First British woman to swim Channel in 1927 gets blue plaque on home

First British woman to swim Channel in 1927 gets blue plaque on home
First British woman to swim Channel in 1927 gets blue plaque on home
Female sporting pioneer Mercedes Gleitze who became the first British woman to swim the Channel in 1927 will be remembered with a blue plaque on her home in Brighton Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim the Channel in 1927 Her sporting achievements have been largely forgotten since the feat She has been honoured with a blue plaque on her Brighton home and a new film of her exploits starring Kirsten Callaghan

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A female trailblazer who was the first British woman to swim the English Channel will be honoured with a blue plaque outside her Brighton home.

Mercedes Gleitze became the first Brighton woman to swim the English Channel on her eighth attempt in 1927. 

In the same year she went on to become the first person to swim the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and all around the Isle of Man.

By the time of her retirement in 1932 her record for endurance swimming was 46 hours.

Mercedes Gleitze became the first Brighton woman to swim the English Channel on her eighth attempt in 1927

Mercedes Gleitze became the first Brighton woman to swim the English Channel on her eighth attempt in 1927

After her triumph in 1927, calls of a hoax forced her to attempt a 'vindication swim' months later that had to be abandoned because of extreme cold

After her triumph in 1927, calls of a hoax forced her to attempt a 'vindication swim' months later that had to be abandoned because of extreme cold

A blue plaque dedicated to Ms Gleitze has been unveiled outside her former home in Brighton

A blue plaque dedicated to Ms Gleitze has been unveiled outside her former home in Brighton

Members of the cast of Vindication Swim, a film based on her life, were there to see the unveiling of the plaque

Members of the cast of Vindication Swim, a film based on her

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