Hudson, Miss Millie

Amelia Bremer Hudson (1902-1966)

Born 1902 in Sunderland to George Hudson, flour miller, and Maria Theresa Bremer (married Sunderland 1900). Shortly after her birth, the family emigrated to South Africa. Because she spent her childhood there, a number of newspapers refer to her as South African.

Her father died and her mother brought the family back to England in 1920 and Millie became a typist in Kensington, London, where she was to spend most of the rest of her life.

As well as marathon swimming she was a keen diver. Amelia Hudson, of the West London Penguin Swimming and Water Polo Club, competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics in the 3M springboard diving. She reached the semi-finals but did not qualify for the finals

On 12 June 1927, age 25, she left for Tangier, Morocco, to try and swim the straits of Gibraltar. Travelling with her were her friend and fellow-swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, 27, a London social worker, and their trainer Frenchman Joe Costa, 36, merchant. Interestingly both Millie and Joe Costa give their home address as 83 Edith Rd., Kensington.

She made the same trip on 23 March 1928, this time accompanied by Joe Costa 37, merchant, and Jeanne Costa 29. All three give their address as 83 Edith Rd.

She made one failed attempt in September1927 and spent the summer of 1928 at Dover but never managed to make an attempt

Miss Millie Hudson, 22 of Hammersmith, a newcomer among the Channel aspirants now training at Dover.
08 July 1927 – Daily Herald – London

SLOW SWIMMER BUT EXPECTS TO MAKE LONG CHANNEL TRIP EASILY Dover, Eng., July 26,—Miss Millie Hudson, young Hammersmith girl who hopes to swim from Cape Grisnez to the English coast in August has been training steadily for some time, first in London’s open-air baths and now at Dover. She is built for long-distance swimming and her chances are considered favourably. “She does not claim to be a sprinter,” her adviser, Rob Derbyshire, says, “but she can keep going for hours at a steady pace without tiring,”
Brandon Daily Sun, Tuesday, July 26, 1927

Others who are gathered in their training camps, awaiting suitable opportunities to start across the English Channel are Mrs. Ivy Gill, Miss Millie Hudson, Frank Perks, and J. Fellows, of Rotherham. Numerous others, including foreigners, are expected to arrive on either side of the Channel later in the season.
The Daily Banner,Greencastle, Putnam County, 19 June 1928

After the war she became a sports journalist, working as swimming editor of the London Evening Standard. In 1949 she became the first female member of the Sports Writers Association but year after year was refused entry to the men-only annual dinner. She was the only female member until 1955

She wrote for other publications and also occassionally commentated for the BBC, including coverage of the 1948 swimming gala to chose the British Olympic diving teams

She never married and lived in West Kensington with her spinster sisters Marjorie and Marie. She died Stepney in 1966