Stèle Matthew Webb
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Stèle Matthew Webb
digue gaston berthe - 62100 CALAIS
Some thirty years before Louis Blériot's airplane crossing, another legendary crossing took place in 1875. Matthew Webb etched his name in the history of swimming and sporting achievements. On both sides of the Channel, his memory is commemorated…though later on the French side. Matthew Webb is a legendary name in the history of sporting feats. He was the first to successfully swim across the English Channel. On August 25, 1875, at 10:41 AM, he set foot in Calais, where he received a triumphant welcome. He had set off from Dover the previous day at 12:56 PM and swam for 21 hours and 45 minutes. The unfavorable currents only amplified the significance of his achievement! The Englishman Matthew Webb was 27 years old at the time of this crossing. He was in the merchant navy, and the desire to attempt this challenge arose after reading about JB Johnson's failed attempt in 1872. He trained hard and arrived in Dover in the summer of 1875. He failed on August 12th before successfully attempting again a few days later. After this feat in the English Channel, he achieved other feats. His last challenge ended in tragedy. On July 24, 1883, he drowned while trying to cross the rapids of Niagara Falls. A testament to his status as a Hero of the Channel, a stele with a bronze bust of Matthew Webb has stood in Dover, facing the sea, since 1910. It wasn't until 1979 that a stele on the French side commemorated the young English sailor's exploit. It was inaugurated on the Calais seafront, thanks to the initiative of several associations: the Friends of Old Calais, France-Great Britain, and the Calais Tourist Office. Did you know? It would be 36 years (until September 1911) before the English Channel was swum again. This feat was accomplished by TW Burgess on his 16th attempt. Every summer, dozens of attempts take place within a regulatory framework defined by three associations. The crossings are only made from England to France, and the distance is 34 kilometers (not taking into account unpredictable sea conditions).
