Thomas William Burgess (15 June 1872 – 2 July 1950) was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

after Matthew Webb, following sixteen attempts. Burgess was British but spent most of his life in France, and won a bronze medal with the French

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

team at the 1900 Olympics. In 1926 he coached Gertrude Ederle, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Biography

Burgess was born at 7 Lyndhurst Place,

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

, to Alfred Burgess, a blacksmith from Youlgreave,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, and Camilla Anna Peat, a cook from Harthill, South Yorkshire. He had a younger sister, Winifred Edith Burgess. His father worked for the

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

and accepted the Earl's offer to run a branch of the business, ''Shrewsbury and Challinor Rubber Company'', in London. The family moved to

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, around 1882. During this time, Burgess joined a swimming club and swam to

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

along the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. Around 1889 the 20th Earl of Shrewsbury offered Burgess the opportunity to set up a French branch of the ''Shrewsbury and Challinor Rubber Company'' motor tyre business in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Burgess accepted and moved to France, where he spent the rest of his life. On 8 August 1893 Burgess married Anne Rosalie Mioux, a French woman, in

Neuilly-Sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

in Paris, and lived with her, running a motor business in

Levallois-Perret Levallois-Perret () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the right bank of the Seine, some from the Kilometre z ...

. They had a son in 1896 and a daughter in 1907. Burgess competed in swimming and water polo at the 1900 Olympics held in Paris and won a bronze medal playing for the French team despite his British nationality, which was allowed by the rules at that time. In swimming, he finished fourth in the 4000m freestyle and fifth in the 200m backstroke events. On 6 September 1911, on his 16th attempt, Burgess became the second person to swim across the English Channel, and the first one to use goggles. His motorcycle goggles leaked water, but they protected his eyes from water splashes during his breaststroke-only swim. King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

wrote: "I am commanded to convey to you the hearty congratulations of the King upon your determination and endurance in accomplishing the wonderful feat of swimming the Channel today."''The Advertiser'', Adelaide, Saturday 14 October 1911 Burgess replied: "Your majesty's gracious message has touched me deeply. Its receipt has given me more pleasure than the accomplishment of the feat itself. I am proud to be an Englishman and your subject." In the 1920s Burgess was hired by the Olympian gold medalist and world record holder Gertrude Ederle, who in 1926, under his guidance, became the first woman to cross the English Channel. Around the same time Burgess bought a summer home at

Cap Gris Nez Cap Gris-Nez is a cape located in Audinghen, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département of northern France. Part of the Côte d'Opale, it is classified as a protected natural area. Its cliffs mark the closest point of France to Great Britain, ...

near

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

, as a summer base to train channel swimmers from 1922 to 1934, while his main residence was at Clichy, Paris. In 1941 Burgess was taken prisoner by the Nazis and held in a prison camp ''Frontstalag 142'' in

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

, France. He was released later the same year.

In Popular Culture

Some authors suggest that Burgess is the inspiration for the Portuguese word " burgesso", a descriptor for people which is used to mean short, heavy and ungainly, or poorly educated, ignorant and rude.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Bill 1872 births 1950 deaths English Channel swimmers French male long-distance swimmers Olympic medalists in water polo English male water polo players British male water polo players Olympic swimmers for France Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic water polo players for France Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1900 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1900 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Rotherham British emigrants to France English male freestyle swimmers British male freestyle swimmers British male backstroke swimmers English male backstroke swimmers French male backstroke swimmers French male freestyle swimmers British male long-distance swimmers World War I civilian detainees held by Germany French male water polo players

Biography

In Popular Culture

See also

References

External links