SMOKED DURING CHANNEL SWIM.

Shannon News, 11 September 1928, Page 2

SMOKED DURING CHANNEL SWIM.

YOUNG GIRL’S FEAT. (Sun Special.) LONDON, August 25. Miss Hilda Sharp, an 18-Vear-old Brighton nursemaid, who is nicknamed ‘ ‘ Laddie, ’ ’ owing to her resemblance to a boy, swam the English Channel today. Miss Sharp, whose ambitions have long 'been to swim the Channel in re-' cord time and to emigrate tor Australia to take up farming, started from Gris Ncz (France), 50 minutes after midnight, and landed at Dover at 3-55 p.m. Her time, 15hr. smin., was the nqarest /of the women /swimmers to Gertrude Ederle’s record of 14hr. 39min.

Miss Sharp is sturdy, fair, freekled, and Eton-cropped. She 'wore boy’s clothes, while training in France and deceived the whole village, including a girl, who Avanted to become her sweetheart.

Hilda says that she became a nursemaid at Brighton in order to spend her spare time in training to swim the Channel. CALF LIKE TUNNEY’S.

“I am double-jointed, and I am able to swim my‘ own double-scissor kickstroke, with 25 full strokes to the minute,” she said. “I can keep it up all the time I am SAvimming. I Aveigh 11 stone, and I am particularly proud of my calf, Avhich is 16in., the same, as Gene Tunncy’s. I smoked an occasional cigarette during the swim;” Miss Sharp at one time appeared certain to beat the record; but the tide carried her from her course, delaying her four hours.