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Letter to Ruth Mallory, from 'Kampa Dzong’

Brief Summary
Describes trek so far and outlines plans to get home from India.

Detailed Summary
It gave him a certain pleasure to write this address as it meant he was getting towards home. Their trek had not gone perfectly so far and he compares their progress to his and Bullock’s the previous year. The three of them had 20 animals this time to care for and stores etc. for Somervell and Crawford to stay a fortnight in the Lhonak Valley. They hoped to get over the Naku La, the next pass to the west of the one he and Bullock had crossed the previous year, and so into the valley the day after tomorrow but thought there might be difficulties.

He had decided to catch the Narcunda on 5th August and so would be 4 days later than if he went on the Trieste line to Venice as it would be less expensive. The extra days in India would just allow him to see Delhi without undue hurry. He hoped to meet Hugh Aeber Percy there. Hoped to see her again around 26 August.

He had received two good letters from her and one from Avie [his sister]. His was glad his father had received the honour of being made a Canon as he had been rather missed out before. Comments on Ruth's letter saying she was splendid to take on so much and was very glad she was managing to keep the gardens going too. Her news about flowers coming out interested him greatly. Understood from her remarks that John [their son] was tremendously admired. What thrilled him most was to hear of his great purple-faced rage!

He wouldn't be able to stay with the Bullocks at La Havre on his way home but thought they could do it later as it would make a delightful and cheap holiday to go to Rouen for a few days and stay 2 or 3 nights with them en route.

Tibet was much more attractive now than when they came out. He, Somervell, and Crawford made a happy little party and he had been enjoying the days since they left Teng. Would probably stay again with the Morsheads in Darjeeling. The last news they had of him was rather better and Longstaff thought all his toes and the fingers on his left hand would be saved.

He was sitting in the last sun which was shining brilliantly on the Dzong, a glorious sight from the lovely green meadows where their tents were pitched. The men with whom they were arranging their transport for the next day had just arrived.

[Letter continues later] - Had a terrible argument with the Tibetans as they didn't want to go their way. But he thought they would give in. Their dinner was delayed as their cook was also their interpreter.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Rongbuk Base Camp’

Brief Summary
Change of plans. He and Somervell to go to No. 3 Camp. Longstaff ill.

Detailed Summary
Was distressed to hear she was ill and hopes she’ll be able to take a planned trip to Wales.

The Tibetan porters had suddenly deserted and so the whole problem of fixing the camp was altered. General Bruce’s new plan was for Mallory and Somervell to go straight to No. 3 Camp (the one below the North Col) and cut steps up to the col, establish a camp and then get as high up the mountain as they can. He thought this would be a tremendous undertaking at this stage.

Was sending her pages from his diary which would explain some of their plans though not quite up to date. The reconnaissance party had found a good route to No. 3 Camp. This was located about where the 21,000 contour hits the North peak, on good moraines at the corner and only about an hour before the slopes leading up to the col. Strutt, Morshead, and Norton came back yesterday but Longstaff, who wasn’t well spent the night at No. 1 Camp and was due to come down that day on a stretcher. Feared he had strained his heart, and also had some throat trouble.

Is sorry he can’t write a better letter when hers are full of love. Wants to show how much he thinks of her and wants her with him to talk to. Is content that she is at home and he has her and the children to return to which makes a happy background to his life here.
Most of his news is in the diary. Feels Somervell to be his very good friend. Young Bruce was also coming up with them to No. 3 Camp. He had been very fit and cheerful. His tummy was slightly out of order today, has little doubt it will be better. Still hadn’t received any new shoes by the mail.

[Postscript up the side margin] - Asks her to tell his Mother that he had been prevented from dealing with the mail and consequently from writing to her. Asks her to thank Clare and Berry for their letters.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from No. II Camp, Everest

Full Transcript

My dearest girl,

It was a great joy last night to get a letter from you dated March 22 – you may imagine how short of news I have been. I was particularly glad to learn that you have practically completed the sale of the Holt – I have been so much afraid that you would have anxiety about that. I also had delightful letters from Clare and Beridge – how Clare is growing up! I was much touched by B’s interest in my ship and much interested by her weeping over the story of Joseph – that doesn’t surprise me about her at all. Curiously enough I was wondering only a day or two back how much of O.T. [Old Testament] stories they were hearing and in particular whether they knew the story of Joseph’s dream.

Now I must give you a brief record of the days that have passed since leaving the B.C. It has been a very trying time with everything against us. The porters have seemed from the start short of acclimatisation and up against it.

May 3 Irvine, Odell, Hazard and self to Camp I

Half the porters lagged badly. Having added a good deal of stuff on their own account to what we had given them to carry they had big loads. I decided to leave 5 loads not urgently required at I and have five men to carry all the porters blankets etc.

May 4 The N.C.O. (Ghurkha) at I was very incompetent in getting these things distributed. However the result was good and the men must have gone well. Irvine and I had gone on ahead and reached II at about 12.30; we had hardly finished a leisurely tiffin when the first porters arrived. Camp II looked extraordinarily uninviting although already inhabited by an N.C.O. and 2 others in charge of the stores (150 loads or so) which had already been carried up by Tibetans. A low irregular wall surrounded a rough compound, which I was informed was the place for the sahibs tents, and another already covered by the fly of a Whymper tent was the home of the N.C.O. The sahibs compound was soon put sufficiently in order, two Whymper tents were pitched there for the four of us while a wonderful brown tent of Noel’s was pitched for him. No tents were provided here for porters the intention was to build comfortable huts or ‘sangars’ as we call them using the Whymper fly’s for roof, but no sangars had yet been built and accomodation for 23 men is not so easily provided in this way. However I soon saw that the ground would allow us to economise walls & Irvine and I with 3 or 4 men began building oblong sangar, the breadth only about 7ft; other men joined in after resting. It is an extraordinary thing to watch the conversion of men from listlessness to some spirit of enterprise; a very little thing will turn the scale; on this occasion the moving of a huge stone to form one corner started the men’s interest and later we sang! And so these rather tired children were persuaded to do something for their comfort – without persuasion they would have done nothing to make life tolerable. Towards 3.0 pm Odell and I (Irvine seemed tired after prodigious building efforts) went on to reconnoitre next day’s march over the glacier. We began by going along the stones of the true left bank, the way of 1922, but the going was very bad, much more broken than before. To our left on the glacier we could see the stones of a moraine appearing among the great ice pinnacles. We gained this by some amusing climbing retraced our steps a little way along it towards Camp II and then on the far side reached a hump from which the whole glacier could be seen rising to the south; from a point quite near us it was obvious that there could be no serious obstacle and that point we saw could be gained in a simple way: it only remained therefore to make a good connection with Camp II. We followed easily down the moraine, which is a stony trough between high fantastic ice pinnacles and a beautiful place and just as were nearing camp found a simple way through the pinnacles – so in an hour and a half the first and most difficult part of the way from II to III had been established.

4th to 5th An appalling night, very cold, considerable snow fall and a violent wind.

5th Result – signs of life in camp – the first audible ones in camps up to and including II are the blowing of a yak dung fire with Tibetan bellows – on the 5th these signs were very late.

The men too were an extraordinarily long time getting their food this morning. The N.C.O. seemed unable to get a move on and generally speaking an oriental inertia was in the air. It was with difficulty in fact that the men could be got out of their tents and then we had further difficulty about loads; one man, a regular old soldier, having possessed himself of a conveniently light load refused to take a heavier one which I wanted taken instead; I had to make a great show of threatening him with my fist in his face before he would comply and so with much argument about it and about, as to what should be left behind as to coolie rations and blankets and cooking pots and the degree of illness of 3 reporting sick we didn’t get fairly under way until 11 am. Now making a new track is always a long affair compared with following an old one – and on this occasion snow had fallen in the night. The glacier which had looked innocent enough the evening before was far from innocent now. The wind had blown the higher surfaces clear, the days I suppose had been too cold for melting and these surfaces were hard, smooth, rounded ice, almost as hard as glass and with never a trace of roughness, and between the projecting humps lay the new powdery snow. The result of these conditions was much expenditure of labour either in making steps in the snow or cutting them in ice and we reached a place known as the trough – a broad broken trough in the ice 50 ft deep about 1/3 of the way up knowing we should have all we could do to reach Camp III. Accordingly we roped up all the men in 3 parties; this of course was a mere device to get the men along as there isn’t a crevasse in the glacier until rounding the corner to III. We followed along in the trough for some way a lovely warm place, and then came out of it onto the open glacier where the wind was blowing up the snow maliciously. The wind luckily was at our backs until we rounded the corner of the North Peak – and then we caught it, blowing straight at us from the North Col. As the porters were now nearly exhausted and feeling the altitude badly our progress was a bitter experience. I was acting as lone horse finding the best way and consequently arrived first in camp. It was a queer sensation reviving memories of that scene, with the dud oxygen cylinders piled against the cairn which was built to commemorate the seven porters killed two years ago. The whole place had changed less than I could have believed possible, seeing that the glacier is everywhere beneath the stones. My boots were frozen hard on my feet and I knew we could to do nothing now to make a comfortable camp. I showed the porters where to pitch their tents at 6.0 pm; got hold of a rucksack containing 4 china cookers, dished out 3 and meta for their cooking to the porters and 1 to our own cook: then we pitched our own two Meade tents with doors facing about a yard apart for sociability. The porters seemed to me very much done up and considering how cold it was even at 6.0 am I was a good deal depressed by the situation. Personally I got warm easily enough; our wonderful Kami produced some sort of a hot meal and I lay comfortably in my sleeping bag. The one thing I could think of for the porters was the high altitude sleeping sacks (intended for IV and upwards) now at II and which I had not ordered to come on next day with the second party of porters (two parties A and B each of 20 had been formed for these purposes and B were a day behind us). The only plan was to make an early start next morning and get to II in time to forestall the departure of B party, I remember making this resolve in the middle of the night and getting up to pull my boots inside the tent from under the door; I put them inside the outer covering of my fleabag and near the middle of my body - but of course they remained frozen hard and I had a tussle to get them on in the morning. Luckily the sun strikes our tents early – 6.30 a.m. or little later at III and I was able to get off about 7.0. I left directions that half the men or as many less as possible should come ¼ of the way down and meet the men coming up so as to get the most important loads to III. I guessed that B party after a cold night would not start before 9.0 am and as I was anxious to find, if possible, a better way over the glacier I wasted some time in investigations and made an unsatisfactory new route, so that it was after 8.30 when I emerged from the trough; and a little further on I saw B party coming up. It was too late to turn them back. I found that they had some of them resolved that they would not be able to go to III and get back to II the same day and consequently increased their loads with blankets etc determining to sleep at III. This was the last thing I wanted. My chief idea at the moment was to get useful work out of B party without risking their morale or condition as I saw we were risking that of A. So after despatching a note to Noel at II I conducted B party slowly up the glacier. After making a convenient dump and sending down B party I got back to Camp III early afternoon, some what done and going very slowly at the last from want of food. In camp nothing doing. All porters said to be sick and none fit to carry a load. Irvine and Odell volunteered to go down to the dump and get up one or two things specially wanted – e.g. Primus stoves, which was done. The sun had left the camp sometime before they returned. A very little wall building was done this day notably round the N.C.O.’s tent otherwise nothing to improve matters. The temperature at p.m. (we hadn’t thermometers the previous night) was observed to be 2° F – 30 ° of frost an hour before sunset –; under these conditions it is only during the sunny windless hours that anything to speak of can be done; this day there were such hours but I gathered that sahibs as well as porters were suffering from altitude lassitude.

May 7 The night had been very cold -21 ½ ° i.e. 53 °of frost. Personally I had slept beautifully warmly and yet was not well in the morning. Odell and Irvine also seemed distinctly unfit. I decided to send Hazard down with some of A party to meet at the dump and bring up 10 of B (it had been arranged that this party were to come up again). Investigations again showed that no porters were fit to carry loads; several were too unwell to be kept up at III; not one had a spark of energy or seemed inclined to do a hand’s turn to help himself – the only live man in camp was our admirable Kami. I decided to send down the whole lot and to send up B next day to establish the camp and prove it habitable. While Hazard went off to meet B I collected the men at III. They had to be more or less pulled from their tents; an hour and a half must have been taken up in their getting a meal of tea and tsamfa which they must clearly have before going down; & much time too in digging out the sicker men who tried to hide away in their tents – one of them who was absolutely without a spark of life to help himself had swollen feet and we had to pull on his boots with our socks; he was almost incapable of walking; I supported him with my arm for some distance and then told off a porter to do that; eventually roped in three parties in charge of the N.C.O. I sent them off by themselves from the dump - where shortly afterwards I met Hazard. Four men of B had gone on to III but not to sleep. Three others whom we now proceeded to rope up and help with their loads alone consented to stay there.

A second day therefore passed with only 7 more loads got to III & nothing done to establish the camp in a more comfortable manner, unless it may be counted that this third night the six men would each have a high altitude sleeping bag: and meanwhile the morale of A partly had gone to blazes. It was clear to me that the morale of porters altogether must be restored if possible at once by bringing B partly up and giving them a day’s rest to make camp.

May 8. I made another early start and reached II at 9.0 am – and here met Norton and Somervill. By some mental aberration I had thought they would only reach II on this day – they had proceeded according to programme and come to II on the 7th. We discussed plans largely while I ate breakfast, in the mild, sheltered, sunny al fresco of II (by comparison). N. agreed with my ideas and we despatched all remaining B party to III with Somervell, to pick up their loads at the dump and carry them on. A had been filled up the previous night with hot food and were now lying in the sun looking more like men; the only question was whether in future to re establish the correct standard and make them carry all the way to III and back as was always done in 1922; I was strongly opposed to this idea, the best way of re establishing their morale I thought would be to give them a job well within their powers and if they improved as I hoped they might well carry loads the ¾ journey to the dump on 3 successive days - while B could ferry the last quarter once and twice on the two of the days when they would not be engaged in making camps: - this was agreed to more particularly by Geoffrey Bruce, who really runs the porters altogether, and who had now come up from I.

A day of great relief this with the responsibility shared or handed over; and much lying in the sun; and untroubled sleep at II.

May 9 I intended going ahead of the party to see how things were moving at III – for this day the camp was to be made wonderful. Seven men with special loads, fresh heroes from the Base were to go through to III the A men to return from the dump to II. As it turned out I escorted the first batch who were going through to III. The conditions when we emerged from the trough were anything but pleasant; under a grey sky the violent wind was blowing up the snow; at moments the black dots below me on the glacier all except the nearest were completely lost to view. The men were much inclined to put down their loads before reaching the dump and a good deal of driving had to be done. Eventually after waiting some time at the dump I joined Norton and Geoff and we escorted the last 3 loads for III the last bit of the way.

On such a day I didn’t expect III to be more congenial than it had been. However it was something to be greeted by the cheery noise of the Roarer Cooker; the R.C. is one of the great inventions of the expedition; we have two in point of fact one with a vertical and one with a horizontal flame – a sort of super Primus stove. Irvine and Odell had evidently been doing some useful work. It had been a triumph getting the R.C. to Camp III – it is an extravagant load weighing over 40lbs and it now proved to be even more extravagant of fuel than had been anticipated; moreover its burning was somewhat intermittent and as the cook even after instruction was still both frightened and incompetent when this formidable stove was not functioning quite sweetly and well a sahib had often to be called in to help. Nevertheless the R.C. succeeded in cooking food for the troops and however costly in paraffin oil that meal may have been it made the one great difference between Camp III as A party experienced it and Camp III now. Otherwise on this day set apart for the edification & beautification of this camp the single thing that had been done was the erection of one Mead tent to accommodate 2 more sahibs (only 2 more because Hazard came down this day). And no blame to anyone. B party was much as A party had been - in a state of oriental inertia; it is unfair perhaps to our porters to class then with Orientals in general, but they have this oriental quality that after a certain stage of physical discomfort or mental depression is reached they simply curl up. Our porters were just curled up inside their tents. And it must be admitted that the sahibs were most of the time in their tents no other place being tolerable. Personally I felt that the task of going round tents and seeing how the men were getting on and giving orders about the arrangements of the camp now naturally fell to Geoffrey Bruce, whose ‘pigeon’ it is to deal with porters. And so, presently, in my old place, with Somervell now as a companion instead of Hazard. I made myself comfortable; - i.e. I took off my boots and knickers, put on my footless stockings knitted for me by my wife for last expedition and covering the whole of my legs, a pair of grey flannel bags & 2 pairs of warm socks besides my cloth sided shoes & certain garments too for warming the upper parts, a comparatively simple matter. The final resort in these conditions of course is to put ones legs into a sleeping bag. Howard and I lay warmly enough and presently I proposed a game of picquette and we played cards for sometime until Norton & Geoff came to pay us a visit and discuss the situation. Someone a little later lied backer the flaps of the two tents facing each other so that after N & G had retired to their tent the other four of us began were inhabiting as it were one room and hopefully talked of the genius of Kami and the Roarer Cooker and supposed that a hot evening meal might sometime come our way. Meanwhile I produced The Spirit of Man and began reading one things and another – Howard reminded me that I was reproducing on the same spot a scene which occurred two years ago when he and I lay in a tent together. We all agreed that Kubla Khan was a good sort of poem. Irvine was rather poetry shy but seemed to be favourably impressed by the Epitaph to Grey’s Elegy. Odell was much inclined to be interested and liked the last lines of Prometheus Unbound. S, who knows quite a lot of English Literature had never read a poem of Emily Bronte’s and was happily introduced. And suddenly hot soup arrived.

The following night was one of the most disagreeable I remember. The wind came in tremendous gusts and in spite of precautions to keep it out the fresh snow drifted in; if one’s head was not under the bed clothes one’s face was cooled by the fine cold powder and [May 10 written in margin] in the morning I found about 2 ins of snow all along my side of the tent. It was impossible to guess how much snow had fallen during the night when first one looked out. The only certain thing was the vile appearance of thing’s at present. In a calm interval one could take stock of a camp now covered in snow - and then would come the violent wind and all would be covered in the spindrift. Presently Norton and Geoff came into our tent for a pow pow. G. speaking from the porters’ point of view was in favour of beating a retreat. We were all agreed that we must not risk destroying the morale of the porters and also that for two or three days no progress could be made towards the North Col. But it seemed to me that in a normal course of events the weather should now re-establish itself and might even be sufficiently calm to get something done this afternoon; and that for the porters the best thing of all would be to weather the storm up at III. In any case it would be early enough to decide for a retreat next day. These arguments commended themselves to Norton; and so it was agreed. Meanwhile one of the most serious features of the situation was the consumption of fuel. A box of meta and none could say how much paraffin (not much however) had been burnt at II; here at III no water had yet appeared and snow must be melted for everyone at every meal – a box of Meta had been consumed here too and Primus stoves had been used before Roarer had made its appearance yesterday. Goodness knew how much oil it had used. It was clear that the first economy must be in the number (6) of sahibs at III. We planned that Somervill, Norton and Odell should have the first whack at the North Col and Irvine and I finish the good work next day – Irvine and I therefore must go down first. On the way down Irvine suffered very much and I somewhat for the complaint known as glacier lassitude – mysterious complaint, but I’m pretty certain that in his case the sun and the dazzling light reflected from the new snow had something to do with the trouble.

A peaceful time at II with Beetham and Noel.

May 11. The weather hazy and unsettled looking.

I despatched 15 loads up to the dump and arranged for the evacuation of two sick men – of whom one had very badly frost bitten feet apparently a Lepcha unfit for this game and the other was Sangha, Kellas’s old servant who has been attached to Noel this expedition and last, a most valuable man who seemed extremely ill with bronchitis. The parties had been gone half an hour before we were aroused by a shout and learnt that a porter had broken his leg on the glacier. We quickly gathered ourselves into a competent help party and had barely started out when a man turned up bearing a note from Norton – to tell me as I half expected that he had decided to evacuate III for the present and retire all ranks to the B.C.

The wounded man turned out to be nearer at hand and not so badly wounded (a bone broken in the region of the knee) as I had feared.

This same evening Beetham, Noel, Irvine, and I were back at the B.C., the rest coming in next day.

Well, that’s the bare story of the reverse, so far as it goes. I’m convinced Norton has been perfectly right. We pushed things far enough. Everything depends on the porters and we must contrive to bring them to the starting point – i.e. 3 at the top of their form. I expect we were working all the time in ‘22 with a smaller margin than we knew - it certainly amazed me that the whole ‘bandobast’ so far as porters were concerned worked so smoothly. Anyway this time the conditions at III were much more severe and not only were temperatures lower, but wind was more continuous and more violent. I expect these porters will do as well in the end as last time’s. Personally I felt as though I were going through a real hard time in a way I never did in ’22. Meanwhile our retreat has meant a big waste of time. We have waited down here for the weather & at last it looks more settled and we are on the point of starting up again. But the day for the summit is put off from the 17th to the 28th; and the great question is will the monsoon give us time?

May 16. That is all very impersonal but I wanted to get the story down. You’ll be glad to hear that I came through the bad time unscathed indeed, excellently fit. I must tell you that with immense physical pride I look upon myself as the strongest of the lot the most likely to get to the top with or without gas. I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure Norton thinks the same. He and I were agreeing yesterday that none of the new members, with the possible exception of Irvine can touch the veterans and that the old gang are bearing everything on their shoulders and will continue to do so forcement. The performance of Odell and Hazard on the day they were supposed to reconnoitre the North Col was certainly disappointing. And Beetham has not recovered his form. None of these three has shown that he has any real guts; it is an effort to pull oneself together and do what is required high up, but it is the power to keep the show going when you don’t feel energetic that will enable us to win through if anything does. Irvine has much more of the winning spirit - he has been wonderfully hard working and brilliantly skilful about the oxygen; against him is his youth (though it is very much for him some ways) – hard things seem to hit him a bit harder – and his lack of mountaineering training and practice, which must tells to some extent when it comes to climbing rocks or even to saving energy on the easiest ground. However he’ll be an ideal campaigning companion and with as stout a heart as you could wish to find; - if each of us keeps up his strength as it is at present we should go well together.

Somervell seems to me a bit below his form of two years ago and Norton is not particularly strong I fancy, at the moment; still they’re sure to turn up a pretty tough pair. I hope to carry all through now with a great bound now. We have learnt from experience and will be well organised at the camps. Howard and I will be making the way to Chang La again – 4 days hence and eight days later – who can tell? Perhaps we shall go to the top on Ascension Day May 29.

I don’t forget meanwhile that there’s the old monsoon to be reckoned with, and a hundred possible slips between the B.C. and the summit. I feel strong for the battle but I know every ounce of strength will be wanted.

I must get off a little letter to each of the girls by this mail. I wish I had time to present to your mind a few of the amazing scenes connected with this story. As it is it is dull I fear – but perhaps not to you. My love to people in Cambridge, David and Claud and Jim especially and kind remembrances to Cranage and Mrs Cr. I wonder what you’ll be doing about putting people up during the Summer Meeting.

Great love to you always, dearest Ruth. Your loving George

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Kampa Dzong

Full Transcript

My dearest one,

As I sit in my tent writing I have at my side a pot of grease into which I occasionally dip a finger & then rub a little onto the sorer parts of my face. The wind & sun between them have fairly caught us all these last three days. Norton says that he was accused by his people after the last expedition of having acquired a permanent dint in his nose & he is determined to prevent the same thing happening again – but how to do it? Personally I limit my desire in that direction to keeping my nose the same size as usual; I don’t like to feel it swollen with sunburn. Somervell who started with a complexion tanned by the Indian suns, is now exactly the colour of a chestnut, and, as he greases freely, no less shiny. Beetham so far has the best beard, but then he had a start as he didn’t shave after Kalimpong & I’m inclined to back Geoffrey Bruce against him in the long run, as his will be blacker. The face with greatest number of flaky excrescences and cervasses is undoubtedly that of Hazard, & the underlying colour in his case is vermilion.

In my last letter I told you how well I was. But I have not been altogether well since then – something wrong with my tummy – a slight colitis or something of the kind. Consequently I have felt very feeble & as I am strictly dieted have little to sustain me beyond biscuits & jam. We shall have two clear days here and I shall have time to get better, & in fact I am already much better & haven’t the least doubt I shall be perfectly strong again when we are on the move once more.

Though we have almost exactly followed our tracks of 1922 from Phari to Kampa, it has been a very different journey – not only different companions & incidents, but a rather different Tibet. The second march from Phari landed us ½ a mile beyond the Blizzard Camp of ’22; we had no blizzard this time but neither had we the bright high lights of Tibet. Chomulhari, a mountain which impresses one more each time one sees it, was veiled at first in thin grey mist & then apparently caught it properly from the North; we were continually threatened at the other side of the great Tuna Plain & had a nasty wind in our faces, but escaped worse. I can’t tell you how much I am interested by the weather – it’s so difficult to make out what causes it or what the signs may mean or how it is to be compared with what we experienced in ’21 & ’22. This day I’m talking of was more like a day during the monsoon; in the evening smoky grey clouds were clinging to the hillsides as though the air were laden with moisture; & yet all the weather reports from India have shown a deficiency of moisture in Bengal. One of the novelties this year is our mess tent, Norton’s special child. It goes on in advance on a mule so as to be ready for us when we arrive – at least that is the idea; on the night I’m speaking of some of us were the first to arrive in camp & set to work pitching our ample green marquee. The first procedure is to lay down a string in the chosen spot marking the perimeter of the pegs; a placed is marked on this string against which each peg has to be driven in – driving pegs into stony ground at these altitudes makes one puff; the floor a large sheet of green canvas is placed in the correct position with the line of pegs & upon this the tent is hoisted. I must say it is a great success. It has perpendicular sides about 4 ft high below the slant of the roof & consequently there is ample headroom. The floor dimensions I should guess at 18’ x 9’. The mess waiters have plenty of room to pass behind us. The tables which are none of your gim-crack canvas-topped X pattern or other, but pukka wooden tables, with three-ply wooden tops & screw in legs, are 2’ 6” square made to fold into half that size & are arranged in series down the middle of the tent - & then cunningest device of all, there is a piece to go round the pole in the centre & fitting on to two half tables so that no gap is left. We have no tablecloths, as it was thought that our tables duly wiped would prove a cleaner way.

On the night of the second march from Phari (i.e. April 8) having pitched our tent we lay about in it waiting the arrival of (1) the cooks (2) the yaks. The former whose business it is to go on ahead & have a meal ready if possible or as soon as may be had lost themselves on this occasion. The yaks are in very poor condition & go even slower than I remember; the men with them (about 300 beasts) were too few so that loading up was very slow (2 to 3 hrs) in the morning, & one could hardly expect the bulk of the animals at the end of a long march before nightfall. So there we sat or rather lay out of the wind in our green tent chatting – chaffing until gradually one by one nearly everyone had a snooze; & as they lay there snoozing with faces rendered ghastly by the green light they looked like a collection of corpses.

The night of the 8th was decidedly chilly, the wind got up from an unexpected direction & blew violently into our tents; the minimum temperature was 4°. I should have told you however that before we turned in we were cheered by a clear view of Chomulhari. The point of Chomulhari is the way it dominates the plain. The view of it from Dochen reproduced in The Reconnaissance gives you some idea of what I mean; but coming across this way to Kampa Dzong we don’t go so far north & the further you go from the mountain the more its great wall of rock presents itself as the barrier of the world in which you are. Goodbye to Chomlhari – I should like to have a whack at him one of these days.

The march of the 9th corresponded with that of 1922 except that we stopped about 4 miles short of our last time’s camp; but it was a bitter journey; the wind blew in our faces all day often very strongly & terribly cold, & the sky was white or overcast & the sun had no warmth. And I had a bad tummy; I walked almost the whole way to keep warm; & it was very tiring work under those conditions. We camped in a good spot looking up nullah to Pau Hunri. The wind died down in the evening; the stars were bright & the temperature fell to 2° below zero. Beetham was up 15 times in the night.

The 10th was supposed to be a short march & a comparatively short day. The yak men had had enough of it on the previous day & consequently we made a very late start 10.45 I think. It was supposed that if we didn’t stop in last time’s camp 4 or 5 miles further on we should be able to stop 3 miles further on again. However no water was met with for another 10 miles. We went on & on over the wide plain sloping upwards; in the distance at last we saw a little cloud of smoke & a little later some flash of bright green near it – the smoke was from our cook’s fire & the green spot was our mess tent, which we reached towards sundown; & then turning to look back towards the east I saw the black battalions of yaks still a long way off & beyond them in the distance once more across the plain, nearly 40 miles away the great wall of Chomolhari, appearing as though the spurs of Pau Hunri which we had crossed with so much labour had no existence.

A beautiful camp this one with a velvet sided hill to the south of us & to the north a long line of hills near at hand, while the sunny side of Chomiomo appeared through a gap; & a good night not so cold.

On the 11th to Kampa; a pleasant & easy march with much looking at snow mountains, Chomiomo and Kanchenjunga principally. Everest was not clear as we came down to Kampa though we could make out where it was.

April 14. Yesterday we had the news that the General is not coming on. The possibility had been in the back of our minds since Yatung. We are all very sorry for him naturally. It is difficult to size up in a moment how much difference his absence will make. I don’t think the difficulties of travelling through Tibet will be considerably increased. The General’s influence with the porters must go for something; but Norton thinks that Geoffrey Bruce with his more direct contact with a personal knowledge of them counts for more. I expect myself the porters will work as well this year as in 1922. Still we’ve lost a force, & we shall miss him in the mess, and also his absence from the Base Camp will be inconvenient.

Meanwhile Norton takes command & we couldn’t have a better commander, he will do it much better than I could have done had I been in his place if only because he can talk the lingo freely. He has appointed me second in command in his place & also leader of the climbers altogether. I’m bound to say I feel some little satisfaction in the latter position.

I’ve been very busy these last two days formulating a plan of attack to be discussed as a commentary on Norton’s plan & we have just been having a general pow wow about the two schemes. I don’t know whether I told you anything about this before. Roughly N [Norton] proposes (a) 2 without oxygen establish Camp V at 26,500 & sleep there. Next day they go on & get as near as possible to the summit partly by way of reconnaissance, partly by way of taking the chance if it exists of getting to the top. (b) The day they go on a party of 3 with oxygen come up to V & are there to receive the first 2 & themselves go on next day.

The valuable points in this scheme are (1) that the oxygen party should not this way be let down by their load failing to arrive at V (2) that one attempt supports the other. The weakness & I think fatal weakness is that you spend 2 men making an attempt without the best chances of success, the best chance gasless being with 2 camps above Chang La; from the point of view of making the best possible gasless attempt supposing the 1st gas attempt fails two men have been wasted.

My adaptation therefore supposes;-
(a) Day 1 two with gas establish camp at 26,500. Next morning (1) if they feel strong & it is windless they start for the top.
(2) otherwise they wait & melt snow.
(b) 2 with gas come up to V on the second day. If (1) they support 1st party & if they have failed themselves make an attempt next day. If (2) all 4 go on together next day, in two parties of 2, an ideal mountaineering arrangement.
This leaves 4 men unimpaired for gasless VI camp attempt. Or this last may come first.

We had a very useful & amicable discussion of various points arising from these two plans & hope to get something settled by Tinkye.

Please don’t circulate this exposé of plans though of course you may tell climbing friends in confidence.

We are on the eve of resuming our march. The worst news is about Beetham who has not yet properly recovered from dysentery & is a very weak man. It is not yet decided whether we shall send him down to Lachen tomorrow. If he comes on & gets bad & Somervell (in the absence of Hingston with Bruce) has to take him back we shall have lost two of the best & be left without a medical officer, a very serious position. B [Beetham] is just on the turn; but even if he is going to get better up here it might pay better to send him down at once with a fair prospect of his rejoining us at the B. C. [Base Camp] about May 8 to 10.

This letter is full of news & very impersonal. Now about myself. I was able to feel definitely this morning that my trouble has passed. The tenderness in my gut is no longer sensitive, like an old bruise rather. I feel strong & full of energy & myself & I haven’t the least doubt I shall remain fit. I shall take every care to do so.

The warm pleasant days here have done us all good.

I’m happy & find myself harbouring thoughts of love & sympathy for my companions. With Norton of course I shall work in complete harmony; he is really one of the best. I read little what with Hindustani words & Sherpa names to learn, but I have occasional hours with Keats’ letters or the Spirit of Man which give perhaps more pleasure here than at home.

I have had no mail since I last wrote. If the English mail had been sent off as soon as it reached Phari we should have received it b now; but the arrangement is for the runner to come through & return so as to fit the out mail to England (a very bad arrangement on the surface) & consequently we shan’t get our letters before we get to Tinkye.

I’ve written to no-one but you this time. Please so what you can – at all events write to my people.

Dearest I wanted you very much to comfort me when I wasn’t well & I want you very much now to be happy with (not that I have been depressed).

Many many kisses to you & the children.
Ever your loving,
George

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Camp III’.

Brief Summary
Description of his and Somervell's recconnaisance to find a route from the North Col to Everest.

Detailed Summary
It was 7.30 am on a bright and almost windless morning and he was sitting on a box outside of the tent awaiting breakfast - tea had just come. Still freezing in the shade but the sun was trying to be warm. Explains why he was up so early and that they had eaten their evening meal early for the sake of their cook, and had been lying in the tent ever since. He and Somervell had slept well.

He had The Spirit of Man, a volume of Shakespeare and a pack of cards so there was no real difficulty about passing the time agreeably. He had found Will’s pamphlet from last mail in his pocket. Gives his thoughts on it.

On 10th they left Base Camp and slept at Camp I and on the two succeeding days came on to Camp III quite easily. Most of the porters were to go straight back to No. 1 Camp, rest for a day, and then bring up more loads again. They were expected that day. Two porters and a cook had remained with them. First objective was to establish a route to the North Col. Did this on 13th which was an interesting day. Problem was to get up without cutting lots of steps in hard ice. All the lower part of last year’s route was ice. Hard work to make a staircase and that route would have been unsatisfactory for porters as most were untrained. Instead they chose a route to the left, straight up to the point where they had to cross a very steep snow slope. Was very hard work with a lot of chipping and kicking of steps. One porter came with them (the other was sick). Took ice pegs and rope and the porter carried a Mummery tent, which was the first tent to reach the North Col. Almost midday when they reached the snow shelves below the edge. Wind was blowing up the snow and the great broken cubes of ice above them were wonderfully impressive. He and Somervell proceeded along the shelf intending to reach the lowest point of the col and look over the other side, just as he, Bullock, and Wheeler had last September.

They were roped together and afraid of the wind. Their way was blocked by a crevasse just too wide to jump. The main edge joining Everest to the North Peak was on the other side of this gap not more than 10 ft wide. There seemed to be a way to the left but a few moments later they were up against an obstacle not to be climbed without a ladder and there was no alternative. Faced the prospect of a longer job than anticipated they. They ate four sweet biscuits and some mint cake. Saw a gap where a steep ice slope came down from the North Peak. Continued along the shelf in that direction, turned the flank of an ice gendarme and were able to work up steep snow to the ridge and look out over the westward view. Everest was still to be traversed. The true North Col up on which the N. Arete of Everest springs up was at the south end of that ridge. The slopes on the west side were fearfully precipitous and they had to expect broken ground. They had to leap two crevasses in the first 50 yards. Then found it easy going and reached a minor snow summit. The view to the west was opening out and they sat down to look at it and for a time they completely forgot their quest. Started again and saw a clear way ahead, so they can get to Everest by way of the North Col. The distance of Chang La [North Col] from this camp was not as great as it appeared on the map or on a photo taken from Lhakpa La [high mountain pass] last year. The only trouble was the labour of getting up to the pass but this would be easier now the steps were prepared. They were back in camp about 5.30 pm, each with a bad height headache and too tired to eat a meal.

The porters arrived that day with Crawford, hopefully with enough rations to allow a party of them (8 to 12) to stay there. If so they planned to take a first lot of loads up to Chang La [North Col] tomorrow 16th. Rest on 17th, to Chang La [North Col] with 8 porters, and sleep there 19th, to the highest point we can get loads, say 25,000, with 3 or 4 loads on the 19th, porters returning here, others sleeping again at Chang La [North Col], and then on 20th or 21st up to their highest camp and on next day.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Tinkye Dzong

Full transcript

Darling Ruth,

This is only a hurried line at the end of a full day - to tell you (1) that my tummy is in perfect order again, & I feel as fit as possible. It was a funny go altogether & quite inexplicable. Naturally there was a small appendicitis scare as the tenderness was on the right side, but Somervell was practically sure from the start that I was free from that.

(2) Beetham came on with us. It was Somervell’s decision on the very morning of leaving Kampa Dzong – that is to say S [Somervell] had to decide that B [Beetham] would get better; & no doubt he is right. But it is one thing to have no more dysentry & another to get really fit again after all that when living at this altitude. At present B [Beetham] looks years older in much the same way as Raeburn did in ’21, only at a younger stage & has quite lost all kick & there was no one more energetic earier. Still he may be a useful reserve climber in the end.

(3) I’ve had a brain wave – no other word will describe the process by which I arrived at another plan for climbing the mountains;-
(a) A. & B. with 15 porters (about) starting from IV (North Col) establish V building emplacements for 4 tents at about 25,500 & descend.
(b) C. & D. gassless party go to V with another 15 porters of whom 7 carry loads & descend, the other 8 group without loads practically speaking & sleep.
(c) C. & D. proceed to establish a camp VII at 27,300 (about) with these 8 porters carrying up 6 loads.
(d) E. & F. gas party on the same day as (c) start wthh 10 porters (about) from IV, go without loads to V & from that point E. & F. using oxygen they take on the stores & gas previously dumped at V about 1,000ft higher to VI at 26,500.
(e) Then the two parties start next morning & presumably meet on the summit.

You will readily perceive the chief merits of this plan; - the mutual support which the two parties can give each other; the establishment of camps without waste of reserve climbers (A. & B. will not have done so much that they can’t recover); the much better chance this way of establishing VI without collapse of porters. And then if this go fails we shall be in the best possible position to decide how the next attempt should be made; four climbers we hope will be available & the camps either way will be all ready.

This plan has such great advantages over all others that Norton has taken it up at once & this evening we had another pow wow & everyone has cordially approved. I’m much pleased about this as you may imagine - if only for this it seems worth while to have come; for Norton’s plan was fundamentally unsound I’m sure & might have had very bad results; & in this one there is much greater safety. It is impossible yet to say who the parties will be. N [Norton] & I have talked about it; he thinks Somervell & I should lead each one of these two parties; he puts himself in my hands as to whether he should be one of them – isn’t that generous? We shall have to judge as best we can of people’s fitness when we reach the Base Camp. Odell has not been showing up well; but either he or Irvine must be of the gas party.

We have stayed one day here for transport, as against 3 last year when Longstaff was ill; & we hope only to stay one day at Shekar, & so we should be two or three days up at the Base Camp.

No mail yet – one should have arrived today.
Much love to you.

Ever your loving, George

I didn’t tell you that I bought a pony at Kampa Dzong, a very good animal, though too thin.

Letter to Ruth Mallory from Camp 3.

Full Transcript

I write to you on the eve of our departure for the highest we can reach - just because I shall feel happier in case of difficulties to think that I have sent you a message of love. The difficulties will be such as we know in all human probability; our endurance and will to go on taking precautions are less known factors - but with such good people as these are I feel sure that we shall all be anxious to help each other and that after all, provided competent mountaineers is the great safeguard.

I have very good hopes with the coolies fit and cheerful that we shall establish a camp well above Chang La [North Col] the day after to-morrow- you realise I except that Norton and Morshead who came up the day I wrote to you last have joined S. [Somervell] and me, the four of us will be sleeping at the North Col to-morrow night and we hope about 25,000 the following night – and then!

I can’t say that I feel stronger for the days here (since the 12th) or weaker either for that matter. S [Somervell] says he went better up to Chang La [North Col] yesterday than on the 13th. Well it’s all on the knees of the gods and they are bare cold knees. We shan’t get to the top; if we reach the shoulder at 27400 it will be better than anyone here expects.

Dearest one, you must know that the spur to do my best is you and you again - in moments of depression or lack of confidence or overwhelming fatigue I want more than anything to prove worthy of you. All my love to you. Many kisses to Clare and Beridge, and John. Ever Your loving, George.

Letter from to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Tinkeye Dzong’.

Brief Summary
Delayed because Longstaff had been unwell. Photographed Gyanka mountains with Morshead and Somervell but it was cloudy. Finch gave oxygen demonstrations. Details of evening routine. No thought had been put into how they were to carry oxygen cylinders up and down. Outlined their plans for camps when they reached Everest.

Detailed Summary
Wonders what she is climbing with their good friends at Pen y Pass and is annoyed that he won’t know for a long time due to the time it takes for the mail to reach them.

Their journey had passed happily enough in warmer weather but they had to stay a second day because Longstaff was unwell. Thought Longstaff was ‘alarmingly frail’ but looked better today. He liked Longstaff very much but he didn’t have the physique for this job although he did carry it all through with his tremendous spirit.

The repetition of aesthetic experiences was not very stimulating. The march in sun and wind and the camp had a somnolent effect and he felt too much like an animal. However these two days had been full enough.

He had gone on a little expedition with Morshead and Somervell to photograph the Gyanka mountains but the clouds had spoilt the plan which was a disappointment and after the previous four days which had been marvellously clear (could distinguish details on Everest with the naked eye from Kampa Dzong over 100 miles away). He put on an amusing show when teaching the porters how to use the rope by tumbling down a little slope and pretending to fall into crevasses. He walked nearly an hour to visit some rocks where they had a strenuous little climb.

Finch gave oxygen demonstrations after tea largely for the benefit of the novices which showed up several weaknesses which had developed in the apparatus which they had used for practice on board the S.S. Caledonia. It could be adjusted but showed how many chances were against its working perfectly.

The evening routine consisted of dinner which was always an early meal (not later than 7pm) and they usually sat talking until 8.30pm when the party began to break up and he was usually in bed by 9pm or soon after. He was trying to learn a little Gurkali - enough to get on in some simple fashion with the porters, a matter which may be of some importance when they come to fix a camp on the North Col.

They talked a lot about the organisation for climbing Everest. General Bruce was under orders to try the oxygen but it was an interesting result of the haste in which the expedition had been equipped that no calculations had been made as to how they were to carry the whole weight of the oxygen cylinders and apparatus (8-900 lbs) up and down. He and Longstaff had been going into the question of organisation as General Bruce wanted to be ready with a plan when they fixed the base near the Rongbuk Glacier. From his past experience Longstaff knew more about this sort of thing than anyone else and he was very glad to find they were in agreement.

Thought it would take a fortnight to establish a camp on the North Col (my mid May) which would leave a month for operations. That sounded good but it would take another fortnight to get the oxygen to the North Col and they would also have to consider the next stage to a camp at about 25,000 ft. Thought the main trouble was a shortage of men to take supplies up to the different camps. They would also be hampered by insufficient tents and sleeping sacks and wouldn’t be able to leave them in the established camps and would have to carry the sleeping sacks at lease up and down. Didn’t want her to pass on this criticism of the equipment as he thought it had been remarkably well done.

Thinks he may have provided details which she would find difficult to follow. He wasn’t pessimistic. He wouldn’t write much more as the ink was trying to freeze. The party was getting on very well but he found Finch rather tiresome as he was always talking about science as practiced in his laboratory or about photography.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Chiblung

Full Transcript

My dearest Ruth,

I don’t know whether you will easily find this place on the map. We have come north from Tinkye, avoiding unpleasant customers at Chushar and Gyanka Nampa & this valley is divided from that in which Rongkon lies by a low range of hills - we are encamped just at the corner of the Chiblung Chu; Sanko Ri & the ridge where Somervell & I climbed in 1922 is our view to the west.

Today – at last – an English mail has reached us. I have had a very nice long letter from you and also a picture of the children enclosed with the photos from my American friend Schwab illustrating his expedition to Mt Clemenceau (did you notice the one of Mt Farrar & Mt Mallory?). I’m very glad to have the children’s picture, but you don’t send one of yourself naughty girl. Nor do you send me any cuttings this mail, nor the Nation which I hoped you would be sending – though really European affairs are so far away & news is so old that I’ve not much enthusiasm about them. Karma Paul who brought our mail also brought news of the General, whom he left in Phari; he must be pretty ill still as he was unable to walk and was to be carried down to Chumbi; Hingston will accompany him to Ganktok & should rejoin us at the B.C. [Base Camp] about the middle of May. Meanwhile Beetham gets on slowly & can’t be said to have got rid of dysentery yet let alone picking up after it - however I think he’s on the mend.

I heard from Mary today with news of the weather in Colombo & it looks as if the earliest breath of the monsoon is a fortnight early! But that doesn’t necessarily mean much. The bad sign is the weather here which is distinctly more unsettled than in ’22 & these last two nights have been unhealthily warm. Today we have been in a regular storm area though no rain or snow has actually fallen here.

April 24 at Shekar Dzong.

I’ve left it rather late to go on with this letter – that is partly because one way or another I have been spending a good many spare moments on the elaboration of our plans. The difficult work of allotting tasks to men has now been done – N [Norton]& I consulted & he made a general announcement after dinner 2 days ago. The question as to which of the first two parties should be led by Somervell & which by me was decided on two grounds (1) on the assumption that the oxygen party would be less exhausted & be in the position of helping the other it seemed best that I should use oxygen & be responsible for the descent (2) it seemed more likely on his last year’s performance that Somervell would recover after a gasless attempt to be useful again later. It was obvious that either Irvine or Odell should come with me in the first gas party. Odell is in charge of the gas, but Irvine has been the engineer at work on the apparatus – what was provided was full of leaks & faults & he has practically invented a new instrument using up only a few of the old parts & cutting out much that was useless & likely to cause trouble; moreover the remaining parties had to be considered and it wouldn’t do to make Irvine the partner of Geoffrey Bruce as they would lack mountaineering experience; & so Irvine will come with me. He will be an extraordinarily stout companion, very capable with the gas & with cooking apparatus; the only doubt is to what extent his lack of mountaineering experience will be a handicap; I hope the ground will be sufficiently easy.

Norton if he is fit enough will go with Somervell or, if he seems clearly a better goer at the moment, Hazard. Beetham is counted out, though he’s getting fitter. Odell & Geoffrey Bruce will have the important task of fixing Camp V at 25,500.

The whole difficulty of fitting people in so that they take a part in the assault according to their desire or ambition is so great that I can’t feel distressed about the part that falls to me. The gasless party has the better adventure, and as it has always been my pet plan to climb the mountain gasless with two camps above the Chang La it is naturally a bit disappointing that I shall be with the other party. Still the conquest of the mountain is the great thing & the whole plan is mine & my part will be a sufficiently interesting one & will give me perhaps the best chance of all of getting to the top. It is almost unthinkable with this plan that I shan’t get to the top; I can’t see myself coming down defeated. And I have very good hopes that the gasless party will get up; I want all 4 of us to get there, & I believe it can be done. We shall be starting by moonlight if the morning is calm & should have the mountain climbed if we’re lucky before the wind is dangerous.

This evening 4 of us have been testing the oxygen apparatus, and comparing the new arrangements with the old. Irvine has managed to save weight, 4 or 5 lbs, besides making a much more certain as well as more convenient instrument. I was glad to find I could easily carry it up the hill even without using the gas, & better of course with it. On steep ground where one has to climb more or less the load is a great handicap & at this elevation a man is better without it. The weight is about 30 lbs, rather less. There is nothing in front of one’s body to hinder climbing & the general impression I have is that it is a perfectly manageable load. My plan will be to carry as little as possible, go fast & rush the summit. Finch & Bruce tried carrying too many cylinders.

I’m still very fit & happy. Tibet is giving us many beautiful moments. With these abnormal weather conditions it is much warmer than in ’22 & the whole journey is more comfortable. It is nice having one’s own poney – mine is a nice beast to ride, but he’s not in good condition, & today has had a nasty attack of colic; however he’ll have a long holiday to come soon & I hope he’ll fatten up & arrive fit & well in Darjeeling were I shall sell him. Only 4 marches, starting tomorrow morning to the Rongbuk monastery! We’re getting very near now. On May 3 four of us will leave the Base Camp & begin the upward trek & on May 17 or thereabouts we should reach the summit. I’m eager for the great event to begin.

Now dearest I must say Good Night to you & turn into my cosy sleeping bag, where I shall have a clean nose sheet tonight, one of the two you made to fix with patent fasteners. Considering how much grease my face requires & gets that device has been very useful.

Great love to you always.

The telegram announcing our success if we succeed will precede this letter I suppose; but it will mention no names. How you will hope that I was one of the conquerors. And I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Ever your loving
George

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, from Hotel Mount Everest, Darjeeling [Letterhead].

Full Transcript

My dearest Ruth,

These have been full days since we came up here on Friday & tomorrow, Wednesday early, we start for Kalimpong - so that our stay has been short enough, & much taken up with packing & arrangements of one sort or another. Norton has got the whole organisation under his hand & we shall economise much time & money by dumping some of our boxes en route: all the stores for the high camps have practically been settled already. He is going to be an ideal 2nd to Bruce.

The party looks very very fit altogether. We had a very hot journey through India. The hot weather apparently came with a rush this year just before we landed & the temperature must have been up to 100 a good part of the time we were in the train, as it was supposed to be 99 in Calcutta; its a grimy dirty business & I was glad to get to the end of our train journeying. I was feeling a bit short of sleep otherwise very fit. The only doubts I have are whether the old ankle one way or another will cause me trouble.

Four of us walked up to Senschal Hill yesterday afternoon to see the magnolias. I was trying my new boots from Dewberry; they are going to be good but my right ankle didn’t feel too happy.

The magnolias were magnificent, a better show than last year - four different sorts white & deep cerise pink & two lighter pinks between - they so look startlingly bright on a dark hillside.

The country here is very dry at present & a haze of heat blown up from the plains hangs about. we haven’t seen the mountains until this morning when Kanchen has very timely made an appearance. Somervell & Odell besides the General, Geoffrey Bruce & Norton etc were here before us; it was very nice to see S. again & Odell is one of the best. Really it is an amazingly nice party altogether; one of the best is Hingston our M.O., an Irishman a quiet little man & a very keen naturalist. The only one I don’t yet know is Shebbeare, who belongs to the Forestry Department & is said to be a particularly nice man; he knows all about trees & shrubs which is a very good thing but nothing about flowers. So that we shall once more be without a real botanist.

We go to Kalimpong all together, as before, tomorrow and then separate in two parties; I shall be with the second, with Norton, Hingston, Irvine & Shebbeare I believe. Noel’s movements are independent; he is more than ever full of stunts; the latest in a Citroen tractor which some hour or another is to come into Tibet a pure ad of course (this may be a secret for the present).

The Everest Committee has now among us all a wonderful reputation for muddle and the latest is that after all they gave us the wrong address & the old one c/o Post Master, Darjeeling is correct. However I shall get your letters addressed to Yatung with little delay.

The English mail should have come in yesterday but the ship was 12 hrs late & we shan’t get it until today & consequently will have precious little time for answering.

I long to get your letter dear though it will only give me 3 days’ news.

How long is it since I left you? It will be four weeks on Friday. By now or very soon you will be leaving Cambridge for a time & won’t feel so lonely. I know you must have been feeling lonely some evenings; but you will have had Frances Wills part of the time & I hope you will have been out or had people to see you sometimes too. I expect the absence of me must make you feel less busy? Have you made a fresh start with china painting?

Dearest one, I often want you with me to enjoy things with & to talk over things & people quietly; and I want to take you in my arms & kiss your dear brown head. Here’s a great holiday time it seems & you not with me. But we’ll have a wonderful holiday together one of these days won’t we?

Later - The English mail has come in & I’ve had a letter from Mother but none from you. My dearest it is very disappointing. I hoped you would catch me at Darjeeling. Perhaps you directed to Yatung in which case I shall get your letter there in 7 days time.
I lunched with Her Excellency (what a title) Lady Lytton & her family today. Lady L. is really very nice but lord how folk can live with aides de camp hanging round! 2 here & presumably 2 more at Calcutta & one civilian one military secretary!

Much love to you dearest one & many kisses to the children.
Ever your loving
George.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Shekkar Dzong’.

Brief Summary
Storm had covered them in dust inside and outside their tents. Describes morning routine. Enjoyed much of the country. Somervell, Norton and Longstaff liked Tibet. Outlines plans for camps at Everest. Delayed so attempted to climb most northerly peak in Gyanka Nampa range. Description of attempt. On return to camp they then had 18 mile march. First view of Everest. Detailed description of a monastery they visited en route.

Detailed Summary
A violent wind had blown fine dust into the tent and everyone and everything was covered with it. Dust was by far the worst of their discomforts at present. This was the second whole day of inactivity but tomorrow they would be marching again and would soon be in the mountain valley where dust wouldn’t blow. Still hadn’t received any mail.

Daily routine - started in crisp sunny air about 7.30am or 8am at the latest. Weather was warmer and the sun very hot until evening. Usually started with a walk for a good stretch, and then joined about six others for tiffin (cheese and biscuits and chocolate). There was an enormous mess tent which preceded them and was waiting at the end of their day’s march providing shelter which he thought was a good arrangement. Strutt’s voice could be heard in each new place cursing.

He enjoyed much of the county on seeing it again. There were only signs of green things though it was spring but the hillsides were often highly coloured with red and orange. Somervell, Norton, and Longstaff also liked Tibet’.

Planned to go to the first base camp made by him and Bullock in the previous year in four days and on the fifth day to take the yaks on as far as they could up the right bank of the Rongbuk glacier. Presumed this would be beyond the comfortable pace of their second base camp, which was ¼ hr below the glacier. This plan would mean an uncomfortable camp but it would ease the marches higher up, so that if their base was near the junction of the East Rongbuk stream with the main glacier three early stages should take them to the North Col. He didn’t think everyone would find them easy. They planned that the first operation from base camp would be to fix the exact positions of two camps between the base and the North Col and determine the best line up the East Rongbuk Glacier – Strutt, Longstaff, Morshead, and Norton would make up a reconnaissance party for that purpose.

Delayed at Gyanka Nampa [mountain range] (two marches before Tinkeye [Tinki]) so he and Somervell planned to climb the most northerly peak of the Gyanka range (20,490 ft). Finch and Wakefield joined them. It was a considerable distance from their camp at Gyanka and more than 7,000 ft above so it was necessary to take light tents about 5 hrs walk up towards the mountain. Somervell made quite a good sketch. They marched for nearly two hours in the dark. He, Finch, Wakefield, and Somervell shared a Whymper tent, lying head to tail across it. He was sleeping in the door and a wind blew in and it was bitterly cold. They left soon after 4am next morning but Finch was mountain sick and couldn’t continue. He and Somervell had a good climb but it got too late so they had to turn back only 500 ft from the summit. Got back very tired and headachey at 1pm and were at Gyanka at 4.30pm. Somervell had more trouble with the wind and felt the height more than he did but he liked him as a climbing companion. He was a thoughtful sensible person and quite perfectly modest, although that wasn’t his first impression when he and Herbert met him on the Matterhorn.

On returning to Gyanka they had to face the unpleasant prospect of an 18 mile march including fording a river and crossing a sandy plain where there were quicksands for the unwary and bad walking on the dunes. It was nearly 5pm before they set out and after 5 miles they had to leave one of the ponies. Then realise they couldn’t reach the ford before dark. He knew the path to the ford. Approaching it they saw some lights, presumably from Tibetan fires. Near the ford they were hailed by a Tibetan who crossed the river to meet them and them and carried him across. A few minutes later they came to the lights and found their own people in a comfortable camp with a hot dinner for them.

Next morning they had a clear view of Everest which was ‘...more wonderful even than I remembered and all the party were delighted by it - which of course appealed to my proprietary feelings’.

He had spent most of that morning in the monastery which fascinated him from an architectural point of view. It had deeply shaded little courts at a hundred different levels and mysterious interiors. Describes monastery in more detail. The temple was ‘even more amazing’ with an alter with half a dozen life-size Buddhas and up in the roof another enormous, gilded Buddha.
He thought that the next time he would write they would be established at the Rongbuk base camp. Still had received no mail and he wanted to hear from her very much. ‘I think of you most when I get to bed at night and summon up your image and want you near me’.

[Postscript] - ‘I don’t think this letter is worth circulating’.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, from Washington

He was writing from bed having packed and was ready for an early start next morning. His first two lectures were over and he had been busy finishing his chapters and revising his lecture for an American audience and including some of Somerville's slides. The audience at the first lecture were unresponsive and didn't clap when he meant them to and almost never laughed but he just held their attention. Afterwards they had shaken his hand like it was a great success. In contrast the evening lecture was very successful.

He wants to hear from her but hasn't yet and sent great love to Clare and Beridge and John and Avie.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Chevremont, Darjeeling [Letterhead]’

Brief Summary
Somervell and Crawford were to stay in the Lhonak Valley for 2 weeks. Describes his onward journey without them. Morshead was mainly recovered and his fingers and toes were recovering.

Detailed Sumary
Is concerned about the mail and missing letters from her. What was more serious was letters sent off by him from Kampa Dzong - evidently hadn't got through. Correspondence seemed a hopeless business. He would be later than previously discussed and so should meet in London. It would be best to meet at the docks but doesn't want her to wait for hours.

Describes his journey since he had left Somervell and Crawford in the Lhonak Valley in the north of Sikkim. As she hadn't received some of his letters she might not know the three of them came through the short way from Kharta together leaving the others to come round by Shekar Dzong and Phari, etc. Their way was the same as his and Bullocks the previous year. Could she follow the route on her map? It was difficult to get the Tibetans to go that way and they had to go to Kampa Dzong for transport and waste a day there.

A land slip had rendered the pass down to Laachen unusable and it had fallen out of use until the jungle had covered it over. He believed a bridge had broken too. The others were to spend a fortnight or so in the upper part of the valley, so he made the march eastward to Tango. He started with two yaks and ended about midnight with one. He stayed 3 nights at Tango collecting his baggage from the Lhonuk La and then came through without delay, though in the last stages he had to leave his kit and it arrived a day after him. Sikkim was much less wet than expected. His memories of Sikkim were chiefly of rushing swollen streams and leaches.

Morshead was well and cheery and his left hand had practically recovered. Three fingers at the right were still bound up. One big toe still gave him trouble but was healing up well.

He wouldn't write more now as he had several jobs to do. Hopes they wouldn't be quite ruined by the time he reached home as attractions in the shops were irresistible. Apart from a large bag he had hardly touched the £200 to his credit with the bank there.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from Base Camp

Brief Summary
First summit attempt without oxygen and waiting to hear about Finch and Young Bruce’s summit attempt with oxygen.

Detailed Summary
Had received mail from her and read news of Pen y Pass. Four of his fingers on the right hand had been touched by frost bite but only the top joint of the third finger gave him any trouble and he didn’t think there was any danger of losing any part of it. Poor Morshead was a very different case and they didn’t yet know what the damage would be. Thought it was stupid or careless of them to be caught out as it was easy enough to keep hands warm with gloves if you weren’t doing too much with them. He took the lead over from Morshead and cut the steps as quickly as possible for fear the porters would be done in by the cold and refuse to continue. Morshead was insufficiently clothed and didn’t know his fingers were caught until the following night. He had wrecked himself cutting the steps and when they were pitching tents hardly had the strength to lift a stone. The night at 25,000 ft was miserable and he didn’t expect to go on.

Somervell was the reserve man all through and was particularly useful in cooking at the high camp. Norton went first on the final day and was very nearly done at the end and was climbing very slowly. They could have gone further but turned back to allow time for the descent. On a fine morning they would have started 2 hrs earlier and reached the N. E. shoulder.

He lead on the descent except where they had to cut steps. He and Norton shared the cutting as he judged he would be quicker than the others. He felt pretty strong on the descent. The slip was nearly a bad business. He hadn’t realised how shaky Morshead was and had cut rather poor steps. Norton and Somervell must have been caught napping. He didn’t have the rope belayed round his waist as he was on the point of cutting a step. Hearing something wrong behind drove in his pick and belayed and was ready in plenty of time when the strain came. Morshead must have made a very fine effort coming down the steps of the snow slope as he appeared to tread quite safely; but the moment they were on easier ground he collapsed. He didn’t like the idea of being out after dark above 23,000 ft. It was a very trying and anxious time.

Next morning there was a lot of hard work cutting steps down from Chang La [North Col] and they weren’t down to Camp 3 until after noon. They walked down to Base the next day and were a very tired party, and all except Somervell, had remained tired. The rest of the party were very pleased with their performance. Thought that the three of them were out of it now. Norton’s ear and his finger were frostbitten and Longstaff wouldn’t hear of them going up again until they were healed. It was annoying as he wanted to make one more try from a camp at 26,000 ft.

They were a perfectly happy party at Camp 3. Apart from the anxiety he had enjoyed it tremendously.

Thinks he won’t have answered all her questions. Says he is still feeling stupid and it was a great effort making a narrative for the press. Wonders what people at home think of them.

[Continues later] - Had just received 3 letters from her and also letters from all his family. Comments on her time in North Wales and hopes she is better for her holiday. Of Pen y Pass he says he knows nowhere that one comes away from feeling so strong. Had a very nice letter from David [Pye] about Pen y Pass. It was almost certain that they would be leaving Everest on her birthday and should be in Darjeeling about 7 July at latest, and hoped to be home by early August. Thought he might take a week to travel through India and then take another week coming round by sea to London. He hoped for one spell of walking with her before October, mentioning the good places they still had to visit together, Teesdale in late spring, a Yorkshire dale, golden in September, and Derbyshire, or the west country again.

[Continues later] - He had been dictating to Morris [General Bruce’s secretary] while he typed up a narrative of their climb. He had worked out she ought to get news of their climb very near the date of her birthday and this letter should reach her on 4 July, and on the same day he should arrive in Darjeeling.

Details future travel plans as he wants to see something more of the world. He may see the Bullocks on his way home as he had heard from him the other day full of questions about the expedition. They had both been ill and asks Ruth to write to Mrs Bullock as she would be glad to hear from her. He had written a note to his mother and had received one from his sister Avie and hoped she was really better.

He had been thinking of a plan for them to meet in the Alps on his way home but felt she wouldn’t come because of the expense, but if she did it would be easy for him to meet her there. He didn’t know whether Geoffrey Young had secured the Tyndall chalet but if so they could go there which would make a great difference. Tells her how to get there and what costs would be involved.

[Continues later] - they were waiting for news of Finch and G. Bruce’s attempt to summit using oxygen. Thinks they would certainly break their record as they have had very good weather but he didn’t expect them to have reached the top at the first attempt. It all depended on whether they succeed in dumping cylinders ahead of them. He didn’t feel jealous of any success they may have. Getting up with oxygen was so different from their attempt that the two hardly enter into competition. He chaffed because his finger kept him in camp and Longstaff had no idea how bad it was. It was extremely sensitive to cold and if he went up again he would get a real bad frostbite so he had to be patient.

Norton was responsible for collecting flowers with Longstaff’s help. As Longstaff had to go back in a hurry Norton had asked him [Mallory] for help and what they found the previous year. He could easily do this without much loss of time but would be a week later reaching Darjeeling. The idea of seeing seeing the early flowers between there and Kharta and near Kharta too attracted him.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Camp I, Everest

Full Transcript

My dearest Ruth,

This is going to be the scrappiest letter - a time limit for the mail has suddenly been put on and this morning when I might have been writing to you I was busy doing a communique at Norton’s request, I find it an impossible task to write that sort of thing up here. Anyway such as it is you will have read it, so that is some satisfaction.

Dear Girl, this has been a bad time altogether. I look back on tremendous efforts & exhaustion & dismal looking out of a tent door and onto a world of snow & vanishing hopes - & yet, & yet, & yet there have been a good many things to set on the other side. The party has played up wonderfully. The first visit to the North Col was a triumph for the old gang. Norton & I did the job & the cutting of course was all my part - so far as one can enjoy climbing above Camp II I enjoyed the conquest of the ice wall & crack the crux of the route, & making the steps too in the steep final 200 ft.

Odell did very useful work leading the way on from the camp to the Col; I was practically bust to the world & couldn’t have lead that half hour though I still had enough mind to direct him. We made a very bad business of the descent. It suddenly occurred to me that we ought to see what the old way down was like. Norton & I were ahead, unroped, & Odell behind in charge of a porter who had carried up a light load. We got onto ground where a practiced man can just get a long without crampons (which we hadn’t with us), chipping occasional steps in very hard snow or ice. I was all right ahead but Norton had a nasty slip & then the porter, whose knot didn’t hold so that he went down some way & was badly shaken. Meanwhile I, below, finding the best way down had walked into an obvious crevasse; by some miscalculation I had thought I had prodded the snow with which it was choked & where I hoped we could walk instead of cutting steps at the side of it - all the result of mere exhaustion no doubt - but the snow gave way & in I went with the snow tumbling all around me, down luckily only about 10 feet before I fetched up half-blind & breathless to find myself most precariously supported only by my ice axe somehow caught across the crevasse & still held in my right hand - & below was a very unpleasant black hole. I had some nasty moments before I got comfortably wedged & began to yell for help up through the round hole I had come through where the blue sky showed – this because I was afraid any operations to extricate myself would bring down a lot more snow & perhaps precipitate me into the bargain. However I soon grew tired of shouting – they hadn’t seen me from above - & bringing the snow down a little at a time I made a hole out towards the side (the crevasse ran down a slope) after some climbing, & so extricated myself - but was then on the wrong side of the crevasse, so that eventually I had to cut across a nasty slope of very hard ice & further down some mixed unpleasant snow before I was out of the wood. The others were down by a better line 10 minutes before me - that cutting against time at the end after such a day just about brought me to my limit.

So much for that day.

My one personal trouble has been a cough. It started a day or two before leaving the B.C. [Base Camp] but I thought nothing of it. In the high camp it has been the devil. Even after the day’s exercise I have described I couldn’t sleep but was distressed with bursts of coughing fit to tear one’s guts - & so headache & misery altogether; besides which of course it has a very bad effect on one’s going on the mountain. Somervell also has a cough which started a little later than mine & he has not been at his physical best.

The following day when the first loads were got to Camp IV in a snowstorm Somervell & Irvine must have made a very fine effort hauling load up the chimney. Hazard had bad luck to be left alone in charge of the porters at [Camp] IV only for one night according to our intentions, but the snow next day prevented Geoff [Bruce] & Odell from starting - & the following day he (i.e. H) elected to bring the party down quite rightly considering the weather; but can you imagine, he pointedly ordered one man, who had been appointed camp cook for the men, to stay up on the chance of his being useful to the party coming up - it is difficult to make out how exactly it happened, but evidently he didn’t shepherd his party property at all & in the end 4 stayed up one of these badly frostbitten. Had the snow been a bit worse that day we went up to bring them down things might have been very bad indeed. Poor old Norton was very hard hit altogether - hating the thought of such a bad muddle, & himself really not fit to start out next day - nor were any of us for that matter & it looked 10 to 1 against our getting up with all that snow about let alone get a party down. I led from the camp to a point some little distance above the flat glacier - the snow wasn’t so very bad as there had been no time for it to get sticky, still that part with some small delays took us 3 hours; then S. [Somervell] took us up to where Geoff [Bruce] & Odell had dumped their loads the day before & shortly afterwards Norton took on the lead; luckily we found the snow better as we proceeded, N [Norton] alone had crampons & was able to take us up to the big crevasse without step cutting.

Here we had half an hour’s halt and at 1.30 I went on again for the steep 200 ft or so to the point where the big crevasse joins the corridor. From here there were two doubtful stretches. N [Norton] led up the first while the two of us made good at the corner of the crevasse - he found the snow quite good. And S. [Somervell] led across the final slope (following Hazard’s just discernible tracks in the wrong place, but of some use now because the snow had bound better there). N. [Norton] & I had an anxious time belaying, & it began to be cold too as the sun had left us. S. [Somervell] made a very good show getting the men off - but I won’t repeat my report. Time was pretty short as it was 4.30 when they began to come back using S’s [Somervell’s] rope as a handrail. Naturally the chimney took some time. It was just dusk when we got back to camp.

N [Norton] has been quite right to bring us down for rest. It is no good sending men up the mountain unfit. The physique of the whole party has gone down sadly. The only chance now is to get fit & go for a simpler quicker plan. The only plum fit man is Geoffrey Bruce. N. [Norton] has made me responsible for choosing the parties of attack himself first choosing me into the first party if I like. But I’m quite doubtful if I shall be fit enough. Irvine will probably be one & 2 of N [Norton], S [Somervell], or self with Geoff the other 2 to make up 4 for the two parties of two each. But again I wonder whether the monsoon will give us a chance. I don’t want to get caught but our three day scheme from the Chang La will give the monsoon a good chance. We shall be going up again the day after tomorrow - Six days to the top from this camp!

Mails have come tumbling in these last days – three in rapid succession - yours dated from Westbrook with much about the car. I fear it has given you a lot of trouble; Clare’s poem with which I’m greatly delighted; a good letter from David [Pye] from P.Y.P. [Pen-y-Pass, Wales] - will you please thank him at once as I shall hardly manage to do so by this mail. Mother writes in great spirits from Aix. It’s a great joy to hear from you especially but also from anyone who will write a good letter.

The candle is burning out & I must stop.

Darling I wish you the best I can - that your anxiety will be at an end before you get this - with the best news. Which will also be the quickest. It is 50 to 1 against us but we’ll have a whack yet & do ourselves proud.

Great love to you. Ever your loving, George.

[written on margin of first page]
P.S. The parts where I boast of my part are put in to please you and not meant for other eyes. G.M.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘A mountain camp south of Kharta Shikar [Shekar]. In the rains'.

Brief Summary
Travels towards home.

Detailed Summary
Complains of no mail and that he had received no news from her for the two last months of summer. Wants her with him and feels it is a waste not to enjoy that country together. The march down to Kharta [region] from the Doya La [high mountain pass] was even more entrancing than the previous year. First valley flower he found was blooming in the same place where he had collected seed pods last year. Saw a magnificent purple primula. Describes flowers and plants he saw including dwarf rhododendrons in full bloom, a willow shrub, primula sikhinensis [sikkimensis], a small iris, a white briar and a rose.

Stayed one day in Teng camping in a very good sheltered spot. The following day was spend chiefly in picnicking in a wonderful place surrounded by pines and overlooking the Arun gorge.

Then into the Kama Valley where the rains started again, but the camp was in a lovely spot on a little knoll overlooking the main valley and on the edge of a little mountain torrent. Describes the fine forests (mostly juniper) and beds of irises. They were waiting on the weather before continuing and he was happy walking about the hillsides or sitting round the camp fire.

They had moved on that day and gone over the Chog La [high mountain pass] which was just over 16,000 ft and just managed to be a snow pass and were camping nearly 2,000 ft below it on the north side and then departed from the Kharta Valley by another ridge and the Sanchang La [high mountain pass]. It was the ideal mountain country and they would have to wait there for 3 days on account of transport difficulties. Hoped the sun would shine for one of the days.

His plan to go through the corner of Nepal had not come off as it was impossible to arrange transport. Instead he would leave from Teng with Somervell and Crawford on 3 July and follow the route he and Bullock took last year as far as Gyanka Nampa. Then they would go south to Sar and keeping south of the Yaru river to the Nago La. Somervell and Crawford planned to stay in Lhonak and he would continue alone. Hoped to arrive in Darjeeling about 20-23 July and would wire from there which boat he would catch.

[Continues on the morning of June 28th] - was writing from bed watching the blue smoke of the cookhouse fire. Life was aimless and he couldn't really enjoy things at present in spite of the lovely flowers and scenery. They were not quite the jolly company they were and an ungraceful air had come over them even though they were well rid of Finch. But they were not bored with each other.

Felt he would take much interest in their garden when he got back.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Rongli Chu.

Full Transcript

My dearest One,

This is the great day of valley-ease & warmth & languor & the delights of the lotus-eater, & I must write to you here with my feet in the splashing stream & heaven all about me as I look up. We started from Pedong this morning – sloped easily down the 2,000 ft to the stream where I bathed last time while Noel immortalised the event; there Irvine, Odell & I bathed, properly this time, even finding a pool to dive into, and at length. Thence on ponies up to Rheenok - you should be able to follow all this on one of my old maps of Sikhim [Sikkim] – where I made some attempts at photographing the remarkable houses, & thence, not up over the pass by Ari to get here by the shortest way, but contouring the hill until we could drop into this valley 6 miles below the bungalow. It is a very lovely valley, quite one of the best parts of Sikhim [Sikkim], & we had a good walk up, quite energetically carrying heavyish rucksacks. I was wearing my new boots for the first time for a whole march & found them pretty comfortable, my ankle & hip are all going quite well too, so that I quite expect by the time we reach Phari I shall have ceased to think about them.

The weather is perfectly fine but very hazy owing to the great number of fires in the valleys. It is the custom of the country to burn a good deal of undergrowth in the forests & dead leaves in order to get better new grass in the spring – but I can’t remember anything like so much haze as this last year. Consequently we have had nothing at all of a view all the way from Darjeeling & the country is looking more dry & dead than last year; it has in fact been very dry; I hear there has been exceptionally little snow in Tibet & the plains are already beginning to look green – but this is hardly credible. Incidentally, there are sights of a change of weather this afternoon but then we had a thunderstorm in Kalimpong which made absolutely no difference!

It has apart from views been a pleasant journey so far. We started in motors for 6 miles from Darjeeling & half way down the hill Norton, Hingston, Somervell & self had breakfast with a tea planter called Lister – it is a famous tea garden I believe & he certainly gave us to drink Orange Pekoe of the most delicious flavour (a series of violent slashes at this point). After that pleasant interval we took all the short cuts hurrying down to Tista Bridge, where we arrived dripping & found our ponies; my pony which is to carry me to Phari is quite a good beast – the best I have had at this stage & my saddle is comfortable & I feel very well off altogether -; we went straight up the hill on our ponies & were in Kalimpong at 1.30 for tiffin.

At Kalimpong next day last times performances were repeated – a “tamasha” for boy scouts & girl guides & a wonderful little ceremony in the big school room with all of us on the platform singing the metrical version of Psalm 121 to the tune of Old Hundredth, & prayers, & speech making divine/mixed. Old Dr Graham is really a wonder, & if one were going to be a missionary one couldn’t do better. He has between 6 & 700 children, mostly by bastards or children of ne’er-do-well parents & does them well all round. When the old Scot is short of money he goes down to Calcutta & collects a few batches of rupees from the big businessmen who all know & believe in him & his institutions flourish.

I think I told you the names of the 2nd party, but omitted Odell. Shebbeare the forest officer is an excellent fellow; we went a little walk into the forest above Pedong last evening & we saw quite close a very fine jungle cat, about as high as Raven but with the propositions of Agapanthus or rather perhaps of the other Westbrook cat, which it does resembled in colour – S. didn’t get a very good view of it & couldn’t tell me what it was; but it is extraordinary how it makes the whole forest seem alive to see a beast like that. We couldn’t be a nicer party – at least I hope the others would say the same; we go along our untravelled way in happiest fashion.
Since I began writing the air has become unbearably stuffy & a thunderstorm is brewing. The one crab about this place is that there is no water supply which is at all likely to unpolluted – & so one drinks tea, but our tiffin tea has left me very thirsty & I long for a long lemon squash or whisky & soda. You see how completely a physical animal one has become.

I’m spending a certain amount of time & effort as we come along learning Hindustani; it is very unsatisfactory because the coolies themselves are so bad at it; but I do find already that I get on with them more easily. We shall be very short of men who can speak to porters higher up. Irvine, Odell & Beetham, none of them know a word yet.

Dearest I’m really enjoying myself now with a good holiday feeling. If I were not I should be still feeling grieved with the world because no letter has yet reached me from you. Anyway after four marches I will receive a mail. Tomorrow’s march is all up hill to Sedongchen & the next, still up to Gnatong (12,500), is the great rhododendron march, but only the very lowest will be in flower. I have in mind another little detour, by the way of variety, from Kupup, diverging to the Natu La instead of Jelap La as before.

Dear girl I think of you often & often with ever so much love & wish for your company. Would there were some way of bringing you nearer. I think the nearness depends very much upon the state of ones imagination. When it boils up as it does sometimes at night, under the stars I could almost whisper in you ear; and even now dear I do feel near you, though my state is loggish & I come very near to kissing you.

My love to Clare & Berry & John & best of all to yourself.
Ever your loving, George.

Letter from George to Ruth Mallory from Rongbuk Base Camp

Full Transcript

Dearest Ruth,

We’ve had unexpected notice of a home bound mail tomorrow & I’ve no letter ready. We arrived here only yesterday, & I have been busy ever since, the reason for this is in part that we have arranged for our army of Tibetan coolies to carry our loads up the glacier to No. 2 camp; 150 have actually gone up today; consequently we have had a great rush getting our loads ready to go up. My special concern has been with the high climbing stores & provisions for high camp. Yesterday morning as the animals arrived here I got hold of the boxes I wanted - most of which I knew by sight - from among the feet of the donkeys & yaks and had them carried to a place apart. So I was able to get ready 30 loads, apart from food stores, yesterday afternoon. Later Norton & I had a long pow wow about the whole of our plan as affects the porters. It is a very complicated business to arrange the carrying to the high camps while considering what the porters have been doing & where, during the previous ten days, so as to have sufficient regard to their acclimatisation & fitness; further one has to consider the filling up of Camp III which will still be going on after we have begun the carrying to IV, the accommodation at the various camps; & finally the escorting of porters from III upwards. However, I have made a plan for the porters which fits in with that previously made for climbers, & though a plan of this kind must necessarily be complicated it allows for a certain margin & even a bad day or two won’t upset out applecart.

Irvine & I with Beetham & Hazard start from here on May 3 & after resting a day at Camp III the last 2 will establish Camp IV while I [Irvine] & I have a canter up to about 23,000 up the E. ridge of Changtse, partly to get a better look at camping sites on the mountain & partly to have a trial run & give me some idea of what to expect from I [Irvine] B [Beetham] & H Hazard] two days later will escort the 1st lot of loads to IV; Odell & Geoffrey Bruce the second, establishing Camp V on the following day; Norton & Somervell & lastly Irvine & self follow; Irvine & I will get 2 or 3 days down at Camp I meanwhile.

The Rongbuk Valley greeted us with most unpleasant weather. The day before yesterday & the following night when we were encamped outside the Rongbuk Monastery a bitterly cold wind blew, the sky was cloudy & finally we woke to find a snow storm going on. Yesterday was worse, with light snow falling most of the day. However today has been sunny after a windy night & the conditions on Everest have gradually improved until we were saying tonight that it would have been a pleasant evening for the mountain. It is curious that though quite a considerable amount of snow has fallen during these last few days & the lower slopes are well covered the upper parts of Everest appear scarcely affected – this is a phenomenon we observed often enough in 1922 & notably on the day when we made the first attempt.

I shall be busy with details of personal equipment amongst other things these next two days. But I also hope there’ll be a mail from you & time to read letters & think of you at home & perhaps write you another letter though the Lord knows when the next mail will go away from here.

We continue to be a very pleasant party – Hazard the only difficulty – we have tamed him somewhat. He & Beetham don’t love each other but I hope they’ll manage to hit it off as they are put to work together. B [Beetham] has had a truly marvellous recovery, but I can’t quite believe in his being really strong yet though he makes a parade of energy & cheerfulness & I’m a little doubtful about his being one of the first starters.

Sorry to write so poor & hurried a letter. I’m very fit – perhaps not just so absolutely a strong goer as in ’21 but good enough I believe – anyway I can think of no one in this crowd stronger, & we’re a much more even crowd than in ’22, a really strong lot, Norton & I are agreed. It would be difficult to say of any one of the 8 that he is likely to go farther or less far than the rest. I’m glad the first blow lies with me. We’re not going to be easily stopped with an organisation behind us this time.

Great love to you dearest one & many kisses to the children. Your loving George

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from Phari.

Brief Summary
Details journey. Had a cold. Was in charge of climbing equipment. Had helped Noel develop photos and cinema films. Was awaiting new boots. Low opinion of Howard-Bury's book about the 1921 Reconnaissance expedition. Opinion of Wakefield and Strutt. Glad to have received money from RGS.

Detailed Summary
He had received two of her letters and was now in bed, alone in a 40 lb tent after having stayed in a bungalow, which was made to hold four and there were eleven of them. There was an inch of snow on the ground outside but he was warm in his sleeping bag and well wrapped in his lamb’s wool jacket.

Tibet was less disagreeable than he expected. When they entered the plains there was no fierce wind and the sun was warm, and the night air was no colder than it was nearly two months later the previous year. He was surprised to experience a friendly feeling towards this bleak country on seeing it again. He still had the cold with which he had left Darjeeling. He felt the height a bit at Gnatong after the 10,000 ft rise and none of them were at their best there, but coming up again after the two days at Yatung (9,500 ft) was exhilarating.

They had a busy day sorting stores and it was his job to look after all the climbing equipment. They had about 900 packages so it was not easy to lay hands on any particular one. He was able to help Noel with developing photos, some of which were very good and had also helped with the cinema films. He describes Noel’s camera equipment and developing process in detail.

[7 April] - English mail had arrived and he had received a copy of the Manchester Guardian Weekly, but had not got the shoes that were promised. He was wearing out his climbing boots so had written to Farrar to hurry them up. The second lot of proofs of the Everest book had arrived containing the end of Howard-Bury’s story which was worse if possible than the second part. There were quite a number of remarks pointing to their weaknesses and he provides specific examples of what Howard-Bury wrote involving Wheeler, himself and Morshead, and Bullock, without mentioning the ultimate success of their expedition. On the larger issues of the reconnaissance he had not been unfair to him but he didn’t like sharing a book with that sort of man. Asks her to subscribe to a Press Cutting Agency as he would like to see the reviews.

He was going to postpone giving a complete account of the various members of the party as he hoped that may come out in degrees. They all got along very nicely with the possible exception of Wakefield. Despite having some criticisms Wakefield was a really good man. Strutt was much too easily put off by petty discomforts and he doubted if he would turn out to be a helpful person, although he did get on with him very well. Norton was one of the best. Morshead was naturally more his friend than anyone.

It was extraordinarily difficult to settle down and write at length with so much bustle going on and continual interruptions and he had wasted some part of the morning taking photos. He liked her letter very much and provides responses to the topics in her letter, mentioning Stuart Wilson, concerns for Clare, and is sorry that Clara isn’t back with her yet to cook.

[8th April] - glad the Royal Geographic Society had paid a debt. Had heard that the lectures brought in £1800 which was more than expected and he hoped there would be some more for him as £400 was too small a share.

Refers to her account that Avie [his sister] was unwell and that she had taken in Molly, Mrs Smart and Drew. Sends his love to her family, the Clutton-Brocks, and the Fletchers.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from the S.S. Caledonia [P. & O. S. N. Co. Letterhead]

Brief Summary
Life on board ship - pass times of sport and reading. Finch demonstrated oxygen apparatus. Opinion of colleagues.

Detailed Summary
Describes daily life on board. Members of the expedition party were happy smiling company with plenty of easy conversation.

Every morning George Finch gave a demonstration of the oxygen apparatus and they practised adjusting the valves.

Describes the old ship and his cabin in a smelly corner. He had finished Keynes’s book, mentions exercise and shares thoughts on his colleagues. Deck tennis had so far provided some amusement – Wakefield and Somervell were both keen. Finch rigged up punch-ball and was behaving very well so far. He was liking the bunch very well and not least Noel who has done quite a lot of lonely wandering and is reserved and interesting about his experiences. He had written an article for the Blackie Encyclopaedia which he doubted was what they wanted but said the important thing was that they should send a cheque for £10.

The following day they were due in Port Said. He planned to send the letter from there along with the book Night and Day, asking her to try and read it. Asks if there was a big gap now he had gone and hoped she could put away the loneliness as she had the children with her. He hated the fact they weren't together. He had been thinking again about going to America and she must go with him if he did.

He had a photograph of her and of the children with him and asks that if anyone takes new ones then she should send them on to him.

Letter to Ruth Mallory describing the Avalanche in which 7 porters were killed.

Full Transcript

My dearest Ruth, I will answer what I imagine to be your first thought - it was a wonderful escape for me & we may indeed be thankful for that together. Dear love when I think what your grief would have been I humbly thank God I am alive.

/ It’s difficult to get it all straight in my mind. The consequences of my mistake are so terrible; it seems almost impossible to believe that it has happened for ever & that I can do nothing to make good. There is no obligation I have so much wanted to honour as that of taking care of these men; they are children where mountain dangers are concerned & they do so much for us; and now through my fault seven of them have been killed. I must try to tell you how the accident happened. But remember dearest one, not that I can imagine for a moment you would be harsh in your judgement that though I may have been mistaken I was neither reckless about the whole party nor careless about the coolies in particular.

When we started from the Base Camp on June 3 the clouds were thickening & it was evident that very soon the monsoon would be upon us; but none can say how soon in such circumstances the monsoon will make climbing impossible. I walked up half despondently with Finch to No 1 Camp; he was clearly quite unfit & could barely reach the camp. Next morning he went back to the Base leaving Somervell & me for the high climbing with Wakefield and Crawford to be back us up.

During the night of the 3rd snow fell heavily & continued on the 4th. We spent a cold day in the poor shelter at Camp 1, a little hut with walls about 3 ft 6 in high built of the stones that lay about there & roofed with the outer fly of Whymper tent. The white snow dust blew in through the chink & one wondered naturally, Isn’t it mere foolishness to be attempting Everest now that the snow has come? It was clear that if we were to give up the attempt at once no one would have a word to say against our decision. But it seemed to me too early to turn back & too easy - we should not be satisfied afterwards. It would not be unreasonable to expect a spell of fair weather after the first snow as there was last year; this might give us our chance at last, a calm day in the balance between the prevailing west wind & the south east monsoon current. And if we were to fail how much better I thought to be turned back by a definite danger or difficulty on the mountain itself.

On the 5th will too [many crossed through] much cloud still hanging about the glacier we went up in one long march to Camp 3 - a wet walk in the melting snow & with some snow falling. At the camp not less than a foot of snow covered everything. The tents which had been struck but not packed up contained a mixture of ice, snow, & water; more than one was badly rent in putting it up. The prospects were not very hopeful.

There was no question of doing anything on the 6th, the best we asked for was a warm day’s rest. We had a clear day of brilliant sunshine, the warmest by far that any of us remembered at camp 3. The snow solidified with amazing rapidity; the rocks began to appear about our camp; and though the side of Everest facing us looked cold & white we had the satisfaction of observing during the greater part of the day a cloud of snow blown from the North Ridge. It would not be long at that rate before it was fit to climb.
The heavy snow of the 4th & 5th affected our plans in two ways. As we should have to expect heavier work high up we should have hardly a chance of reaching the top without oxygen, & in spite of Finch’s absence with his expert knowledge we decided to carry up ten cylinders with the two apparatus used by Finch and G. Bruce to our old camp established on the first attempt at 25,000 ft; so far we should go without oxygen; in taking up the camp (one of the 2 Mummery tents & the sleeping sacks) another 1000 ft we might find it advisable to use each one cylinder; in any case we should have 4 cylinders each to carry on with us next day.

Our chief anxiety was to provide for the safety of the [‘coolies’ crossed out] porters. We hoped the conditions might be good enough to send them down by themselves to the North Col; & it was arranged that Crawford should meet them at the foot of the ridge to conduct them properly roped over the crevasses to Camp 4; there they would remain until we came back from the higher camp & all would go down together. Crawford was also to arrange for the conduct of certain superfluous porters who were to come up to Camp 4 but not stay there across the steep slope below the camp, the one place which in the new conditions might prove dangerous. With these plans we thought we might move up from Camp IV on the 4th day of fine weather should the weather hold, & still bring down the party safely whatever the monsoon might do. A change of weather was to be feared sooner or later, but we were confident we could descend the North Ridge from our high camp in bad weather if necessary, & three of us, or if Wakefield came up, four, would then be available to shepherd the coolies down from the North Col.

But the North Col has first to be reached. With the new snow to contend with we should have hard work; perhaps it would take us more than one day; the steep final slope might be dangerous; we should perhaps find it prudent to leave our loads below it & come up easily enough in our frozen tracks another day.
We set out from Camp 3, Somervell Crawford, & I with 14 porters at 8 a.m. on the 7th. A party including four of the strongest porters were selected to lead the way over the glacier. They did splendid work trudging the snow with loads on their backs; but it took us two hours to the foot of the great snow wall & it was 10.15 a.m. when Somervell, I, one porter, & Crawford, roped up in that order, began the ascent. We found no traces at first of our previous tracks, & were soon crossing a steep ice slope covered with snow. It was remarkable that the snow adhered so well to this slope, where we had found bare ice before, that we were able to get up without cutting steps. In this harmless place we had tested the snow & were more than satisfied.
Higher up the angle eases off & we had formally walked up at comparatively gently angels in the old snow until it was necessary to cross the final step slope below Camp 4.

Now we had to content with snow up to our knees. Crawford relieved Somervell & then I took a turn. About 1.30 p.m. I halted & the porters following in three parties came up with us. Somervell who was the least tired among us now went ahead continuing in our old line & still on gentle slopes about 200 ft below some blocks of fallen ice which mark the final traverse to the left over steeper ground. I was following up in the steps last on our rope of four when at 1.50, I heard a noise not unlike an explosion of untamped gunpowder. I had never before been [knew crossed out] near an avalanche of snow: but I knew the meaning of that noise as though I were accustomed to hear it every day. In a moment I observed the snow’s surface broken only a few yards away to the right & instinctively moved in that direction. And then I was moving downward. Somehow I managed to turn out from the slope so as to avoid being pushed headlong & backwards down it. For the briefest moment my chances seemed good as I went quietly sliding down, with the snow, Then the rope at my waist tightened & held me back. A wave of snow came over me. I supposed that the matter was settled. However I thrust out my arms to keep them above the snow & at the same time tried to raise by back, with the result that when after a few seconds the motion stopped I felt little pressure from the snow & found myself on the surface.
The rope was still tight about my waist & I imagined that the porter tied on next one must be deeply buried; but he quickly emerged near me no worse off than myself. Somervell & Crawford too were quite close to me & soon extricated themselves, apparently their experiences were much the same as mine. And where were the [rest crossed through] porters, we asked? Looking down over the broken snow we saw one group some distance below us. Presumably the rest must be buried somewhere between us & them. No sign of them appeared; and those we saw turned out to be the group who had been immediately behind us. Somehow they must have been caught in a more rapid stream & carried down a hundred feet further than us. They pointed below them; the others were down there.

It became only too plain as we hurried down that the men we saw were standing only a little way above a formidable drop. The others had been carried over. We found the ice cliff to be from 40 ft to 60 ft high, the crevasse below it was filled up with the avalanche snow & these signs enough to show us that the two missing parties of four & five were buried under it. From the first we entertained little hope of saving them. The fall alone must have killed the majority, & such proved to be the case as we dug out the bodies. Two men were rescued alive & were subsequently found to have sustained no severe injuries; the remaining seven lost their lives /.

There is the narrative - the bare facts, on separate sheets for your convenience - not my letter to you but a more impersonal account explaining our plans & their fatal conclusion. I hope it will suffice to let you understand what we were about. You may read between the lines how anxious I was about the venture. S. [Somervell] & I knew enough about Mount Everest not to treat so formidable a mountain contemptuously. But it was not a desperate game, I thought, with the plans we made. Perhaps with the habit of dealing with certain kinds of danger one becomes accustomed to measuring some that are best left unmeasured & untried. But in the end I come back to my ignorance; one generalises from too few observations & what a lifetime it requires to know all about it! I suppose if we had known a little more about conditions of snow here we should not have tried those slopes – [but crossed through] and not knowing we supposed too much from the only experience we had. The three of us were deceived; there wasn’t an inkling of danger among us. //

Writes again on ‘June 14’ [one week after avalanche] – In the interval since I began writing we have packed up our traps and are on our way down - actually I am sitting in a sheltered nook above that little patch of vegetation by the stream above Chobu [village], & it is raining softly which many account for some curious mark on the paper. I don’t want you to think dearest that I am in perpetual gloom over the accident. One has to wear a cheerful face & be sociable in a company such as we are. But my mind does go back very often to the terrible consequences of our attempt with great sadness.

I think it would be a good thing to send a copy of my narrative to a few climbing friends. Claude, to show to his climbing party, David & Herbert Reade. It won’t be of great interest to people who aren’t climbers I should suppose, but one might be circulated to my family too if you think they would like it. I have written to my father & to Geoffrey Young, Younghusband (very briefly) & Frank Fletcher. Please also send the account to Farrar asking him to read it and send it back to you (I don’t much want it to become an official document in the A.C., or at least not yet). And in circulating the narrative you will quote my remarks on p. 7 between marks //.

I don’t know whether you will have got the hang of our plans & arrangements. The reason for going to Kharta is really that the General wants to see that part of the country; the excuse that we want to collect flowers & birds & beasts. I had the chance of going back straight from here, but the chance of seeing the early flowers over the other side was too good to be missed & I’m still hoping to get back after a week or ten days there by a short cut through the corner of Nepal which would be a very interesting journey though extremely wet & should land me in Darjeeling before the middle of July. However that depends much on transport arrangements & I want to get someone to come with me who understands these lingos- perhaps Norton. My possible dates for leaving Bombay are 22nd, 29th July and 1st and 5th of Aug. I shall avoid the 29th if possible as it is a small boat P&O & I would sooner take the Trieste boat on the 1st & come overland. The 22nd is too early in all probability & the 5th (also P&O) is the best boat they have which is a consideration when meeting the monsoon. If I come by P&O I shall probably come to London; anyway I’ll wire giving simply a date (i.e. that of leaving Bombay) and write or wire again from Marseilles or Venice. I’ve been thinking much since your last letter dated April 22 etc. what we would like best to do in early autumn. PyP [Pen-y-Pass] is always attractive & it would be a very pleasant little party; I think we must wait to fix that if we feel like it. Prima facie I’m more in favour of breaking new ground & Richmond in early September might be perfect if Mill [Ruth's sister Mildred?] wants us. I suppose Bob has a job at Catterick; lucky man; he might teach me to fish in those dale streams. I’ve always wanted to go to Richmond.
I’m glad you like the book on botany & find it helpful; we shall be too late to make much use of it together this year, but it’s a thing we must do together sometime – I mean to learn much more about flowers for our children’s sake if for no other reason. But there is another reason; - there is a little shrub in front of me now most prettily blooming with a pink flower, not unlike a rather stiff & thorny rosemary, only the flower is more chartered - which I should much like to introduce into our garden but I can’t tell it’s species.

We are in much reduced company now - Strutt, Longstaff, Finch, & Morshead went off to Darjeeling retracing our steps, about a week ago, & Norton, G. Bruce to Kharta, where we shall rejoin them. I’m much distressed about Morshead’s hands. I fear he’s certain to lose at least the tips (i.e. 1st joints) of 3 fingers on the right hand; & he had a good deal of pain too. G.B. [G. Bruce] writes that his toes are troublesome, but no great harm was done there, & Norton, who was quite knocked out by our climb & a dispirited man after it he has now discovered that what he thought were bruises in the soles of his feet are really frostbite & bad enough to prevent him walking seriously. My finger has almost recovered except for a black nail, so I got off very lightly.
I must finish this off for a mail which is to go off at once. Please give my love to your Father & Marby [written up the side margin:] and make the understand as far as possible about the accident. Many hugs and kisses to the children and endless love to you dearest one. Your Loving, George.

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from the S.S. Caledonia [P. & O. S. N. Co. Letterhead]

Brief Summary
Life on board ship. Opinion on use of oxygen. Opinion of colleagues. Watched porpoises.

Detailed Summary
They were all getting along happily enough. There was a good deal of scientific discussion around the subject of breathing oxygen. Wakefield was somewhat distrustful of the whole affair and sometimes irritated by Finch who was dogmatic in his statements. In this company he was amused by Finch. Was much intrigued by the shape of his head which seemed to go out at the sides where it ought to go up. He was a fanatical character and didn't laugh easily. He greatly enjoyed his oxygen class.

The oxygen drill was being abandoned and so they would hear less on the subject, which was extremely interesting and Finch had been very competent about it. Refers to a full page hand drawing by Somervell, entitled ‘Homeward Bound' [included on the next page of the letter] which showed an unfortunate man whose apparatus had broken and so he was forced to go down taking the oxygen straight from the bottle.

At his first meeting with Strutt, which took place at the Alpine Club, he thought him a dry, stiff solider but he was rather a chatterbox and quite entertaining though never profound. He describes Strutt’s diplomatic role with a mission to Denikin’s army [Russian Lt. Gen Anton Denikin] and an Austrian prince and was High Commissioner in Danzig or some big town in the Baltic. Over one affair Curzon tried to get him court marshalled as a traitor to his country so he concluded he must be a good man.

He had enjoyed good talk, especially with Noel who he particularly liked. The Everest film should be worth £15,000 for foreign rights alone, which gave him some hope that there would be generous terms to the lectures.

Further describes life on the ship, the warm weather and the sunset. The bugle sounded warning them to dress for dinner. He had to go and bathe as he had been playing deck cricket. He slept with a fan in his cabin and thought how romantic a voyage could be if one was lazy enough. If she were there he would take quite a lot of interest in the phosphorescence of the water, the dolphins, whales, sharks, the flying fishes, and all the rest.

[Continues next morning] - previous night he had watched porpoises in the sea which kept pace with them. His porthole and door had closed overnight so the fan was just churning round the same old air and it was very stuffy.

She was very brave about his going away and she wouldn't be dull without him. He will have to wait a long time to hear news from her and wonders if they will still be in Darjeeling when the mail arrives. Many supplies were still on their way notably the oxygen cylinders.