Thomas "Tommy" Burns (21 January 1868 – 6 July 1897) was a British diver born in Liverpool, England, known for his diving feats and athletic abilities. He advertised himself as the "champion all round athlete of the world," excelling particularly in diving and swimming. Throughout the late 19th century, he gained notoriety for diving off structures, usually bridges such as London Bridge and Clifton Suspension Bridge in England and the Tay Bridge in Scotland.
His diving attempts were often thwarted by police and he sometimes faced arrest upon returning to dry land. On some occasions, he used creative disguises, even dressing as a woman while diving from Trafford Bridge in Manchester. Burns was also known to be a life saver and during his lifetime, is believed to have saved in excess of 40 lives, holding every medal and certificate from the Royal Humane Society. Throughout the 1890s, he travelled the country to showcase his diving, often gaining media attention. In late 1890, he drew attention by jumping off a bridge in Glasgow before a crowd of 22,000 spectators and managed to evade waiting police.
In July 1897, Burns dived off Rhyl Pier in front of an audience of 3,000 people, which ended with him landing heavily on his back and struggling to swim to shore. Some observed that he looked to have been drinking alcohol prior to the dive. Swimmers helped him onto the pier, where he was unconscious and declared dead after 20 minutes of attempted resuscitation. At this time, he was destitute and his coffin was provided by Rhyl Pier, while another professional diver helped to raise funds for his widow by diving off the Rhyl Pier as Burns himself had done.
Although Burns had been drinking alcohol excessively before the dive, the jury of the inquest returned a verdict of accidental drowning.
Early life
Thomas Burns was born in Liverpool on 21 January 1868, though some sources say 1866 or 1867. His family were Irish and his father was a baker. Spending most of his life in Widnes, the family lived in Midwood Street and as a child, he attended St Bedes School in Appleton. Reports from 1884 suggested that by this time, Tommy was a baker and living in Exmouth Street, while being captain of the Sefton Swimming Club.
Career
England
Burns advertised himself as a "champion all round athlete of the world at diving, swimming, walking, running, boxing, pole jumping, horizontal bar, etc". In 1889, he succeeded in a bet that challenged him to dive off Runcorn Railway Bridge, swim to Liverpool, walk from there to London to dive off London Bridge and then walk back to Liverpool to dive off the same bridge in Runcorn, within nine days. On 15 June 1890, a challenge between him and American athlete Carlisle D. Graham required them both to dive off Runcorn Bridge, swim then run . To evade police, Burns dressed as an old woman and Graham as a labourer. Burns beat Graham on the swim by 10 minutes and despite initially trailing in the 10 mile race, took the lead after the eighth minute and "won easily".
In January 1891, while walking close to his home on Farnworth Street, Burns lost his footing and broke his right leg. He was assessed by two doctors who determined that it would "be many weeks before poor Burns is able to attend to his professional duties", with him having to "indefinitely postpone" a planned dive off the Forth Bridge and a non-stop 100-mile run. In December 1892, when preparing to dive off the Prince's Dock Pierhead in Liverpool, he was arrested by police on suspicion of being intoxicated with alcohol. Following interview, he was bailed out by friends with a fine of 5 shillings plus costs. On 7 August 1893, while preparing to dive from a high platform at Sheffield Botanical Gardens in front of several thousand spectators, a piece of timber snapped and he fell to the ground. He was picked up unconscious and taken to hospital, where he recovered well with just concussion. Burns gained much sympathy and in October 1893, a gala concert was held in the Montgomery Hall for his aid, entertaining a large audience. During the interval, Burns himself appeared and "was very cordially greeted", while it was hoped he would be the primary beneficiary from the concert's proceeds.