Tag Archives: mile

Eileen Smith: Swimming at Love Shore 1920s, 1930s

The lane leading to Loveshore

The lane leading to Loveshore

All of us children learnt to swim at Love Shore or Pier Shore, down the lane opposite Basketts Lane. The boys swam off Love Shore; the girls swam nearer the pier.

We went swimming twice a week in the summer, from the end of May, supervised by Mrs Stanway and Miss White (who was later Mrs. H Hayles). According to tides, we went swimming at 11.30 in the morning or 3.30 in the afternoon. We used to nip back home to change and run down to Love Shore with a towel round us. No one taught us proper strokes, we just learnt to swim. In September we swam for our certificates – 20 yards, 40 yards, and 100 yards. In 1931 some of us swam a mile from Eastmore to the pier for which we received a medal – I’ve still got mine.

Eileen Smith's medal for swimming one mile in 1931 whilst at yarmouth School

Eileen Smith’s medal for swimming one mile in 1931 whilst at Yarmouth School

Reverse inscribed ‘Eileen Lansdowne   1931’

Eileen Smith's medal for swimming one mile  in 1931. (She was then Eileen Lansdowne)

Eileen Smith’s medal for swimming one mile in 1931. (She was then Eileen Lansdowne)

I only swam once in the competition against other schools. I hated it. The private schools had all been taught proper strokes – crawl – and we’d just learnt to swim along.
Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

Barbara Dence: swimming 1920s, 1930s

 From a letter to Yarmouth School
Looking back with pleasure over the years, it seems that school in summer revolved round the time of high tide.  Our daily swimming lesson took up the latter part of the morning or afternoon.  It was not often that we missed.  Occasionally we went to the beach by the Pier, but most often it was down the turning up the High Street.  We all undressed on the beach –  very stony it was too – and we mastered the art of an exceedingly rapid change.  There was a small raft beside a breakwater which good swimmers used.
We were encouraged to learn to swim. Mr Stanway would give 6d to anyone who learnt and to the one who taught the swimmer.  Many people went on to do the mile and to learn life saving.  For this we went to the harbour and were thrown out of a boat fully dressed.

Excerpt from School Log

Excerpt from School Log

We had to undress in the water – get ashore –  and also “rescue” a drowning person – swim underwater and dive off the boat  without capsizing it.

The highlight of the swimming season was the Cowes Regatta, and a great honour to be picked for the team, for which we received a medal.  Also if you were good there was the chance of winning some pocket money at the various regattas.
Barbara Dence b 1920 

Barbara Dence's 1929 swimming certificate

Barbara Dence’s 1929 swimming certificate

Gerry Sheldon: swimming

There were sometimes dolphins  in the Solent when you were swimming along off Yarmouth.

I do remember one occasion when we had been practising our mile swim, a thin little girl who was a good swimmer set off for the pier before us. As I got near to the pier the current was getting stronger and it was harder work. Florrie Knee called out to me to come and help her. She wasn’t in trouble but the little girl was, under the pier, and Florrie was trying to help her.  Although she was a good swimmer, the tide was pulling her and she was tired. Florrie and I managed to help her ashore, and she ran home. Nobody ever knew what had happened, or what nearly happened.

Gerry Sheldon nee Haward  b1924