FAMOUS SWIMMER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 57, 18 February 1927, Page 3

FAMOUS SWIMMER

DEATH OT T. CAVILL. AT AGE OF 87. Mr Fred. Cavill, a one-time famous swimmer, and the father of famous swimmers, died recently at the Home of Peace, Lewisham, Sydney. He was aged 87 years. Mr Cavill, a native of London, joined the Royal Navy as a young boy. His first employment was on Queen Victoria's yacht, “The Victoria and Albert.’’ Ho later served on another Royal yacht, ■ “The Fairy.” He fought in the Baltic war, end was a member of the Naval Brigade organised during the Indian Mutiny. The mutiny over, he left the navy, and took up professional swimming as a career. His first attempt to swim the English Channel failed. He then decided that an attempt should be made from the French side of the Channel. At dawn on a summer morn ing- of 1876, he walked, from the coast of France into the sea. Sixteen hours later, still steadily swimming, he saw the English coast in dim outline before him. Then a gale sprang up. The owners of the French lugger which was following grew alarmed for their boat, already in the neighbourhood of dangerous rocks. Although ho protested vigorously, Cavill was dragged into the boat, which then cast anchor. In the morning the tide had ebbed, and nigger was stranded in a few feet of water, 220 yards from the shore of England. Cavill, seeing this, jumped out and walked through the shallow water to the shore. His claim that he had thus successfully completed the channel swim was heatedly criticised in many quarters, but the Serpentine Club awarded him a certificate of honour, recognising the swim as a success. His greatest Australian performances were a swim .from Parramatta to Sydney, and another from Glenelg (South Australia) to the Semaphore, a distance of 18 miles. Mr Cavill, for the last 30 years of his life, had been crippled by rheumatism. His sons—Ernest, Charles, Percy, Arthur (“Turns”), Sydney, and Dick—were all Australian swimming char, ions in their day. Mr Cavill io s.-rvivcd by four ' sons— Ernest. Percy,' Sydney, and Dick—and three daughters —Mrs Hendy-i’oolcy, Mrs Frank Hanibridge and Mrs G. Eve, the latter being the mother of Dick Evo, the Olympic Games Jiving champion.