'Don’t dip in if you can’t see Jim!' - The story of James Clarke

James Clarke James was born in British Guiana (now Guyana). When he was 14, he stowed away on a ship bound for Liverpool and was adopted by an Irish family living in the Scotland Road area. James worked on the docks and joined Wavertree Swimming Club. He started teaching children to swim after rescuing many of them from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. James saved many locals from drowning in the Mersey and the docks, and taught countless others to swim.

The first Black man to have a street named after him, his silver chain with 8 medals awarded to him for swimming and 'saving life from drowning'. You can see some of James’ medals and a framed certificate ‘Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, awarded to James Clarke for courageously diving into the West Waterloo Dock and rescuing a man from drowning on the 14th February 1911’ on display in The People’s Republic gallery, Museum of Liverpool. Items kindly lent by Martin Clarke