Denise Newman (later Denise St Aubyn Hubbard; 19 February 1924 – 22 January 2016) was a British diver who competed in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Early life

She was born on 19 February 1924 in

Hornsey Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner Lo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Her father was Percy Arthur Newman, a shipping clerk and manager of

Anglo-Iranian Oil The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling number o ...

, and her mother was Jessie Bathurst, née Pearce. She had one brother, Derek. Newman grew up in Maadi,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, where she began as a swimmer, breaking senior national records in the 50 metres and 100 metres freestyle at the open Egyptian championships in 1937 while still a junior. She was taught by her mother and Ahmed Ibrahim Kamel.

Career

She was due to compete as a swimmer in the

1940 Summer Olympics The 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad, were originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo City, Empire of Japan. They were rescheduled for Helsinki, Finland, to be held from ...

, until it was cancelled at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Her family lived in

Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounded ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

from 1939 to 1941. When they returned to the UK in 1942, she applied to the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

and was referred to the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

. Owing to her linguistic talents, she was sent to the secret Bedford Japanese School run by Captain Oswald Tuck RN and completed the 5th course (August 1943 to February 1944). She was subsequently posted to the Military Wing at the Government Code and Cypher School,

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...

where she worked as part of the Japanese codebreaking team. On 10 August 1945, she married Vyvyan Alexander St Aubyn Hubbard, a major in the Indian Army and architect. They had two children, Hugh and Geraldine.Williams, Jean (2020). "Hubbard ée Newman Denise Audrey St Aubyn (1924–2016), high diver and sailor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.111984. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 2021-06-24. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Newman was part of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

's team in the 10 metre diving event. By the third dive she was in fifth place, but tore a shoulder muscle. She continued with one arm disabled, finishing 11th out of 15 competitors. Newman became interested in sailing when her family moved to

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

in 1953. In 1978 she joined the

Royal Naval Auxiliary Service The Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) was a uniformed, unarmed, civilian volunteer service, administered and trained by the Royal Navy to operate in the ports and anchorages of the United Kingdom in an emergency. Although the abbreviated title w ...

, and for eight years was the only female skipper of a British warship. In 1988, aged 64, she completed the Transatlantic single-handed sailing race, in 34 days. Her participation was the subject of a BBC documentary. She died on 22 January 2016 at the age of 91.

References

External links

BBC Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Denise 1924 births 2016 deaths People from Hornsey Divers from London British female divers Olympic divers for Great Britain Divers at the 1948 Summer Olympics British female sailors (sport) 20th-century British women