Swan Upping On The Thames -- The "Swan Uppers" boats starting off from Southwark Bridge, London, this morning.The annual Swan Upping on the River Thames took place to-day. The ownership of the swans that grace the waters of the River Thames is shared between the King and two City Livery Companies - the Vintners and the Dyers, and from an early time it was the custom for each owners birds to be distinctively marked. Nowadays it is considered unnecessary to mark the King's swans, but Lose of the Vintners and Dyers' Companies are marked, Every year, the swan markers of the three owners make a journey up the river for the purpose of identifying and marking the young swans, or cygnets, and that is what is meant by "swan upping." The men who perform this work are all specially trained and are called "swan uppers." July 18, 1938. (Photo by Topical Press).