DENFirst Daily Mail race, France to England
Sources disagree
Qualification · CS&PF and the race results give 16:30. The following year's press dossier gives 16:27. Dover Museum and contemporary reporting support 22 August, while a Dover archive narrative says 23 August.
Recorded swim date · Tuesday, 22 August 1950 · Start or finish date not specified by this field
Elapsed swim time · 16h 30m 0s
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Tuesday, 22 August 1950 · 19:04:00 · CS&PF arrival clock. The London dispatch of 23 August places the nine finishes on 22 August, and the named race table identifies Kammersgaard as the ninth finisher.
Timing note · CS&PF prints 02:34:00 departure and 19:04:00 arrival with the year only. The 23 August London dispatch says all nine swimmers had finished the previous day. The public race accounts disagree on the start day, so the 02:34 departure is retained here. The clock standard is unspecified.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · France → England
Departure · Cap Gris-Nez, France
Arrival · Dover area, England
Stroke · Breaststroke
Ratification / historical recognition · Butlins, as recorded by CS&PF
How this record was checked
CS&PF individual 442844 identifies Kammersgaard, Jenny, Denmark, one way F-E in 16:30:00. The 1950 Daily Mail race table names her ninth in 16:30. Its narrative puts the race on 23 August, while the Dover Museum exhibition and the London dispatch support 22 August. The 1951 entrants' dossier and a Dover archive caption both give 16:27. The source's Butlins label is retained alongside the documented Daily Mail race sponsorship.
Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation — Jenny Kammersgaard, 1950
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Individual 442844 lists Denmark, one way from France to England, 16:30:00 elapsed, 02:34:00 departure and 19:04:00 arrival. The ratifying-organisation field reads Butlins.
Limitations · The date field gives the year only. The museum and contemporary sources identify the race sponsor as the Daily Mail.
Channel Swimming Dover — 1950 Daily Mail race results
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · The finishing list places Jenny Kammersgaard of Denmark ninth in 16:30, among seven men and two women who finished.
Limitations · Its text dates the start and finishes to 23 August. Dover Museum's exhibition and contemporary race coverage support 22 August.
News on Screen — Daily Mail race entrants' press dossier
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · The Jenny Eileen James entry identifies Pontypridd, Bristol Channel swims in opposite directions and 8 hours 21 minutes for the 1950 return. The Jenny Kammersgaard entry gives 16:27 for her 1950 Channel race.
Limitations · Pre-race background material. Kammersgaard's 16:27 differs from the 16:30 in her historical federation result.
Channel Swimming Dover — group of women in the 1951 Daily Mail race
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · The named archive caption describes Kammersgaard's breaststroke, gives 16:27 in 1950 and 15:38 in 1951, and distinguishes two unsuccessful attempts in 1952 and one in 1954.
Dover Museum — 1950s Channel races
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Exhibition sections identify the first Daily Mail race on 22 August 1950 and the second on 16 August 1951. The lists name Jenny Kammersgaard at both and Jenny James in 1951.
Le Monde — 1950 race finishes reported from London
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · The 23 August London dispatch says the race had ended the previous day with nine successful crossings from Cap Gris-Nez to Dover, including two women.
Limitations · The article was published on 24 August. The named nine-finisher list is provided by the Dover archive.