swimmer march february english competitive swimmer represented great_britain summer olympics taylor served royal_navy world war continued swim fortunes declined retired died record gold medals olympic games stood years tying medal count american successful athlete olympics early life born lancashire march james coal henry parents died young raised older brother bill taylor learned swim canal practised water body find canals lakes etc including canal boating lake taylor friend later president recalled taylor loved swimming life age seven taylor swam race bill coach henry trained dirty water days cheaper admission time continued train canal got job cotton mill spent lunch times swimming canal weighing stone pounds wore hand woven silk swimming costume weighing career taylor came attention success selected games athens expected win medals won gold mile freestyle silver freestyle bronze freestyle later year taylor broke world record yards automatic selection summer olympics summer olympics london taylor won gold medals events took freestyle freestyle freestyle finished races took games bar performing heats freestyle finished second semi final austrian won event games final taylor finished seconds ahead austrian won bronze british press hailed taylor britain man hold world record metres freestyle feat completed july time london haul gold medals won olympics feat repeated british participant olympic games century won gold medals cycling events summer olympics beijing years later taylor selected summer olympics stockholm freestyle relay helped team win bronze olympic games world war taylor joined royal_navy kept fit swimming ships ship anchored scapa_flow present battle jutland popular story tells course battle ship sunk survivors waited hours rescued taylor swam encouraging story probably myth hms vincent sunk battle jutland transferred hms remained war taylor returned swimming took winning times period year point held record taylor attempted emulate swimming english channel failed bad weather annually took french champion swimming river_thames winning occasion taylor appearance olympic games antwerp belgium helped freestyle relay team bronze medal swimming taylor continued swimming retired played water polo england career won trophies medals suffered setback public house owned closed financial difficulties taylor attendant raise money taylor forced sell prizes died obscurity aged february unmarried cremated remains scattered cemetery trophies taylor won collected temporarily displayed posthumously inducted international swimming hall fame blue plaque unveiled commemorating swimming achievements summer olympics beijing china british swimmer win gold medal single olympic games taylor won
Henry Taylor (swimmer)