Courtesy of Popperfoto/Getty Images, Folkestone Beach, Kent, UK.

Edward Temme or E. H. Temme lived 72 years, born in Plaistow, Greater London and died in Padova, Italy.

Along the way, he worked as a London insurance clerk, played water polo for the Plaistow United Swimming Club representing Great Britain in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and was the first person to complete a crossing of the English Channel both ways.

Known as the King of the Channel® from 1934-1951, he completed a crossing of the English Channel in 14 hours 29 minutes in August 1927 from France to England at the age of 22 and then crossed from England to France in 15 hours 34 minutes 7 years later in August 1934.

But between those two successes, he also experienced four failed English Channel attempts from England to France:

* In 1928 after 8 hours 7 minutes
* In 1929 after 5 hours 40 minutes
* In 1932 after 11 hours 50 minutes
* In 1933 after 11 hours 45 minutes

But his involvement in the English Channel was not over after his own individual crossings. He later served as the Supervisor for the first Daily Mail Cross Channel Race in 1950.

See here for a 1927 New York Times article on his achievement.

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