Lasting memorial for champion swimmer and hero at Liverpool’s new Olympic pool
Feb 26 2008
by Nick Coligan, Liverpool Echo



A PERMANENT memorial to a trailblazing swimmer will be put in place at Liverpool’s new Olympic-sized pool.

Youngsters at St Hugh’s Catholic primary had campaigned for the £17m Wavertree complex to be named after champion swimmer and lifesaver James Clarke.

Although the pool will be called Liverpool Aquatics Centre, city officials agreed to erect a plaque celebrating Mr Clarke’s pioneering work in the early 1900s.

The British Guyana-born swimmer, who arrived in Liverpool as a 14-year-old stowaway, introduced swimming lessons to Wavertree and saved the lives of many people who got into trouble in the River Mersey and Leeds-Liverpool canal.

More...