Photograph of Sir Billy Butlin with Channel Swimmers 1957 Race

A photograph of a group of 20 of the 29 channel swimmers who started the 1957 race, posing for a photo for Sir Billy Butlin in staggered rows with some sitting and some standing and a large trophy in front of them. Folkestone Pool

Competitors were:- Abertondo, Antonio – Argentina; Andersen, Greta Marie – Denmark; Barnie, Dr. William Edward ‘Ned’ – UK; Borenstein, Edna – Israel; Burdett, Florence L. – USA; Da Silva, Jose – Portugal; Da Silva, Walter Antonio – Brazil; Fisher, Brenda – UK; George, Rosemary – UK; Gill, Frederick John – UK; Goulding, Arthur John – UK; Granger, James Thomas – UK; Herron, Paul M. – USA; Ismen, Haldun – Turkey; McClelland, John (Jack) – UK (NI); Meesters, Maria – Netherlands; Millard, Roy M. – UK; Ocano, Ramon Briseno – Mexico; Pereira, (Joaquim) Baptista – Portugal; Quiroz, Nestor – Argentina; Roy, Shri – India; Ruiz, Luis Gilberto – Paraguay; Sen, Mihir – India; Sweeney, Margaret – New Zealand; Tarr, Ronald Lawrence – UK; Tirrell, Ian H. – South Africa; Valladares, Alberto – Mexico; Woodward, Barry – UK; Wray, Kenneth James – UK

During the 1957 race, the conditions were terrible and only two swimmers finished;  Greta Andersen finishing in 13 hours 53 minutes over England’s Ken Wray in 16 hours

Identified: Back Row: 1. Haldun Ismen 2. Shri Roy 3. Alberto Valadares 4. Ronald Tarr 6. James Granger 8. Ian Tirrell 11. Jack McClelland 12 Luis Ruiz
Front Row: 1. Mihir Sen 2. Rosemary George 3. Margaret Sweeney 5. Billy Butlin 6. Brenda Fisher 8. Florence Burdett 9. Ned Barnie