Eileen Fenton (born 1928 in Dewsbury, England) was the first woman to swim the English Channel, accomplishing the feat on 26 September 1950.[1] Fenton completed the swim as a competitor in the First Daily Mail Channel Race. There were 24 competitors in the race and less than half of these finished.[1] She finished in a time of 15hrs 31mins, and received a winner's cheque of £1000.[2]

In 2019, she received an MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours for voluntary service to Long Distance and Competitive Swimming Coaching in Yorkshire and Great Britain.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Eileen Fenton celebrates 70th anniversary of swimming the English Channel". ITV News. 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  2. ^ "Fenton, Eileen". Channel Swimming Dover. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  3. ^ "'Inspirational' woman from Dewsbury highlighted by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
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