On 5 September 1927, 21-year-old Kathleen Thomas set out from Penarth to attempt something no swimmer had previously been recorded as achieving: crossing the Bristol Channel from Wales to England (between Penarth and Weston-super-Mare.) The photograph of the young Kathleen shows her in an informal pose from around that time.[1] Seven hours and twenty minutes later, Kathleen had made history by becoming the first recorded person to swim the Bristol Channel, overcoming the second highest tidal range in the world, a formidable challenge that had defeated several previous attempts. Her achievement is recognised by the Bristol Channel Swimming Association and the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. [2,3]

In 2027, Monster Swims is proud to help celebrate the centenary of this extraordinary crossing which inspired generations of swimmers who have followed in Kathleen’s wake.

A pioneering swimmer with roots in Porthcawl

Kathleen Thomas was born as Catherine Margaret Hopkin on 19 April 1906 in Boksburg, South Africa. However, her family’s roots are in Porthcawl, where her father Robert Rees Hopkin had lived and farmed along with Kathleen’s grandparents at Ty Talbot farm in Newton Nottage. After Kathleen’s eldest brother Robert Rees junior was born in Porthcawl, her parents went to South Africa in 1902. This was just as the Boer War was ending and when foreign farmers were in high demand to help rebuild the devastated agricultural sector.

In 1906, against a background of political instability in South Africa, Kathleen’s parents returned to Wales bringing Kathleen, their new-born baby with them: ‘Catherine Margaret Hopkin’ was then baptised on 20th May 1906 at the parish church of Treherbert in Glamorgan.

In 1910, Kathleen’s parents emigrated once again, this time to Canada, but four-year old Kathleen remained in the care of her aunt Minnie and uncle John Thomas. The Thomas’ lived in Penarth where Kathleen would grow up, becoming the ‘adopted’ daughter of the family and taking on the name of Thomas [leading to some sources referring to Minnie and John Thomas as Kathleen’s parents as this is how they ‘claimed’ her, for example, on the 1911 census].

The extraordinary crossing of 5 September 1927

The Bristol Channel is renowned world-wide for its second highest tidal range and its difficult currents. In 1927, attempting to swim between Penarth and Weston-super-Mare was an exceptional challenge, especially for a woman given the social norms of the time. Although ‘only’ a distance of around 11 miles as the crow flies, the currents pushed Kathleen into swimming an actual distance of around 22.5 miles.

This feat of endurance had been tried unsuccessfully by a number of men leading to many claiming that the challenge was impossible. When Kathleen became, not only the first person, but also the first woman to swim the Bristol Channel, she became a darling of the suffragist movement [they would not achieve their goal of universal franchise until 1928]. The photograph of Kathleen with her swimming partner Mrs Webb (on the left of the picture) was front page news in the suffrage magazine,‘The Vote’.[4]

We know from this photograph and from press reports of the time that Kathleen wore a black Wolsey bathing suit and submarine cap. She was covered in lard for protection against the salt water and fed with Bovril beef tea and chocolate during the crossing – a far cry from the lubricants and high energy concoctions used by today’s swimmers!

As recognised by the press at the time, Kathleen’s ‘secret weapon’ was her support team; ‘her father, Mr. J. Thomas, is a channel pilot of over 30 years’ experience, while her brother – also Mr. J. Thomas – knows all the whims and vagaries of the sea… credit is therefore due to them in no small measure for the wonderful performance of Miss Thomas’.[5] Brother Jack and support crew were in the pilot ROWING BOAT(!) and her ‘father’ (i.e. uncle Jack) and observers from the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association were in an accompanying motor launch.

Despite the skill of Kathleen’s relatives, without modern GPS navigation, satellite weather forecasting or electronic communications, this would have been a perilous adventure for all involved. Kathleen afterwards told interviewers ‘that she felt herself going one way and then the another, and sometimes going two strokes back for every one forward’ [6]

After battling all that the Channel monsters could throw at her, and after 7 hours and 20 minutes, Kathleen reached Weston-super-Mare to the acclaim of all those who had gathered on the beach, perhaps not realising that they were witnessing an historic moment.

How the newspapers reported Kathleen’s achievement

News of Kathleen’s achievement quickly spread across the globe capturing the imagination of people at home and abroad, from the depths of Siberia to the Antipodes. On 7 September 1927, the New Zealand newspaper Otago Daily Times published an account of her swim under the headline “English Girl’s Feat”.[7] Closer to home, Kathleen’s swim attracted extensive coverage in the Welsh press: the National Library of Wales holds a number of these important contemporary reports celebrating Wales’s sporting and social history (National Library of Wales newspaper collections) [8]: These snippets from the Western Mail which are held in the NLW collection give a flavour of the excitement and drama at the time.

Western Mail – 5 September 1927

This article and the one below contain the famous ‘exhausted’ photographs where the tired (but no doubt, triumphant) Kathleen was being helped back into the pilot rowing boat by her uncle who is wearing the bowler hat. This marks her arrival on the Devon coast and the waiting spectators can be glimpsed in the background

Western Mail — 6 September 1927, page 7:

“A Girl’s Great Swim – Bristol Channel Crossed at Last – An Unprecedented Feat”.

Western Mail — 6 September 1927, page 10: “Penarth Girl Swims the Bristol Channel”. This report included two photographs taken by a Western Mail photographer.

Western Mail — 7 September 1927, page 12: “Bristol Channel Conqueror Returns Home”. This article included a photograph of Kathleen being welcomed home by admirers in Penarth.

A pioneer of women’s endurance sport

Against all the social norms and expectations of women at the time Kathleen had succeeded against the odds. Her achievement came the year after the American Olympic champion, Gertrude Ederle, had become the first woman to swim the English Channel on 6 August 1926 and these feats marked a remarkable moment in the history of women’s sport.

Kathleen’s achievement made her a sporting celebrity and she appeared at many swimming galas and demonstrations, winning numerous trophies which can be seen in this photograph from the Western Mail which we believe was taken in 1927, shortly after her successful crossing.

The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame’s account of Kathleen Thomas [9] gives more information on her many public appearances and her work as a swimming teacher at a school in London. However, this work was deemed to have made her a ‘professional’ swimmer and therefore under the amateur eligibility rules at the time, she was prevented from competing in the 1928 Olympic Games.

Kathleen’s later life and legacy

Kathleen later moved to London, becoming a swimming teacher as noted above. Kathleen married journalist Frederick Day in 1931 and the photograph of her holding the bouquet may be at her wedding reception, with her uncle Jack – sans bowler hat(!) – on the right (although some sources tell us that the men were Penarth dignitaries, congratulating Kathleen on her achievement. Kathleen and her husband went on to have four children who were apparently all excellent swimmers!

Kathleen died on 11 August 1987 but her connection with the Bristol Channel continued after her death as her ashes were scattered in the waters where she had made history.

There had been calls in local papers in 1927 for Kathleen’s ‘sporting first’ to be commemorated, including this stirring letter from a J. Mitchell saying that Kathleen was ‘a splendid descendant of the old British pluck, daring and the unquenchable spirit which enabled our ancestors to do such deeds which made our nation the greatest the world had ever seen’.[10] Nevertheless, it would not be until 2007 and the 80th anniversary of the swim that Penarth Council and Weston-Super-Mare Council erected a plaque at each end of the crossing, celebrating Kathleen’s achievement. Her Penarth plaque is documented in the historical plaque register [11], while the Penarth Civic Society [12] also recognises Kathleen among the town’s notable historical figures.

A century of Bristol Channel swimming

Kathleen’s achievement laid the foundations for a remarkable history of endurance athletes attempting to swim the Bristol Channel. Other swimmers who completed the crossing in those early decades included Edith Parnell in 1929, Edward Temme in 1933 and Florence Chadwick in 1957.

These and other historical crossings are recorded in the BCSA’s Penarth to Weston-super-Mare swimming archive. The Bristol Channel Swimming Association (BCSA) was established in 1921 to document and ratify Bristol Channel swims, standardising regulations in line with the English and North Channels. Today, the BCSA maintains some historical records, notable achievements and modern swimming records. [2]

The Bristol Channel now attracts swimmers from around the world, attempting a number of different routes between Wales and England, as well as the Penarth to Weston-super-Mare crossing that Kathleen first pioneered. We wonder what Kathleen would have made of those coming after her who have swam between Porthcawl and Glenthorne House or the monster of them all, between Swansea and Ilfracombe (the Devon town where that long-ago Kathleen did some of her own training and where another local swimmer described her as having ‘wonderful staying powers against wind, rain and the racing tide’. [13]

1927–2027: Celebrating 100 years

In 2027, the swimming community will mark 100 years since Kathleen Thomas’s pioneering crossing.

Modern swimmers benefit from equipment Kathleen could scarcely have imagined: satellite navigation, weather forecasting, electronic charts, live GPS tracking and purpose-equipped escort vessels – not forgetting their ergonomic swimwear and high protein feeds. Nevertheless, the fundamental challenges that Kathleen overcame remain for today’s swimmers. The Bristol Channel’s tides, distance, temperature and unpredictable conditions still demand extraordinary physical and mental determination from the swimmer, as well as expert skill and knowledge from the pilot and support crews.

Monster Swims is proud to be part of that continuing swimming community, celebrating its history by preserving the stories of those who came before and supporting modern Bristol Channel crossings.

As we approach the centenary of that first crossing, we hope to bring together more stories of those past Bristol Channel swimmers, as well as the experiences of today’s swimmers. Kathleen Thomas started the story in September 1927; a century later, Monster Swims has picked up the baton to continue sharing those epic adventures.

Historical research

This article draws on historical and genealogical research by Yvonne Chapman. We believe that we have taken reasonable steps to ensure that we do not infringe any rights and usages as we develop this not for profit project. We are grateful for advice from the National Library of Wales and the London School of Economics digital library. If you can help, if you want to comment or if you spot any errors, please contact us at Monster Swims. Happy reading and happy swimming!

Sources

[1] unknown family archives, in public domain

[2] Bristol Channel Swimming Association: BCSA — Historical Penarth to Weston-super-Mare Crossings

[3] Welsh Sports Hall of Fame — Queen of the Bristol Channel: Kathleen Thomas

[4] The Vote: The Organ of the Women’s Freedom League, 9 September 2027. The Women’s Library, London School of Economics, accessed 14/10/2026 via digital.library.lse.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/the-vote.-sep-9-1927/172406] .

5] Western Mail, 6 September 1927, pages 7 and 10 – ‘Penarth Girl Swims the Bristol Channel’ [contains 2 photographs by un-named Western mail photographer, now in public domain]

[6] Cited by Penarth Times, 7 September 2007

[7] Otago Daily Times — 7 September 1927: English Girl’s Feat

[8] National Library of Wales newspaper collections

[9] Welsh Sports Hall of Fame — Queen of the Bristol Channel: Kathleen Thomas

[10] Original source not found, but cited by Ursula Cutts (a descendant of Kathleen) in her biography. Accessed via ancestry.uk

[11] Historical plaque register — Kathleen Thomas

[12] Penarth Civic Society — Historical Plaques See also Penarth Times — Plaque for Local Legend

[13] Western Mail, 6 September 1927

Further Reading and Information

www.dailymail.com/lifestyle/article-2273798/Meet-pioneering-1920s-lady-swimmers-defied-convention-crossing-treacherous-Bristol-Channel. ‘Mere women’ who did the impossible: Meet the pioneering 1920’s ‘lady swimmers’ who defied convention crossing the treacherous Bristol Channel (before ANY men could): this article includes 7 contemporary newspaper photographs of Kathleen Thomas.

Women’s Archive Wales — Welsh Female Swimmers (PDF)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-21526890

London School of Economics: Women’s collection, digital library

https://www.bcswimmers.com/

Openwaterpedia — Bristol Channel Swimming Association

Discrepancies in the Historical Record

A note of caution: historical records are not always consistent. Dates, crossing times and even the crossing route occasionally differs whilst personal information in sources like censuses can also vary. Where discrepancies arise, we aim to note them and correct our own information as necessary.