-West. In July 2003, at the age of 92, Sunny was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Association's Hall of Fame. She died at the age of 97 on 21 February 2008 at Warrington Hospital.
See also
- Gertrude EderleGertrude EderleGertrude Caroline Ederle was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Gertrude Ederle was the daughter of a German immigrant who ran a butcher shop on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan; she was born in New York City. She was known as...
- Notable English Channels swims - which lists Mercedes Gleitze as the first British woman to swim the channel in 1927.
External links
- Victoria Baths Memories: Sunny Lowry.
- Dover Museum: Online Exhibition: Swimming The Channel.
- Channel Swimming Association: Presidents.
- Burke's Peerage Preview webpage.