1 Jabez Wolffe was the son of a Kelvinbridge watchmaker, an international celebrity more than 100 years ago - and possibly the unluckiest swimmer in the world. Born in the city in 1876, he became a champion swimmer with more than 10 marathon records to his name, but he was obsessed with becoming the second man to swim the channel (after Captain Webb in 1875). 2 A member of the Glasgow Dolphin Swimming Club, Jabez made his first attempt on July 23, 1907. Our sister newspaper the then Glasgow Herald reported: “He took water at 10.46. The sea was smooth, there was practically no wind…A Calais boat brought news that at 3pm he was seven or eight miles out and going well with his over-arm stroke. A later telegram says that Wolffe had to abandon his attempt owing to his leg giving out. He said he was resigned to his fate and would not make another attempt.” In fact, he did try again, 21 times, but he never succeeded.
Sunny Lowry at Warrington Baths DOES this picture bring back memories? For thousands of children in Warrington, this was how they learned to swim – from a woman who was already world renowned for her own swimming feats. Sunny Lowry was well known to aspiring swimmers across the town for her work at Warrington Baths. Along with husband Bill Anderson, she taught generations of youngsters to swim in the pools of the Legh Street facility. It was long before Mrs Lowry was at the Baths’ she made a name for herself, becoming the first British woman to swim the English Channel as a 22-year-old.