Item 1 - Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, 16-17 January 1923

Letter to Ruth Mallory, written onboard the S.S. Olympic on ‘White Star Line’ letterhead

[16 Jan] Had been passing the time by playing deck tennis and taking a plunge bath. There had been some bad storms with furious wind and lighting and torrents of rain causing rough seas. He didn’t like the motion of the sea which made him feel fuzzy and stupid. His writing had been impacted and he still had the ‘Third Attempts’ and a chapter of 'Conclusions' to write. He had been fairly happy with his table companions which included American tourists, and he was amused by their accents.

He had not told them what his business was in America although he had told one couple but thought they would keep his secret as they understood he didn’t want to be bothered about Everest.

[Letter continues later, writing in his bed] – he was glad the voyage would be over the following day. Reminds her about engine oil for the car. Promises to send pictures of New York for her to show the children. His first lecture would be in Washington, D.C. He would have to weed out some jokes that wouldn’t go down well.

[Letter continues on 17 Jan] – It was a very cold morning with a wind like Tibet. They had anchored outside the mouth of the Hudson River, and he was looking forward to seeing the Statue of Liberty.

[Later] – He was staying at the Waldorf Hotel on Fifth Avenue.