Ken Wray, centre, to his left Ronald Tarr.

Folkestone, Kent. Race channel swimming competitors.

Ken Wray, Great Britain. He swam in 1953, for 12 hrs & 15 mins. 1954 he swam for two hours. 1958 he swam for 4hrs and 7mins. 1959 he swam for 10hrs & 57 mins. These swims were all unsuccessful.

He did complete a successful swim in 1957,  France-England, 16hrs 25mins. He was the only man to finish in the “Billy Butlin” Race and was winner of the cross channel race.

Ken Wray (33) swam Morecambe Bay, Lake Windermere 7hrs 17mins, and St. Napier to Le Baule swim South of France in 1955.

Ronald Tarr entered the 1955 Butlins swim, swam for 13hrs. He entered the 1956 swim – only 8 swimmers started from thirty entrants. In the 1957 swim he swam for 16hrs10mins before the race was abandoned. In 1958 he was the second man to finish in a time of 15hrs 12mins.

He was best known as Big Ron in “East Enders”. He appeared in small parts in films and on television.