| Date | 4 – 6 December 1956 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Olympic Park Swimming and Diving Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Participants | 45 from 10 countries |
Having smashed the world record twice in the previous eight weeks, and with all three individual medallists included in their quartet, it seemed implausible that any team other than the home nation of Australia would win the women’s relay in Melbourne.
Individual 100 m gold medallist Dawn Fraser faltered at the start when she mistakenly thought a false start had been called but recovered and gave the Aussies a healthy lead on leg one before newly crowned Olympic butterfly champion Shelley Mann dragged the USA back into the fray. The race was effectively decided only on the final leg when 400 m champion Lorraine Crapp sprinted away into the distance. Despite the incident at the start Australia still beat the world record yet again. The time for the second place Americans was also under the old world record.
| Date | 4 December 1956 — 14:55 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Team | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Australia |  AUS | 4:25.0 | ||
| 2 | 2 | South Africa |  RSA | 4:26.8 | ||
| 3 | 4 | United States |  USA | 4:27.3 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Unified Team of Germany |  GER | 4:27.5 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Hungary |  HUN | 4:28.1 | ||
| 6 | 5 | Canada |  CAN | 4:29.3 | ||
| 7 | 6 | Sweden |  SWE | 4:30.1 | ||
| 8 | 3 | Great Britain |  GBR | 4:34.6 | ||
| 9 | 4 | Japan |  JPN | 4:35.8 | 1 | |
| 10 | 5 | France |  FRA | 4:36.6 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | South Africa | RSA | 4:26.8 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Jeanette Myburgh | – | 1:07.3 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Susan Roberts | – | 1:06.5 (3) | 2:13.8 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Moira Abernethy | – | 1:08.2 (=2) | 3:22.0 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Natalie Myburgh | – | 1:04.8 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | 4 | United States | USA | 4:27.3 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Betty Brey | – | 1:07.9 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Nancy Simons | – | 1:05.5 (=1) | 2:13.4 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Kay Knapp | – | 1:08.2 (=2) | 3:21.6 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Marley Shriver | – | 1:05.7 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | 6 | Unified Team of Germany | GER | 4:27.5 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Ingrid Künzel | – | 1:07.6 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Hertha Haase | – | 1:05.5 (=1) | 2:13.1 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Kati Jansen | – | 1:07.0 (1) | 3:20.1 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Birgit Klomp | – | 1:07.4 (=4) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | 3 | Great Britain | GBR | 4:34.6 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Frances Hogben | – | 1:08.3 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Margaret Girvan | – | 1:08.6 (4) | 2:16.9 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Fearne Ewart | – | 1:09.3 (4) | 3:26.2 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Judith Grinham | – | 1:07.4 (=4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | 5 | France | FRA | 4:36.6 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Odile Vouaux | – | 1:08.4 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Viviane Gouverneur | – | 1:10.4 (5) | 2:18.8 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Ginette Sendral | – | 1:10.6 (5) | 3:29.4 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Héda Frost | – | 1:07.2 (3) | – (–) |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Australia | AUS | 4:25.0 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Margaret Gibson | – | 1:06.4 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Sandra Morgan | – | 1:05.4 (1) | 2:11.8 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Elizabeth Fraser | – | 1:07.3 (2) | 3:19.1 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Faith Leech | – | 1:05.9 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | 2 | Hungary | HUN | 4:28.1 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Judit Temes | – | 1:07.1 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Mária Littomeritzky | – | 1:07.1 (2) | 2:14.2 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Kató Szőke | – | 1:07.0 (1) | 3:21.2 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Valéria Gyenge | – | 1:06.9 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | 5 | Canada | CAN | 4:29.3 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Virginia Grant | – | 1:06.7 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Gladys Priestley | – | 1:07.7 (=3) | 2:14.4 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Sara Barber | – | 1:08.1 (4) | 3:22.5 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Helen Stewart | – | 1:06.8 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | 6 | Sweden | SWE | 4:30.1 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Anita Hellström | – | 1:08.3 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Birgitta Wängberg | – | 1:07.7 (=3) | 2:16.0 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Karin Larsson | – | 1:07.4 (3) | 3:23.4 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Kate Jobson | – | 1:06.7 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | 4 | Japan | JPN | 4:35.8 | – (–) | – (–) | 2 | |
| Lead-off | – | Hitomi Jinno | – | 1:07.8 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Eiko Wada | – | 1:08.1 (5) | 2:15.9 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Yoshiko Sato | – | 1:08.8 (5) | 3:24.7 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Yukiko Otaka | – | 1:11.3 (5) | – (–) |
| Date | 6 December 1956 — 20:20 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Australia | AUS | 4:17.1 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Dawn Fraser | – | 1:04.0 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Faith Leech | – | 1:05.3 (=2) | 2:09.3 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Sandra Morgan | – | 1:04.7 (2) | 3:14.0 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Lorraine Crapp | – | 1:03.1 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | 3 | United States | USA | 4:19.2 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Sylvia Ruuska | – | 1:06.3 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Shelley Mann | – | 1:03.9 (1) | 2:10.2 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Nancy Simons | – | 1:04.6 (1) | 3:14.8 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Joan Rosazza | – | 1:04.4 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | 5 | South Africa | RSA | 4:25.7 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Natalie Myburgh | – | 1:07.7 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Susan Roberts | – | 1:05.3 (=2) | 2:13.0 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Moira Abernethy | – | 1:08.0 (7) | 3:21.0 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Jeanette Myburgh | – | 1:04.7 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | 6 | Unified Team of Germany | GER | 4:26.1 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Ingrid Künzel | – | 1:06.6 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Hertha Haase | – | 1:06.7 (=4) | 2:13.3 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Kati Jansen | – | 1:05.7 (3) | 3:19.0 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Birgit Klomp | – | 1:07.1 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | 7 | Canada | CAN | 4:28.3 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Helen Stewart | – | 1:07.1 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Gladys Priestley | – | 1:07.1 (6) | 2:14.2 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Sara Barber | – | 1:07.5 (6) | 3:21.7 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Virginia Grant | – | 1:06.6 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | 1 | Sweden | SWE | 4:30.0 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Anita Hellström | – | 1:08.8 (=6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Birgitta Wängberg | – | 1:07.7 (7) | 2:16.5 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Karin Larsson | – | 1:07.4 (5) | 3:23.9 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Kate Jobson | – | 1:06.1 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | 2 | Hungary | HUN | 4:31.1 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Mária Littomeritzky | – | 1:09.9 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Kató Szőke | – | 1:06.7 (=4) | 2:16.6 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Judit Temes | – | 1:06.7 (4) | 3:23.3 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Valéria Gyenge | – | 1:07.8 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | 8 | Great Britain | GBR | 4:35.8 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Frances Hogben | – | 1:08.8 (=6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Judith Grinham | – | 1:09.0 (8) | 2:17.8 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Margaret Girvan | – | 1:09.4 (8) | 3:27.2 (8) | |||
| Anchor | – | Fearne Ewart | – | 1:08.6 (8) | – (–) |
