The Cavill family of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

is known for its significant contributions to the development of the sport of swimming.The Royal Family of Swimming
, ''

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'' (Australian edition), Retrieved 21 September 2012Allen, Geoff (26 March 1961)
The saga of the swimming Cavills
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' Prominent family members in the sport include Frederick Cavill (1839–1927), sons Ernest Cavill (1868–1935), Charles Claude Cavill (1870–1897), Percy Frederick Cavill (1875–1940), Arthur Rowland Channel (Tums) Cavill (1877–1914),(2 March 1914)
Cavill Freezes While Swimming: Champion Swimmer Was Unable to Stand Shock of Puget Sound Water
''Spokane Daily Chronicle'' who is credited by sports journalist W.F. Corbett with originating the

Australian crawl Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams ( bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David ...

stroke, which now predominates in "freestyle" swimming races; and Sydney St. Leonards Cavill ("Sid") (1881–1945),(5 May 1945)
Sid Cavill Dies
''

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'' was one of the originators of the butterfly arm stroke. Youngest son Richmond (Dick) Theophilus Cavill (1884–1938) was the first to use the crawl in a competition, winning 100 yards State championship in 1899; and in England, in 1902, he was the first to swim 100 yards in under a minute. Six members of the family were jointly inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

in 1970.The Cavill Family (AUS) - 1970 Honor Contributors
, International Swimming Hall of Fame website, Retrieved 21 September 2012 The three daughters, Madeline, Fredda and Alice Cavill were all accomplished swimmers and swimming instructors. Fredda Cavill's son Dick Eve won gold at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

in the plain high diving, becoming the first Australian Olympic diver to win gold.

Frederick Cavill

Cavill was a sailor, and was awarded three lifesaving medals by the

Royal Humane Society The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in 1774 as the ''Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned'', for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning. Hi ...

. He was also an apprentice on the HMY ''Fairy'' and was England's fastest man at swimming 500 yards. As he got older, he became a swimming coach and the Kensington Swimming Baths owner, where he coached Princess Mary to swim. He later moved to Australia and became one of the first people to swim and develop the

front crawl The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a ...

Channel crossing attempts

First attempt

In August 1876, around a year after

Matthew Webb Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming in Engl ...

completed the first successful crossing of the English Channel, Cavill attempted his own crossing. Webb accompanied Cavill for the swim, and Cavill used many of Webb's techniques, such as using porpoise oil and the captain George Toms. Cavill started fast, but soon ran into multiple jellyfish which caused him to feel nauseous. After consuming a large amount of Whiskey, Cavill was eventually pulled out after 10 hours of swimming. He was disorientated and had a weak pulse. Webb criticized Cavill for using the faster side stroke rather than the older breaststroke, and for wearing a jersey. Webb also said that Cavill had only made it halfway across, which made Cavill angry and determined to give it another attempt.

Second attempt

In July 1877, Cavill attempted it a second time, this time starting in

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, ...

, France and attempting to swim to

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, England. Cavill claimed to have completed the crossing ten hours faster than Webb, but was discredited when his signed witness Mr. Gammon was discovered to have never existed. Cavill never admitted to lying, but challenged Webb to a race across the channel, which he declined.

References

Sources