The Mayor of Folkestone (Councillor Charles E. Neate) & Toufic Bleik of Lebanon.

The Mayor of Folkestone (Councillor Charles E. Neate) & Toufic Bleik of Lebanon.

Billy Butlin International Swim 1954. Leas Cliff Hotel, Folkestone, Kent. The Mayor of Folkestone (Councillor Charles E. Neate) presenting a trophy to Toufic Bleik of the Lebanon.

Toufic Bleik, Lebanon, swam from France to England 3rd August 1953. His time was 16hrs 5mins. In July he was unsuccessful, he swam for 12 hours.

For his one successful swim, Bleik set off from Cap Gris-Nez in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday Aug 3. 1953. He landed at St Margaret’s Bay shortly before 6.00 pm. His time was 16 hrs 05 min. He swam into a thick patch of oil discharged from a tanker and had some difficulty with his goggles.

In the Butlin’s International Channel Swim 1954, Toufic Bleik was 22 years old, and was unsuccessful after having swam for 16 hours.

He had three unsuccessful attempts in all: 25/07/1953 (12 hours), in the 1954 Billy Butlin race swam for 16hrs and in 1955 he swam 3hrs 53mins in the Butlins race.

From the Sam Rockett Collection. A Black and White Photograph.

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