AS a sporting spectacle, they were races sufficiently gripping to bring thousands of people to the banks of the River Usk in Newport - but today they are a distant memory confined to the yellowing pages of newspaper archives.

The annual Usk Mile and Half Mile Swims pitted men, women and children, from 12-year-olds to veterans - against each other, the clock, and not least the river itself, in a test of endurance, strength, skill, and bravery.

ANDY RUTHERFORD delves into the South Wales Argus archives to tell the story of a lost local sporting occasion.

For more than 25 years, the Usk Mile and Half Mile Swims were a major event on the south Wales swimming calendar, part of a wider programme of river-based events that brought the victors no small amount of local back page headlines.

Cardiff's River Taff hosted Welsh championship races for a time, before the event switched to the more genteel if no less chilly waters of Roath Park Lake, and a River Thames race, upstream of London, was among the most prestigious.

The Usk Swim began in 1912, when only men competed, and the winner was Edward 'Ted' Browning, from Newport, who was to compete in all but one of the subsequent Usk events, stretching into the late 1930s.

In the 1920s and 1930s, swimming - if coverage in the South Wales Argus is anything to go by - occupied considerable column inches in newspaper sports pages, with indoor and outdoor club events reported almost weekly. The achievements of Gwent swimmers regularly featured in this newspaper.

The Usk Swims were no exception, and into the '30s, calls for entries, entry lists and the races themselves enjoyed much coverage during August and September.

A dip in the River Usk in Newport in September, indeed, in any month, is of course, not recommended. The Usk Swims were organised with swimmers' safety very much in mind, and those taking part had to be very capable to cope with the cold, occasionally choppy, and tide-influenced waters.

There was always plenty of support on the water too, should anyone get into trouble, as this excerpt from the Argus in 1936 shows: "Scores of boatmen gave assistance, the value of which cannot be assessed. Parents commissioned small boats and kept within hailing distance of the swimmers in whom they were interested - a gesture that relieved the officials of no little responsibility and added to the sense of security."

South Wales Argus:

Gilbert Evans (centre), first in the mile swim in 1934, is flanked by Fred Blythe (right) second, and Ivor Betts (left), third. All represented Newport Swimming Club

In the 1930s, according to Argus reports, entrants and officials gathered on the day - the start was usually at around 5pm, almost always on an early September weekday afternoon - at Rexville, the sports complex that belonged to the Lovells confectionery firm in Crindau, and home to Lovells Athletic football club.

Swimmers were transported by boat to the start. For the men this was just below the railway bridge over the river at St Julians, from where they were sent on their way from the starters' boats.

The women started halfway between the bridge and the common finish, which was opposite Rexville, 100 metres or so south of the entrance to Crindau Pill, and more or less opposite where Glan Usk primary school is now.

South Wales Argus:

Miss Agnes Coughlan (centre), winner of the women's half mile swim in 1934, flanked by runner-up Miss Joan Thomas (right), and third placed Miss Thelma Preston (left). All were members of Newport Swimming Club

Swimmers were allotted time handicaps based on factors such as age and ability. It was not unusual for those deemed to be the best swimmers to have five, six or even seven minutes added to their finishing time.

This proved a great leveller, as evidenced by the youth of some winners, but did not preclude swimmers - competitive juices flowing, if only to keep the cold at bay - from racing to make up or maintain gaps whilst in the water.

This made for more of a racing spectacle for those who turned up, on both banks of the Usk, to watch the action. Crowds grew, and by the 1930s the swims' popularity was enormous.

Finishing times varied wildly from year to year, depending on the conditions, water temperatures and tides.

The Argus reported thousands of people turning up each year for a bankside view. The 1935 attendance was estimated to have been 10,000, and it cannot have been much less the previous year.

This had led to problems however, in 1934, due to over-enthusiastic and unthinking spectators, prompting the Argus to publish the request below on the eve of the races.

South Wales Argus:

Winners of the mile and half mile swims won their respective trophies for a year and a replica to keep for posterity, and all finishers were ensured of a certificate to honour their achievement in braving the waters and completing the course.

The aforementioned inaugural winner Ted Browning, was still performing strongly enough to finish second in the men's race in 1936, and a year later his nephew Nigel Browning won it.

Swimming talent ran in the Browning family, for another regular entrant was Ted Browning's niece Shelagh Browning, described by the Argus in 1935 as the "women's long distance champion of all England".

She was a swimming force to be reckoned with in the 1930s, winning the Taff Swim (by then held at Roath Park Lake and classed as the long distance swimming championship of Wales) open title twice and the 'native' title six times. She was also a multiple winner of the Thames race too, and was a member of the Wales team at the 1938 Empire (now Commonwealth) Games in Sydney, Australia.

South Wales Argus:

Another who could not get enough of the waters of the Usk was Ivor Betts (above). The Newport Swimming Club stalwart won the Percy Powell Cup for mile swim winners outright in 1930 with his third victory, and got his name engraved on the new one the following year for a fourth victory overall.

Who better then to ask about preparation for such an event, and to decode the secrets of this stretch of the Usk?

The Argus did so ahead of the 1937 swims and Mr Betts duly obliged:

"If a person wants to swim, or win, a mile race of any description, fitness is indispensable," he said.

"There are no short cuts to fitness. I know, because I've tried them. This fact must be recognised by all young entrants for the Argus swim.

"The best means of training is that of swimming over the course itself, accompanied by a boat. Then, while you are 'getting' the distance, knowledge of the course is added.

"During training, worry about diet should be avoided. The maxim for most swimmers is 'good plain food - and plenty of it'.

"Drugs or spirits must be avoided - they do irreparable harm. I mention this, because last year I actually saw a young swimmer taking whisky just before the start. He threw away his chances and later felt ill.

"In regard to the swim itself, I think the best one is a diagonal swim towards the left hand side of the river until 15-20 yards off the bank. Keep this course until the straight can be seen.

"By this time there will be a definite ebb in the tide, and the centre of the river should be made for. Care should be taken at this point not to swim too far over, and thus fall foul of the Malpas brook outlet.

"Finally, I should like all young swimmers to realise that the first quarter always feels the worst."

South Wales Argus:

Miss Florence Wood (centre), winner of the half mile swim in 1937, flanked by Miss Betty Williams (left, second), and Miss Iris Simpson (right, third)

Newport Swimming Club cancelled the Usk Swims in September 1934 for financial reasons, only to revive them days later after Percy Powell, after whom the mile trophy was named, offered to pay for their organisation, and the South Wales Argus subsequently came on board as a sponsor.

The 1938 swims were described by Newport Swimming Club's secretary Leslie White as "two of the finest races we have ever seen in the Usk".

But sadly, they were to be the last. The shadows of war were looming and by the following September, Britain was at war with Germany and the races did not take place.

There was to be no resumption after the war either, the pollution level in the river being considered too high.

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