Brenda Fisher Explained

Brenda Fisher
Birth Date:9 June 1927
Birth Place:Scartho, Lincolnshire, England

Brenda Fisher (9 June 1927 – 2 August 2022) was an English long-distance swimmer. In 1951 she broke the women's world record for swimming the English Channel becoming a celebrity and she was given the British Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Life

Fisher was born and raised in Scartho, North East Lincolnshire,[1] the daughter of a Grimsby trawler skipper, learned to swim at the age of 9, and initially became a speed swimmer.[2] [3] [4] On 17 August 1951 she was the 23rd swimmer of the English Channel from France to England, completing in a new record women's time of 12 hours 42 minutes. She was fed every hour keeping up a rate of 25 strokes a minute rising to 30 as she approached England. She only learned of her time when she landed in England.[5] She broke the previous women's record of 13:20 set by Florence Chadwick a year earlier.[6] [7] A crowd of 60,000 turned out to welcome her back to Grimsby.[8] Fisher swam the Channel again in 1954, and was the first woman ashore.[9] [10] In 1956, Fisher completed and won the 290NaN0 River Nile Swim, then at the fastest time.[11] [12] Fisher was asked to attend the Royal Command Performance and she was given the Sportswoman of the Year Award.[5] In September 1956, Fisher took part in the 320NaN0 Lake Ontario swim from Niagara to Toronto, completing in 18 hours and 50 minutes, 2 hours and 6 minutes faster than the previous record set by Marilyn Bell.[2] [11] At that point, she was the third person in history to complete the swim. She attempted the Ontario swim again in 1957 but retired after 12 hours 43 minutes,[13] during a thunder storm which threatened to sink her support boats.

Fisher, with Stanley Baker, was one of the judges in the 1954 Prestatyn "Easy To Love" Bathing Beauty Contest.[14]

Fisher married Paddy Johnson, footballer with Grimsby Town F.C. After retiring, she became a swimming teacher in Grimsby.[15]

In 2015, her biography was published. Blonde In Deep Water was written by local journalist Lucy Wood.[16] [17]

In 2016, she appeared on the BBC Television series Flog It!, to sell her Clarice Cliff 'Inspiration' vase at auction and in June 2018 she appeared on Antiques Roadshow with her collection of swimming memorabilia.[18]

Fisher received in 2018 the British Empire Medal, as part of the Queen's New Year Honours list, for her achievements in the sport of swimming.[19] A blue plaque in her honour was erected in Grimsby in 2017.[20]

Fisher died from complications of a stroke on 2 August 2022, at the age of 95.[21] [22]

External links

British Pathe. Retrieved 11 June 2012
ITN, 23 August 1951. Retrieved 11 June 2012

Notes and References

  1. http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Amazing-life-Grimsby-s-record-breaking-Channel/story-27564580-detail/story.html "Amazing life of Grimsby's record-breaking Channel swimmer recorded in new book"
  2. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19560815&id=-4ItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c5kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5384,2397751 "Brenda Ready To Swim Anything Provided It’s Made Worthwhile"
  3. http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/60-years-record-breaker-Brenda-recalls-race/story-13141872-detail/story.html "60 years on, record-breaker Brenda recalls her race to British shores"
  4. http://www.soloswims.com/fisher.htm "Brenda Fisher"
  5. Web site: 2022-08-18 . Brenda Fisher obituary . 2023-01-04 . The Guardian . en.
  6. News: Channel Swim Won By Egyptian. 18 August 1951. Cairns Post.
  7. Web site: Florence Chadwick – Solo Channel Swimmer. Channel Swimming: Dover.uk.com. 29 August 2014.
  8. Grimsby 5 (from 30.00 min.). Flog It! . Flog It! . 10 November 2016 . . 10 November 2016 . 15 .
  9. https://archive.today/20130505151028/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/remarkable-lady/story-13327452-detail/story.html "'A remarkable lady'"
  10. British Pathe. Retrieved 11 June 2012
  11. http://www.soloswims.com/fisher.pdf "Brenda Fisher Beats Marilyn Bell Record"
  12. http://www.britishpathe.com/video/brenda-fisher-wins-nile-swim "Brenda Fisher Wins Nile Swim 1956"
  13. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19580814&id=PAcjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ys0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2338,2230685 "Brenda Fisher Swims Ontario"
  14. http://www.britishpathe.com/video/easy-to-love-bathing-beauty-contest/query/Fisher ""Easy To Love" Bathing Beauty Contest 1954"
  15. https://archive.today/20130505063758/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Grimsby-sporting-heroes-athletes-make-waves/story-15456449-detail/story.html "Two Grimsby sporting heroes call on athletes to make waves at London 2012"
  16. Book: Wood, Lucy Alice . Blonde in Deep Water: Brenda Fisher: The Story of a Channel Swimmer . 2015 . North Wall Publishing . 978-0-9568175-9-4 . en.
  17. http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/story-lady-town-great/story-28241989-detail/story.html "A story of a lady who made our town great!"
  18. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0698ndz "Champion Long Distance Swimmer Brenda Fisher"
  19. https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/champion-swimmer-brenda-fisher-receives-1565613 "Champion swimmer Brenda Fisher receives British Empire Medal"
  20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-42254926 "Brenda Fisher: Channel swimmer honoured with blue plaque"
  21. https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/grimsbys-brenda-fisher-dies-age-7447696 Grimsby's Brenda Fisher dies at the age of 95
  22. News: Brenda Fisher obituary . 20 September 2022 . The Times . 19 September 2022.

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