He was as famous as Brian Clough and Torvill and Dean in the 1930's and 40's.

But today there's little to remind us of Torpedo Tom Blower.

The River Trent might slowly be being cleaned up but I doubt there are many people who'd be keen to take a lengthy swim in it.

But in the 1930's Nottingham's Tom Blower was a familiar figure swimming up and down.

The Trent by the Meadows was Tom's training ground.

And Tom Blower trained just as much as latter day sporting favourites, Torvill and Dean, who used to practice at the old ice stadium.

Tom Blower with even more of his trophies

Tom was a long-distance swimmer and a world record breaker at the age of 23.

He earned the nickname "Torpedo" for swimming the English Channel in 13 hours and 29 minutes.

At the time he broke the previous record by a staggering 23 minutes.

Yes, Tom Blower was the long distance swimming equivalent of Paula Radcliffe.

But today there's little to remind us of his achievements. There is a plaque at the John Carroll Leisure Centre in Radford but it's in need of some tender loving care.

Relatives of Tom are launching a campaign to increase his profile. They'd also like to hear from any relations in Notts and around they world. They believe there are some in Canada.

When he attended Berridge Road school he was actually nicknamed "Carthorse" because he was so slow in swimming sprints.

Speed might not have been his forte, endurance was. He once undertook a 30-hour non-stop marathon at Victoria Baths in Sneinton where he swam 2,664 lengths.