Now! Then! Maurice Wilson of Bradford begins his solo ascent of Everest, equipped with some knowledge of yoga, a small tent, three loaves of bread, two tins of porridge and a camera

Excerpt

Calcutta, July 19
The report that Mr. Maurice Wilson, a member of the London Aero Club, had attempted to climb Mount Everest alone is confirmed from Darjeeling. It appears that three porters accompanied Mr. Wilson as far as Camp 3 of the Ruttledge expedition, at 21,000 ft., where they declared that they were unable to advance without ropes and help. Mr. Wilson therefore decided to go on alone, carrying a small tent, three loaves of bread, two tins of porridge, and a camera. He was last seen making off along the glacier. The porters were ordered to wait at Camp 3 for a fortnight. They waited a month, when they were almost foodless, as well as being ill-clothed for the height, and returned then to Kalimpong, arriving on July 7, and thence to Darjeeling. Mr. Wilson’s last advance was to be his final assault. He expected to find the track and ropes left by the Ruttledge party. From Camp 3 the track goes over a glacier continually swept by avalanches, where the temperature is probably 50 degrees below zero [-46°C]. There are no hopes of his having survived.

Mr. Wilson left Darjeeling with the three porters, all in Tibetan clothes, about March 25, and his disappearance was noted on March 28. He reached Rungpo on the evening of March 25, passed the outpost unsuspected, and crossed Sikkim by night marches. Once in Tibet he wore European clothes, as there was little likelihood of his being stopped except by direct orders from Lhasa, since he was then ahead of the possibility of being caught by political communications from the rear.

He reached Rongbuk Monastery on April 18 -that is, 25 days from Darjeeling – beating the 1933 expedition’s time by 10 days, a remarkable feat, especially as part of the route was covered by night and he had only three porters and one pack pony. He rested one day at Rongbuk and then went on to Ruttledge’s Camp 2, using a light tent, while the porters used a Tibetan tent. After some days he returned to Rongbuk for a rest, whence, refreshed, he set out on April 30 by slow marches to Camp 3. From there, on May [29], he started on the last climb. From the porters’ story this is likely to have ended at about 23,000ft.

The three porters knew Everest. When they returned to Darjeeling they told the complete story to the police. Mr. Wilson had long been pondering the attempt. He believed that most expeditions had been hampered by their size and the weight of their stores. He had been known to say that the man who would get up Everest was an Indian yogi, who had no possessions and was inured to hard and simple living. In this faith he appears to have dared and died.

Mr. Maurice Wilson, who is the son of the late Mr. Mark Wilson, a Bradford manufacturer, served in The West Yorkshire Regiment during the War and was awarded the Military Cross. He flew to India a year ago in a light acroplane, stating that it was his intention to attempt to land the machine 10,000ft. below the summit of Everest and then climb to the top. He was, however, refused permission to fly over Nepal.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

The Times gives the start date of Wilson’s final attempt as 17 May, but that is contradicted by the month spent waiting by the sherpas and by Wilson’s diary, which says 29 (Unsworth 2000).

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Original

Calcutta, July 19
The report that Mr. Maurice Wilson, a member of the London Aero Club, had attempted to climb Mount Everest alone is confirmed from Darjeeling. It appears that three porters accompanied Mr. Wilson as far as Camp 3 of the Ruttledge expedition, at 21,000 ft., where they declared that they were unable to advance without ropes and help. Mr. Wilson therefore decided to go on alone, carrying a small tent, three loaves of bread, two tins of porridge, and a camera. He was last seen making off along the glacier. The porters were ordered to wait at Camp 3 for a fortnight. They waited a month, when they were almost foodless, as well as being ill-clothed for the height, and returned then to Kalimpong, arriving on July 7, and thence to Darjeeling. Mr. Wilson’s last advance was to be his final assault. He expected to find the track and ropes left by the Ruttledge party. From Camp 3 the track goes over a glacier continually swept by avalanches, where the temperature is probably 50 degrees below zero [-46°C]. There are no hopes of his having survived.

Mr. Wilson left Darjeeling with the three porters, all in Tibetan clothes, about March 25, and his disappearance was noted on March 28. He reached Rungpo on the evening of March 25, passed the outpost unsuspected, and crossed Sikkim by night marches. Once in Tibet he wore European clothes, as there was little likelihood of his being stopped except by direct orders from Lhasa, since he was then ahead of the possibility of being caught by political communications from the rear.

He reached Rongbuk Monastery on April 18 -that is, 25 days from Darjeeling – beating the 1933 expedition’s time by 10 days, a remarkable feat, especially as part of the route was covered by night and he had only three porters and one pack pony. He rested one day at Rongbuk and then went on to Ruttledge’s Camp 2, using a light tent, while the porters used a Tibetan tent. After some days he returned to Rongbuk for a rest, whence, refreshed, he set out on April 30 by slow marches to Camp 3. From there, on May [29], he started on the last climb. From the porters’ story this is likely to have ended at about 23,000ft.

The three porters knew Everest. When they returned to Darjeeling they told the complete story to the police. Mr. Wilson had long been pondering the attempt. He believed that most expeditions had been hampered by their size and the weight of their stores. He had been known to say that the man who would get up Everest was an Indian yogi, who had no possessions and was inured to hard and simple living. In this faith he appears to have dared and died.

Mr. Maurice Wilson, who is the son of the late Mr. Mark Wilson, a Bradford manufacturer, served in The West Yorkshire Regiment during the War and was awarded the Military Cross. He flew to India a year ago in a light acroplane, stating that it was his intention to attempt to land the machine 10,000ft. below the summit of Everest and then climb to the top. He was, however, refused permission to fly over Nepal.

541 words.

Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

29 May 1934: Maurice Wilson of Bradford begins his solo ascent of Everest, equipped with some knowledge of yoga, a small tent, three loaves of bread, two tins of porridge and a camera

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