MEN WHO ASSAILED MOUNT EVEREST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3130, 14 August 1922, Page 8

MEN WHO ASSAILED MOUNT EVEREST.

(By D'. B. Prideaux). If possible, more interest attaches to this year’s assault upon the highest of the Himalayas than followed the preliminary expedition of last year, her one thing the absorbing reports last summer upon the route of the party through Tibet, its successful reconnaissance of possible approaches, together with the hazardous adventures experienced and the mythical legends recounted by the more or less wild tribesmen of the upper plateaux, have prepared the public to follow the now attempt with close attention and with pride. Perhaps there has never _ been a mountaineering expedition which has been so watched throughout the world. To the average man mountain climbing is a dangerous, not to say foolhardy sport. He seldom give it credit for .scientific purpose, or believes that men are never better trained for allround work than under the leadership of some experienced climber. This truth has been ably demonstrated by the leader of this year’s expedition himself. The lifelong devotion which General Bruce has shown to mountaineering all over the world, but especially in India, is due to his belief in. its value, especially to the troops set to guard the North-West Frontier. It was be who introduced scouts into the Indian Army, and who set up special training camps, attended by British and Indian Army officers, wherein mountain warfare was taught. Ho was regarded as the chief mountaineering expert in the British Array before the war. In 1910, when home on leave, he gave, at the request of the War Office, two courses in mountaineering to Staff College and other British officers on the slopes of Mount Snowdon. Mon trained by him have won to 1 distinction in the Indian Army Five riflemen of I—sth1 —sth Gurkhas won the Indian Order of Merit in the Tirah Expedition in 1897. Another who had climbed with him and Sir Martin. Conway in India, and also in Switzerland, became the senior officer of his battalion. Another became an expert climber and often accompanied General Bruce in expeditions in the Alps and in Skye. But we must go back for a moment to discuss the expedition itself and its personnel. It is expected that the party leaving Darjeeling late in March or early in April will use the route discovered last year. There will be, all told, twelve men in tho party. They are all distinguished mountaineers, with remarkable records, and have been specially chosen by General Bruce with an eye to endurance of physical hardships. Lieut.-Col. E. L. Strutt is second in command, with several army officers as assistants. In addition to General Bruce, Dr T. S. Longstaffe. himself a lamous mountaineer, is official medical officer. Among tho actual climbers are Mr G. L. Mallory, Major Norton, Dr Wakefield, Mr Somervell, Captain G. Finch, Captain .1. Noel, Mr C. G. Crawford, 1.C.5., Captain J. G. Bruce and Captain C. .1. Morris. Col. Strutt wilt have, therefore, several army officers as assistants. Tho party will also include six ordinary soldiers — three Gukhas, one man each from the Royal Scots, the Royal Field Artillery and tho Machine Gnu Corps. But the local tribesmen were not to be outdone. The hillmcn have responded with the greatest enthusiasm to the call for porters. They know quite well the hard work which was necessary last year and the terriffic hardships which were undergone by those engaged in, the expedition. But this has not prevented keen, competition among the hillmen to bo included; and difficulty was experienced in satisfying the claims put forth by the various l candidates. The physical equipment of the expedition is perhaps the most extensive ever got together. Both the size of the party and the .special conditions governing the line of attack decided: upon required a much more elaborate outfit than was taken in 1921. In addition to stores, there is to he a complete oxygen outfit, upon which great hopes l are centred for use in the upper altitudes. As the expedition progresses towards its base there will lie daily training of porters in the use of ropes and ice axes: and it was hoped that advance liases will have been established! in the Ro'iigbnk and East Rongbuk Valleys' bv Mav Ist. The success of the party undoubtedly depends upon its power of establishing well-provisioned high camps; and this power depends upon the proper organisation of transport. There- is open winter travel over the Eastern Himalayas on the Tibetan road across .JelapaJa. Mule caravans, which constantly traverse this pass, will be used for carrying forward tho stores of Hie expedition. One of its most interesting personalities is Dr T. G. Longstaffe, who has led many an attempt upon famous mountain peaks. He probably knows more of real Himalayan climbing than even General Bruce, which is saying a great deal. To him stands the credit of having conquered Trisul, 28,106 loot, in 1905. This is the highest actual summit gained. lake the good British sportsman that he is, lie gave on this occasion the bulk of the credit to liis two Italian guides, Alexis and Henri Brochcrel. it will be remembered that on Gurla Mandhata this splendid trio rode an avalanche for over 1000 feet down to the depths. This did not deter them from again attacking the. great peak on the two days following, when some think that the record for altitude was broken. Dr Longstaffe docs not, accept the general theory that only by gradual acclimatisation to great heights will the assault of Mount Everest succeed. He believes in making a dash for the summit. Mr George Finch is an expert Alpinist, and has had Jong experience of ascents without guides. Ho will no doubt be responsible for the real, attack on the final ridges, with the assistance of Mr Mallory .who did so well last year. Dr A. M. Wakefield and Mr T. H. Somervell are Kendal men, and, like Mi* Mallory, have learned most of their mountain craft on British crags. Both Dr Wakefield and Mr Somervell are men of remarkable physique and endurance. The former in 1905 made the record walk over England’s biggest mountains, including Scawfell Pike. Helyellyu and Skiddaw, completing a continuous tour of over 28,500 feet in twenty-three and a-quarter hours. Mr Somervell’s most remarkable record was that of an end to end traverse in 1920 of all the peaks of the Coolin. ridge of Ekye in fourteen and a-half hours. This entailed over 10,000 feet of climbing, much of it being of considerable difficulty. Colonel Howard Bury, who organised last year’s mission, and made all of the diplomatic and military arrangements, will not accompany the party this year. Its youngest climber is probably Mr George Leigh Mallory, who led the preliminary assault last year, and is the only member of that expedition who has joined this.

It is no small addition to Ins other accomplishments that he can write of his achievements in a spirited style, for which lie is not either fighting for king and country, or facing the hardships attendant upon the scaling of lofty peaks, he is a Master at Charterhouse. A Winchester scholar, he was also a scholar of Magdalen College, Cambridge. Ho is married to a wife who is also an excellent mountaineer, and there is little doubt that his three children will also,, in their turn, set their feet upon the hills. The attempt on the mountain will he made early in June, which is held to ho the best period, both as to condition of ice and of atmosphere in extreme altitudes. It is unnecessary to add bow trying to every man will be the cold and the relaxing effects of thin air above 25,000 feet. The weather is of the greatest importance. A week’s consecutive fine weather will be necessary to turn the scale to success. The highest point reached in last year’s reconnaissance was about 23,000 feet, some 6000 feet short of the summit. Readers will remember the remarkable experiences undergone by that gallant band. Not least were the reports they made upon the strange, half wild tribesmen discovered who, in their turn, told tales of even more remarkable human species whom they called “hairy snowmen,” who lived in inaccessible upper valleys. To come to this year’s leader, we have, in Brigadier-General the Hon. Charles Gravillo Bruce, C.8., M.V.0., something of a superman. It is doubtful if, anywhere in the world, a more suitable chief could have been discovered. Although there may be mountain-climbers just as experienced, they cannot have had the training in the' leadership of mountaineering expeditions which General Bruce has had. tic knows the country thoroughly. His long experience with the local tribes and the best manner of dealing with them will stand him and his comrades in great stead. Ho talks many oi the dialects, and on the whole seems specially to have been trained by Providence for his present task. His has always been a marked personality. There are many legends true and untrue, current about him in Army circles. He has always been called Hercules Bruce, because his personal strength was such that at one time Ho could raise and hold out at arm’s length a well-grown person seated in a chair. There are innumerable stories of his strength, his practical jokes, and his more serious and eminent accomplishments, which are current, not only in this countrv, but in India., where for many years he was in command of a. Gurkha regiment. . He has always had a passion tor mountaineering. As was mentioned 'above, he has several' times brought one or more of his Gurkha soldiers home with him and taken them on climbing expeditions. The writer once was in Switzerland 1 at the same time, and heard much talk and grave shakings of heads among the Swiisfe guide®, who had never before seen anything like 1 the uncanny skill of Bruce’s Gurkha soldier' in scrambling up impossible places. To turn for a. moment to General Bruce’s record. He was horn in 1866, third son of the first Baron Abeiidare. Few men have had a. more extensive experience of active service. In the Gurkha. Rifles he went on five different expeditions, namely, Burma 1889, Hazara 1891, Miranzar 1891 (mentioned in despatches), Waiziristan 1894-95, Tinaih 1897-98 (mentioned in despatched twice). During the late war he served in Egypt, and at the Dardanelles, as a colonel commanding the Gurkha Rifles. Wounded at Gallipoli, ho was given a Brevet colonelcy. In 1916 he was appointed G.O.C. the India. Frontier Brigade at Benmi, and after the Waziristan expedition in 1917, where he was again G.0.C., he was made a Companion of the Bath. For his services in the Afghan War of 1919 he was mentioned in despatches. He retired from the Indian Army in 1920. after more than thirty years of service. He was that year appointed secretary of the Glamorgan Territorial Association. The author of that wonderful climbing text-hook. “Twenty Years in the Himalaya,” he was awarded the Gill Memorial Prize of the Royal Geographical Society. Although from his earliest years he was climbing mountains in Switzerland. Wales and Scotland, his best! work was done in the Himalayas and described in this hook. In 1891 lie was a member of Sir Martin Conway’s expedition to Karakorams, which reached, a 1 might of 23,000 feet on Pioneer Peak. Among his other exploits are Nanga Parhat in 1895 with Professor Collie and Mr Mummery, Upper Carwhal in 1897 with Dr T. C. fjongstaffe and Mr Arnold Mann, Kulu ami Lahoul in 1912 with Cant. O. E. Todd. As might he expected, in spite of his remarkable, ecen exceptional fitness for the task, there was a certain amount of criticism of his appointment on account of his age. It is not usual for a man of fifty-six years old to undertake what is essentially a youpg man’s job. But even if he should he compelled to leave, the ultimate peak to his more youthful colleagues, his vigor and thoroughness as an organiser, and his experience as a leader of men on such undertakings, should prove invaluable. One of his chief qualities is neverrailing contagions high spirits and an irresistible gaiety of outlook. He has made a point of always seeking the highest physical litucss. and certainly may he said to appear ten years younger than other men of his age. The feats of endurance to his credit are many, and he has often survived wounds and illnesses which would have howled over a less hardy type. For instance, he was shot through both legs in Gallipoli, and as he himself described the incident, ho rolled down the hill like a shot rabbit. But here, as usual, lie made a wonderfully quick recovery, and although after the war he was, much against his will, invalided home from India, lie lias found a complete cure in his native Wales and very congenial occupation as organiser of the Glamorganshire Territorials. It is doubtful if There ever was a campaign against inaccessible mountain heights combining men of so many and varied talents. The personality of the climbers will, il possible, add to l the fascination of the whole undertaking. It is not only the highest mountain in the world, which liras so far refused! to viokl up its secrets to adventurous man, hut it is the sentinel 1 guarding the gateway to India. The British know that border-line better perhaps any other throughout the wide domains of the Emperor-King. For roars it was threatened by the advancing ambition of Imperial Rnsfjia. Its conquest and maintenance have cost innumerable brave lives and’ been the scene of exploits unforgettable in out Irstory. If Roberts of Kandahar tops the peak of British reputations mad© there, the genius of Rndyard Kipling has focussed attention upon the great border passes and the picturesque and often treacherous tribes assailing them. So, therefore, you have a British party attempting to scale the greatest peak in the British King’s' dominions. It is led by one of the innse romantic figures of latte r-efay history. Men

everywhere, but particularly Englishspeaking men, will follow the fortunes of this little band with 1 unflagging interest, will wish them; the best of took and will be ready to give to whatever triumph' they achieve ungrudging admiration .