Florence Ilott, Westminster Bridge Sprinter, Remembered In Touching Twitter Thread

"I want to tell you about a remarkable woman that you almost certainly haven't heard of."
Florence Ilott's remarkable 1934 achievement has been memorialised in a heartwarming Twitter thread.
Florence Ilott's remarkable 1934 achievement has been memorialised in a heartwarming Twitter thread.
Huntley Archives/YouTube

A man’s memorial to his late grandmother has captured the hearts of thousands.

Author Scott Pack used a series of tweets on Friday to share a story about his nan, Florence Ilott, who enjoyed fleeting fame in the 1930s for a remarkable feat.

The Twitter thread, since shared almost 7,000 times with close to 21,000 ‘likes’ as of Saturday morning, is here in full:

I want to tell you about a remarkable woman that you almost certainly haven't heard of.

Her name is Florence Ilott and, in 1934, she became the first person to run across Westminster Bridge within the twelve chimes of Big Ben at noon. pic.twitter.com/16rbYSZtCD

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

As a teenager, in the early 1930s, she started working at the House of Commons. She was one of the tea room staff and lived on the premises. She cried all through her first night as the chimes of Big Ben meant she was unable to sleep.

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

Her roommates told her not to worry and that she'd get used to the noise in no time. Sure enough, the next evening she slept like a log and never noticed the chimes at night again.

Here she is on a works trip in 1931. pic.twitter.com/e9vIckiLs9

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

Although the origins are unknown there was a long-standing tradition for staff at the Commons, including MPs, to occasionally attempt to run across Westminster Bridge at noon before Big Ben struck twelve.

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

Florence was an amateur sprinter and one of the MPs suggested she give it a go. So just before noon on April 14th 1934 she donned her running gear and awaited the first chime. pic.twitter.com/oGi3vj5E8R

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

The event was recorded by reporters and photographers from the Associated Press, Daily Sketch and Evening Standard who saw her make it across the bridge by the tenth chime, becoming the first person to achieve the feat.

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

Here are some of the cuttings and pictures that were published at the time. pic.twitter.com/XctE6H4bdX

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

She had a successful career as a sprinter, particularly at the 220-yard dash. These were back in the amateur days when runners were awarded prizes such as clocks, crockery and canteens of cutlery instead of money. In later life her home was full of the prizes she had won.

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

Florence Ilott was born on 20th September 1913 and died on 31st May 2002, at the age of 88.

She was my grandmother. pic.twitter.com/ZNp6Tk8PVC

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

And she got to meet my kids, her great-grandchildren, before she died. pic.twitter.com/zkYSXbXYv2

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

To help me research this thread, my dad unearthed all the pictures and clippings he could find. We thought we had copies of everything but I did a quick Google search to see if there was anything else out there.

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

This is what we found. We had no idea this existed and we both watched it for the first time today.

THE ENDhttps://t.co/vDnGDecVD7

— Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) November 2, 2018

The clip, taken by a news agency which would have sent it to cinema houses across the country as part of a newsreel at the time, has since been digitised by Huntley Archives – ensuring Florence’s achievement can be enjoyed for many years yet.

Pack, meanwhile, has thanked the thousands who have shared his grandmother’s story.

“Thanks everyone for your kind words about my nan,” he wrote. “She would have been very surprised and touched by the reaction to her story. But first I would have had to explain the internet to her.”

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