Jeanne Greenland

Jeanne Patricia Greenland
Personal information
Born26 January 1919
Newport, Wales
Died19 December 2001 (aged 82)
Vancouver, Canada
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokesbackstroke
ClubNewport S.C.
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Wales
British Empire Games
Silver medal – second place1938 Sydney110 yd backstroke

Jeanne Patricia Greenland (26 January 1919 – 19 December 2001)[1] was a Welsh competitive swimmer, who specialised in backstroke. She represented Wales at the British Empire Games (now Commonwealth Games), winning a silver medal.[2]

Biography

Greenland was born in Newport, Wales, educated at Newport Girls' High and studied at the University of Oxford.[3][4]

Jeanne represented Wales in 1934 British Empire Games in the 440yd Relay.

She also represented the Welsh team and won a silver medal behind Australian Pat Norton in the 110 yards backstroke at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, Australia.[5]

At the time of the 1938 Games, she was a student and living at 22 Oldfield Road in Newport.[1]

Jeanne qualified for the 1940 Olympic swim team but was unable to compete as the Olympics were cancelled due to WWII

She was the first woman from Wales to go to Oxford where she was recruited by her math professor to work at Bletchley Park where she aided the code breakers during WWII. She kept this secret for 50 years.

Jeanne married RAF Squadron Leader Harry Emlyn Bufton. They lived in Wales, England, Bahrain, Washington DC, eventually settling in Vancouver, Canada in 1965. They had 3 children.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, Brisbane to London Arrival - 1 Apr 1938". Ancestry. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Swimming and Diving (Women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Wales's Representatives at the Empire Games". Western Mail. 4 December 1937. Retrieved 28 August 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Olympic Swimns to be filmed for judges". Daily Herald. 2 November 1938. Retrieved 28 August 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Medal Standings Sydney 1938". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
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