Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. On 25 August 1875 he swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours. January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port. ... Calais is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

He was born at Dawley in Shropshire, one of 12 children of a Coalbrookdale doctor. He joined the merchant navy and served a three- year apprenticeship with Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool. Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. ... Shropshire (alternatively Salop or abbreviated Shrops) is an English county in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. ... Coalbrookdale is a settlement in a side valley of the Ironbridge Gorge in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Merchant Marine. ... Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ...

Whilst serving as second mate on the Cunard ship 'Russia', travelling from New York to Liverpool, he attempted to rescue a man overboard by diving into the sea in mid-Atlantic. The man was never found, but Webb's daring won him an award of £100 and the Stanhope Gold Medal, and made him a hero of the British press. Cunard may refer to: Samuel Cunard (1787–1865), British shipping magnate. ... NY redirects here. ...

In 1873 Webb was serving as captain of the steamship 'Emerald' when he read an account of the failed attempt by J. B. Johnson to swim the English Channel. He became inspired to try himself, and left his job to begin training, first at Lambeth Baths, then in the cold waters of the Thames and the English Channel. 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

On 12 August 1875 he made his first cross-Channel swimming attempt, but strong winds and poor sea conditions forced him to abandon the swim. August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

On 24 August 1875 he began a second swim by diving in from the Admiralty Pier at Dover. Backed by three chase boats and smeared in porpoise oil, he set off into the ebb tide at a steady breaststroke. Despite stings from jellyfish and strong currents off Cap Griz-Nez which prevented him reaching the shore for five hours, finally, after 21 hours and 45 minutes, he landed near Calais – the first successful cross-channel swim. His zig-zag course across the Channel was over 39 miles (64 km) long. August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port town. ... The cliffs of the Cap Griz-Nez are the closest point of France to England - 34 kilometres (20 miles) from their English counterparts at Dover. ... Calais is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

After his record swim Captain Webb basked in national and international adulation, and followed a career as a professional swimmer. He licensed his name for merchandising such as commemorative pottery, and wrote a book called The Art of Swimming. A brand of matches was named for him. He participated in exhibition swimming matches and stunts such as floating in a tank of water for 128 hours.

On 27 April 1880 he married Madeline Kate Chaddock, and they had two children, Matthew and Helen. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

His final stunt was to be a dangerous swim across the Niagara River in the rapids below Niagara Falls for a prize of £12,000 – a feat many observers considered suicidal. At 4.25pm on 24 July 1883 he jumped into the river from a small boat and began his swim. Within 10 minutes he had become caught in the current and was dragged under by a whirlpool. His body was found four days later and buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls. Satellite image of the Niagara River. ... For other uses, see Niagara Falls (disambiguation). ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1909, Webb's older brother Thomas unveiled a memorial in Dawley. On it reads the short inscription: "Nothing great is easy." Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. ...

Pop culture

An episode of the Peabody's Improbable History segment in the TV cartoon series Rocky and His Friends featured the first swim across the Channel. Oddly, the character was referred to as Captain Clift. That set up an ending joke about the "White Clifts of Dover", but left the name change unexplained. It could be an inside joke, as the actor Clifton Webb was said to be the inspiration for the Peabody character. Mr. ... Bullwinkle (left) and Rocky (right), the stars of Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show. ... Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb in The Dark Corner Clifton Webb (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966) was an American actor. ...

Captain Webb's picture on a box of matches is said to be the inspiration for the character of Clouseau, portrayed originally in the Pink Panther movies by Peter Sellers.

John Betjeman's poem "A Shropshire Lad" (1940), also commemorates the death of Captain Webb, portraying his ghost swimming back along the canal to Dawley.

Further reading

• David Elderwick: Captain Webb - Channel Swimmer ISBN 0-947731-23-7
• Charles Sprawson: Haunts of the Black Masseur - The Swimmer as Hero 1992, ISBN 0-8166-3539-0

External links

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