Kingsbury Swmming Club

A Memory of Kingsbury.

I swam for Kingsbury swimming club for a number of years, representing them at national level at the ASA championships. I too, swam at the old Finchley Road pool then we moved to Swiss Cottage. I swam for a young England team in front of the Queen at the opening ceremony, I think around 1962 or 1964. I held a number of records at the club. Some of the records were made by swimmers from the Hungarian water polo and swimming team who stayed in England after the 1948 Olympics at Wembley, Kingsbury was the nearest swimming club to them at the time. Some of the records held until the early 1960s. I have memories of swimming with Kevin Murphy, a long distance swimmer, who swam the channel on a few occassions including multiple crossings, he broke the ice in the open air pool, I went in after him and stayed in for about 2 seconds before the quickest exit you could imagine. He was quite happy and didn't appear affected by the cold. I have many fond memories of those times. If anyone else can remember Fred Billinghurst the club secretary, his daughter Susan and her brother or any of the other members please get in contact.