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Lazarus: A history of the Lazarus Family of Plymouth & Exeter
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William Stearne and Jabez Wolffe on South Foreland beach, Dover, just before a channel swim attempt. Neither Wolffe or Stearne were ever successful in their attempts to swim the English Channel. |
Jabez Wolffe
Attempts from 1906 to 1913.
Probably the unluckiest Channel swimmer in history, Wolffe made at least 22 attempts and never succeeded, failing by yards in 1911 and by less than a mile on 3 other occasions. A native of Glasgow he had lived in London for a number of years and trained at Brighton for his swims. Like most swimmers he was kept company by pacemaker swimmers, including his trainers Moses and Kellingley (who went on to train Mrs Corson).
On the attempt made just after this photograph was taken, Wolffe was also accompanied by William Stearne. Wolffe was also on occasion accompanied by Pipe-Major Nicholls who played the bagpipes to keep Wolffe's stroke rhythm in time at 29 to 32 strokes a minute. On other times he used a gramophone aboard the pilot boat for the same ends.
Wolffe went on to coach a number of successful swimmers however, including Hilda (Laddie) Sharp, Peggy Duncan and Sunny Lowry.
He wrote a book " Swimming Short & Long Distance" published by Foulsham c. 1937.
The above photograph and text are from the website of the Dover Museum at: http://www.dover.gov.uk/museum/focus/focus4.htm and are copyright of Dover Museum
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