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I'm Alex von Tundselman and for BBC Radio 4, this is History's Heroes.

People with purpose, brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Thank you. I'm going to be. Last time on History's Heroes, we heard the story of the American swimmer Gertrude Edelie.

In 1926, she became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

If you haven't heard our previous episode, Gertrude

Edelie, ruling the waves, I recommend you go back and listen to that first. Not only did

Edelie have to battle the cold, the salt, the exhaustion, she also had to battle sexism,

and a coach who was jealous of her, and who she believed was trying to sabotage her. And when she did all of this, she was

just 20 years old. She completed an immense personal challenge and inspired Jenny Landruth,

a writer and script editor, to take the plunge into open water swimming. Furthermore, Jenny wrote

the book, Swell, a water biography, great title, and I'm delighted to welcome her now. Hi, Jenny wrote the book Swell, a water biography, great title, and I'm

delighted to welcome her now. Hi, Jenny. Hi, Alex. And we'll talk some more about

Edelie, who you've come to love. I have, yes. And where did you first come across her?

I first came across her, because I was writing a book about the history of swimming as told through

women's experience of it, because she's such a huge figure in that world.

And in terms of what appealed to you about her, obviously it's this incredible achievement,

the first woman to swim the channel when she was so young. Was there something about her personality that jumped out at you?

What I have really loved, particularly, were all the images of her, striding across the beach,

shoulders back, chest out, headed for that water.

She would have been really uncomfortable wearing kind of

aviator goggles, slathered in disgusting grease, wearing homemade swimming costumes. And she

just looks like a very, very confident young woman. And I love that. And I mean, I don't think

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