Stafford (38 hours), 3 to 4 July 1930
Royal Brine Baths, Greengate Street
During the three weeks following her Douglas endurance swim, Mercedes made two open water swims: around the Isle of Man (in 9 stages over 9 days), which she successfully completed on 22 June, and an attempt on the Bristol Channel on 30 June in which she swam for over 14 hours and was in sight of Minehead when the turn of the tide took her out to sea again. The disappointing end to the Bristol Channel swim, however, did not stop her from entering wholeheartedly into her next endurance swim just two days later in the town of Stafford.
Courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection
Mercedes had been in correspondence with the Town Clerk, Mr H.H. Battle, the previous month, and a contract was entered into for the swim to commence on Thursday 3 July. The event took place at the Royal Brine Baths in Greengate Street.
These distinctive baths, which functioned from 1892- 1977, used brine discovered under Stafford Common. The brine was pumped from the saltworks, and was said to be particularly good for those suffering from rheumatism, and also for improving circulation and hardening the body against chill. Queen Victoria granted permission for the facility to be known as the Royal Brine Baths, and in its heyday its patrons were treated like royalty and given a private dressing room before immersing themselves in warm brine for about 20 minutes.
Mercedes entered the water at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday morning after an official welcoming speech by the Mayor, Ald. W.T. Richardson, who was accompanied on poolside by Councillor F. Scott (Chairman of the Baths Committee), Councillor G. Owen JP, Mr H.H. Battle (Town Clerk) and Mrs Battle.
Supervision was in the hands of Dr N. McLeod Miller, and he was assisted by Mr J. Wolfe (Baths Superintendent), Miss D. Wolfe, and members of the local Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) working in relays under Miss Joyce (VAD Commandant) and Mrs Epsley (VAD Asst. Commandant). The Reverend Clarke acted as one of the stewards, and the additional help given by volunteer timekeepers, observers and members of the Baths’ staff was invaluable.
Apart from her usual liquid requirements a menu with a difference was laid on for Mercedes by the staff at the Royal Baths, consisting of a boiled egg, lobster, and strawberries and cream.
Attendance during the first day was comparatively low (about 300 people), but it became obvious that this was due to the ticket price being set too high for that area. Later that evening, when the price was lowered, the baths were filled to capacity and queues extended along Greengate and Bridge Streets, and into the South Walls.
Mr Wolfe, the Baths Superintendent, told the Chronicle representative covering the event that he had never experienced anything like it in his life, adding that he had to ask the police to assist in keeping order so that Mercedes could be fed.
Some of the most enthusiastic spectators remained on watch all through the night and their community singing had the desired effect of arousing her from the sleepiness that came over her at 3.00 a.m., and again for a short spell at 1.00 p.m.
Mercedes successfully carried out 38 hours of continuous swimming at the Royal Brine Baths, thus raising her own record by one hour. This latest endurance swim once again proved a financial success for both parties, and the covering media reports highlighted how an event of this nature could both inspire and entertain the general public.
An inscribed travelling clock was presented to Mercedes by the Public Baths Committee as a memento of her swim in Stafford
