Gweneth Leigh BUTLER

Gweneth Butler competed in her first British Championship at the age of 16, and shortly before her 18th birthday finished third in the 1933 English Championship. She also finished second in a St. Moritz international tournament that year, and then competed in her first European Championship, finishing 9th. Part of London’s High Society, Butler was one of the city’s Débutantes in 1933, and spent her time between England and Europe, where she would be seen skating in St. Moritz, or socializing in Monte Carlo. The tallest of the British skaters of that era, Butler severely damaged an ankle in the autumn of 1934, but made a comeback in 1935 to achieve her best result in the British Amateur Championship, when finishing second, in a close fought battle, to Cecilia Colledge. Butler finished fifth in both the World and European Championships that year. She also finished fifth in the Worlds in 1936 and, in January 1937, while training in St. Moritz for the British and World Championships, she broke an ankle which put her out of action for a long time, and effectively ended her competitive career. Having married in 1938, Butler moved to the United States, worked in an ice show, and taught skating at the New York Ice Club.