Olympian Jennie Fletcher

Olympian Jennie Fletcher. Jennie Fletcher Hyslop, a native of Leicester England 1890 - 1968. , Jennie Fletcher was born March 19, 1890, one of nine children. Her father, John, was a fishmonger and a fish and chip shop owner who truly believed that his daughter should learn to swim. I won my first medal at 11," she said "I was a natural-born swimmer and needed no instruction." , In the early 1900's the idea of women competing in swimming events was considered, by many, to be indecent and vulgar. The girls were required to have a chaperone and had to wear full length cloaks right up until the time they entered the water. , Jennie married Henry Hill Hyslop in 1917. She left her home in England, never to return again. They came to live in Teeswater in 1919. Together, they raised six children: Irving, Douglas, Donald, Betty, Robin and Maxwell., Locally, Jennie lived in relative anonymity and took an active role in teaching the young people of Teeswater how to swim during the 1930's and 1940's. The swimming lessons were usually held at the mill dams. She was the honoured guest at the first swimming pool opened by the Lion's Club in 1949., "The crowning moment of my career," she said many years later, "was when King Gustav of Sweden placed the classic laurel wreath on my head, put the gold medal around my neck and sad. "Well done England.", In 1971, Jennie was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Above her photograph are the words "The World's First Great Woman Swimmer". , Mrs. Hyslop was injured when she was struck by an automoblle while crossing the bridge over the Teeswater River on Highway #4 in February 1950. Jennie Fletcher Hyslop died in January 1968. For the Record: - 1912 Gold Medal winner in the Olympics in Stockholm (4x100 yd freestyle relay) - Bronze Medal (100 yd freestyle) - World record: 100 yd freestyle, broke her own record 11 times in 3 years - British Champion 1906-12