Vera Ellery competed in the 1943 Middlesex County Swimming Championships as a 16-year-old. Also competing that day was fellow Willesden SC member Derek Lewis, and in 1950, Ellery and Lewis got married. Vera was the Middlesex junior 100 yards freestyle champion in 1939, when she won the title by seven seconds, and in doing so set a championship record. Ellery went on to break many County and Southern Area records, and was also the holder of the English native 880 yards freestyle record. Despite her many freestyle records, she swam in the 100 yards backstroke at the 1948 London Olympics, where she qualified for the semi-final but finished last in her heat. At the time of the Olympics, Ellery was a Willesden schoolteacher.
Great Britain