News about Gertrude Ederle
The typist, who became the first British woman to swim the Channel, was then forced to do it AGAIN two weeks after a brutal whispering campaign... as a new film brings her tale to life
www.dailymail.co.uk,
March 5, 2024
The tale of the intrepid Mercedes Gleitze (left), the 'hoax' (right), and the second so-called 'Vindication Swim' has been turned into a film starring Kirsten Callaghan (right). The glamorous Gleitze was something of a celebrity even before her appearance. Born in Brighton in 1900 as a German immigrant, Gleitze migrated to London after leaving school to become a stenographer. However, she was keen on open-water swimming, and after receiving special permission from the Port of London Authority, she began practising in the Thames. Gleitze's long-distance swims in the river became such a phenomenon that she began to attract huge audiences. She nearly drowned at Westminster Bridge on one occasion after being pulled under by heavy currents and then being forced to be dealt out by river police.