Thomas William Burgess
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Burgess was the second person to swim the English Channel
after Matthew Webb
. He performed the feat on September 6, 1911, on his sixteenth attempt.
on June 15, 1872, to Alfred Burgess, a blacksmith, originally from Youlgreave, Derbyshire, and Camilla Anna Peat originally from Harthill, South Yorkshire. In 1926 he trained Gertrude Ederle
who in that year became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
Thomas had one sister, Winifred Edith Burgess who was born in Rotherham
, May 11, 1875. Thomas's father worked for the Earl of Shrewsbury
and accepted the Earl's offer to run a branch of the business in London. The family moved to Westminster
, London
around 1882. During this time in London, Thomas joined a swimming club and swam to Battersea
along the Thames. Around 1889 The Earl offered Thomas the opportunity to set up a French branch of the motor tyre business in Paris
, France
.
On August 8, 1893, he married Anne Rosalie Mioux a French woman in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, Paris, France, and lived with her running his motor business in Levallois-Perret, Paris. In the 1920's Thomas bought a summer home at Cap Gris Nez
near Calais, as a summer base to train channel swimmers from 1922 to 1934. His main residence was at Clichy, Paris and died at 88 Rue de Villiers, Levallois-Perret, Paris on July 2, 1950.
Thomas had two children, a boy born 1896 and a daughter born in Paris in 1907. It is believed that Thomas's son fought for the British in World War I in the York & Lancaster Regiment. Thomas's maternal uncle was a head teacher at a school in Swinton, Rotherham. Thomas's sister married in London and had one daughter Phyllis Camilla Ruegg in 1898. Thomas's niece Phyllis Camilla Ruegg grew up to be the head of an Educational college in London and died at the age of 98 in Camden 1996.
In the 1920s Thomas was hired by Gertrude Ederle to train her for her channel swim. In 1941 it was reported by the newspapers that Thomas was taken prisoner by the Nazis and held in a prison camp Stalag 142 in Bascanon, France. He was released later the same year.
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
after Matthew Webb
Matthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. On 25 August 1875 he swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours.-Early life and career:...
. He performed the feat on September 6, 1911, on his sixteenth attempt.
Biography
He was born at 7 Lyndhurst Place, RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
on June 15, 1872, to Alfred Burgess, a blacksmith, originally from Youlgreave, Derbyshire, and Camilla Anna Peat originally from Harthill, South Yorkshire. In 1926 he trained Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Ederle
Gertrude Caroline Ederle was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Gertrude Ederle was the daughter of a German immigrant who ran a butcher shop on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan; she was born in New York City. She was known as...
who in that year became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
Thomas had one sister, Winifred Edith Burgess who was born in Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, May 11, 1875. Thomas's father worked for the Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
and accepted the Earl's offer to run a branch of the business in London. The family moved to Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
around 1882. During this time in London, Thomas joined a swimming club and swam to Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
along the Thames. Around 1889 The Earl offered Thomas the opportunity to set up a French branch of the motor tyre business in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
On August 8, 1893, he married Anne Rosalie Mioux a French woman in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, Paris, France, and lived with her running his motor business in Levallois-Perret, Paris. In the 1920's Thomas bought a summer home at Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
near Calais, as a summer base to train channel swimmers from 1922 to 1934. His main residence was at Clichy, Paris and died at 88 Rue de Villiers, Levallois-Perret, Paris on July 2, 1950.
Thomas had two children, a boy born 1896 and a daughter born in Paris in 1907. It is believed that Thomas's son fought for the British in World War I in the York & Lancaster Regiment. Thomas's maternal uncle was a head teacher at a school in Swinton, Rotherham. Thomas's sister married in London and had one daughter Phyllis Camilla Ruegg in 1898. Thomas's niece Phyllis Camilla Ruegg grew up to be the head of an Educational college in London and died at the age of 98 in Camden 1996.
In the 1920s Thomas was hired by Gertrude Ederle to train her for her channel swim. In 1941 it was reported by the newspapers that Thomas was taken prisoner by the Nazis and held in a prison camp Stalag 142 in Bascanon, France. He was released later the same year.