Westenborg, Miss Elsie 'Mickey West'

Elsie May Westenborg. Also known as Elsie West, Mickey West, Mickey Westenborg. Born 1 May 1910 Swansea to Howard George and Maria Daisy Westenborg, a ship husband (owner’s agent) for a fishing company.

1932 married Frederick E. Thomas at Brentford, Essex

She was in Dover for the 1930 and 1931 seasons but only managed one failed attempt on 27 August 1930. Her trainer was Jabez Wolffe. She swam under the name Elsie Westenborg until 1929 when she announced her Channel attempt; she felt that things would be easier for the attendant press interest if she shortened her surname to West

Dover Express 11/7/1930 Dover gold cup aspirants currently in training at Cap Gris Nez;- Elsie West of Bristol, Miss Patricia Retief of Cape Town, Miss Peggy Duncan of Cape Town, M. Doria, Swiss and Helmi, Egyptian

Saturday, August 23 1930
Miss Elsie West was all set to start her attempt to swim the Channel, but the weather intervened.

English Girl Abandons Attempt to Make France – England Crossing. CAPE GRIS NEZ, France, Aug. 28 Elsie West, English swimmer, today abandoned her attempt to swim the English channel after being In the water since 10.39 p.m. yesterday. CAPE GRIZ NEZ, France, Ang. 28. Elsie West, English swimmer who is attempting to swim the English channel, was in the water and going strong at 3.30 a. m., today. At that time she was about eight miles northwest of Cape Gris-Nez. She entered the water at 10.39 p. m. Wednesday. The bad weather continued.

Girl Abandons Channel Swim
LONDON, Thursday,
Elsie West, 19, abandoned the Channel swim after 12 hours when three miles from,Doyer.. …She was overcome by seasickness
The Canberra Times Sat 30 Aug 1930.

CHANNEL SWIM. Miss Mickey West and Miss June French, English girls, and Miss Peggy Duncan (South Africa) arrived at Boulogne from Folkestone yesterday, wires the Exchange, and went on to Touquet to train under Jabez Wolfe for the Channel swim.
27 May 1931 – Sheffield Daily Telegraph

Miss Lily Copplestone of New Zealand. was the fourth woman to arrive in Boulogne to train for the Channel swim. The other three aspirants already here are Miss Peggy Duncan, Miss Elsie West and Miss June French.
12 July 1931 – The People – London, London, England

Miss Duncan, of Capetown; Miss Elsie West of Milford Haven and Miss June French, the London waitress, have abandoned their attempts to swim the Channel owing to the coldness of the sea
02 September 1931 – Hull Daily Mail – Hull, Yorkshire, England