MyPersonal History of Pembrokeshireshire (Part 10)

Hello everybody, after my Summer holidays in Pembrokeshire with my grandchildren, I'm back. I've had a great time with them, from catching fish and crabs from Tenby's beachpools to thrills at Oakwood Theme Park and much much more, it's been a great Summer.
This week I'm departing from my normal blogs to tell you all about THE BIG RED SWIM. This is the Boxing Day swim (www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk) for charity from Tenby's North Beach. This year is the 40th anniversary, but the history goes back 100 years and I'll quote verbatim from The Tenby Times: -
The 100-year-old origins of Tenby’s Boxing Day Swim

Tenby Boxing Day Swim has snowballed into Tenby’s main Christmas attraction,” claims the TSSA website, www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk “With around 600 swimmers and thousands of onlookers each year, this fantastic spectacle is not to be missed. With everyone swimming for charity, and the majority in fancy dress, Boxing Day in Tenby is a surefire way to carry on the fun at Christmas. A roaring bonfire greets the emerging swimmers and every one of them receives a medal for their bravery.
“Started by Tenby Sea Swimming Association, (TSSA), the Osborne family has been associated with the spectacle from the beginning and Chris Osborne, chairman of TSSA, has seen the event take place in every weather condition, from brilliant sunshine to freezing wind- chill. And he said that each year, the organisers never fail to be amazed by its growing success and popularity.”

100 YEARS ago: tragedy is the springboard

This year, Tenby Boxing Day Swim celebrates its 40th anniversary with the ‘Big Red Swim’, but its family origins date back 100 years.
In 1910, Arthur Dickinson, Quaker, lay preacher, artist and keen all- year-round swimmer, brought his family from Yorkshire to live in Ruabon House, South Parade, where he and his wife ran an art and fancy goods shop. Family legend has it that he was the first person to swim to Caldey, and today his great-grandchildren help to continue the concept he initiated.
It all started when some children drowned from the beach. Arthur Dickinson was particularly upset and decided to give swimming lessons to anyone interested.
He made a harness to support the child who was being taught to swim.
“Several well known people, including Sydney Hughes, son of T. P.
(Harrods of Tenby) and Seth Williams, archetypal village bobby, told me they had learnt to swim with the apparatus,” said his grandson Alun Morgan in a letter to the Observer earlier this year.
in and under

Alun’s father, Ossie Morgan, son-in-law of Arthur Dickinson, became an assistant master at Tenby Council in 1918. Following his appointment as headmaster in the 1920s, he decided to carry on the family tradition of teaching youngsters to swim.
One such youngster, the late Dennis Hullah, reminisced: “Who among Mr.
Morgan’s hundreds of pupils, will ever forget the mad dash into the sea on the challenge ‘first in and under for a pencil’? He did not believe in trembling on the brink, but he was wise enough to know that childhood fear could be overcome in the excitement of competition. I have no doubt that Mr. Morgan would be able to work his magic with youngsters today, but his inducement might have to be more than a humble pencil!
Former Observer editor, the late Arthur Ormond, described Ossie Morgan as “an ideal headmaster… an excellent teacher, firm yet kind. He taught thousands of children to swim and was proud of the fact that many of them went on to win life-saving awards.”
Alun Morgan relates:
“On glorious, sunny summer days, an announcement was made at the end of the morning lessons - ‘Swimming today, bring costumes and towels to school this afternoon.’ There were no school dinners in those days; everyone went home for lunch. Swimming was particularly popular as it meant that school finished half-an-hour early at 3.30 pm.
“Everyone traipsed down on to the North Beach, boys to the Goscar side of Sunny Cove, girls to the other side. When everyone was ready, small ones to the front, big ones behind, a starting pistol was fired and a lemming-like charge to the sea occurred - first one in and under was awarded a lead pencil.
“Two or three staff for a whole school in the surf - think of Health and Safety nowadays! It was then up to the senior pupils to teach the non-swimmers.

Running in the family

“When my father retired, this tradition died away, until his offspring decided to get non-swimmers swimming. We four, Idris, Gly Osborne, Ray Lowe and I (plus spouses) formed the Tenby Sea Swimming Association, sponsoring and accommodating some instructors from Atlantic College during the summer, finishing with a modest swimming gala.”
The scheme was made possible through the generosity of many benefactors. Swimming lessons had started in June, 1970, with four instructors - John Granger, Sharon Powers, Beverly Anne Knight and Peter Froggatt. By the time of the gala that August about 750 courses of swimming instruction had been given to children and adults.
When the Swimming Pool opened, there was a better environment, warm and calm water for swimming instruction. The association was about to disband when Tenby’s enterprising publicity officer, John Evans, suggested a sponsored Boxing Day Swim to put Tenby on the map and raise money for charity. A much larger committee was formed - John Evans, Tom Hughes, Tony Markes, Doug Harris, Bobby King, Denzil Thomas, Rosemary John and others and so, 39 years ago, the first Boxing Day Swim took place. Alun Morgan recalls… …the first swim.

“The Town Band, under Eileen Hodgson, offered to appear, the RNLI, under coxswain Josh Richards, launched the lifeboat, the Sea Cadets built the bonfire, yachts sailed from the Tenby Sailing Club, under Blake Shaw, and the much-loved Sandy Buttle from Pembroke Dock brought his canoe class. The commandant at Brawdy fulfilled his obligatory once-a-year exercise walking on water, albeit supported by a helicopter.
“Medals were awarded to all swimmers and Brass Monkey awards went to the sponsored groups. The fancy dress competition was arranged, sweatshirts with the TSSA logo were distributed to committee members, some dignitary or other was invited to judge the fancy dress and then, at the appointed hour, all swimmers were lined up. A mass rush to the sea signalled by a maroon followed.”
So why not spend Christmas in Tenby with FBM Holidays (www.fbmholidays.co.uk) and get yourself sponsored and raise money for your favourite charity and get rid of the Xmas bloat by taking part in THE BIG RED SWIM. DS.