1921 to 1953 Expeditions
Year: 1921
Season: Spring
Leader: C K Howard-Bury (
UK)
Route: West, North and East Sides
Height Reached: 7000m
Members: Guy Bullock (UK), Alexander Heron (UK), Alexander Kellas (UK), George Mallory (UK), Henry Morshead (UK), Harold Raeburn (UK), Edward Wheeler (UK), Alexander Wollaston (UK)
Reason
Summit not reached: Route too difficult and lack of strength
Deaths: Alexander Kellas and one porter died on approach march
Summary:
The first British expedition was organized and financed by the newly formed Mount Everest Committee. It came under the leadership of Colonel Charles Howard-Bury, with Harold Raeburn as mountaineering leader. This expedition was primarily for mapping and reconnaissance to discover whether a route to the summit could be found and if so, climbable from the north side. As the health of Harold Raeburn took a turn for the worse, George Mallory assumed responsibility for most of the exploration to the north and east of the mountain. He wrote to his wife: "We are about to walk off the map..." After five months of difficult, strenuous and hard work climbing around the base of the mountain, George Mallory eventually discovered the hidden East Rongbuk Glacier and its route to the base of the North Col. On the 23rd September, George Mallory became the first person to set foot on the mountain and he, Edward Wheeler and Guy Bullock reached the North Col at 7,020 metres (23,030 ft) before being forced back down due to strong winds. George Mallory took a good look at the route up the North ridge intersecting the
North East Ridge and from there to the summit, it looked long, but could be feasible for a fresher party. During this expedition they had seen that the best time for a summit bid would be April-May before the monsoon season.
Year: 1922
Season: Spring
Leader: Charles G Bruce (
UK)
Route:
North
Col - North Face
Height Reached: 8320m
Members: John Bruce (UK), Colin Crawford (UK), George Finch (Australia), Thomas Longstaff (UK), George Mallory (UK), Charles Morris (UK), Henry Morshead (UK), John Noel (UK), Edward Norton (UK), Theodore Somervell (UK), Edward Strutt (UK), Arthur Wakefield (UK), Dorje Sherpa (Nepal), Lhakpa Sherpa (Nepal), Norbu Sherpa (Nepal), Pasang Sherpa (Nepal), Pema Sherpa (Nepal), Remba Sherpa (Nepal), Sange Sherpa (Nepal)
Reason
Summit not reached: Route too difficult and lack of strength
Deaths: Dorje Sherpa, Lhakpa Sherpa, Norbu Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, Pema Sherpa,
Remba Sherpa, Sange Sherpa killed in avalanche below
North
Col
Summary:
The second expedition conducted by British climbers took place in 1922 by General Charles Granville Bruce, with Lt-Col. Edward Lisle Struttacting as the expedition leader. George Mallory, who had previously attempted the summit unsuccessfully, was back again, this time with the intention of reaching the peak. Not only this, but it was also to be the first expedition to take place only with the aid of bottled oxygen. On the 22nd of May, the expedition managed to reach a very impressive 8,170 m of the North Ridge before deciding to retreat. The very next day, George Finch and Geoffrey Bruce attempted the same challenge, and reached 8,320 m. This was to be the first time that bottled oxygen was used on an expedition. A very short while after, on the 7th of June, the infamous George Mallory was caught in a dramatic avalanche which claimed the lives of seven Sherpa’s. These were to be the first reported fatalities on Everest, but certainly not the last. Despite the fact that this particular expedition claimed the lives of those highly experienced Sherpa’s, they did manage to set a new world record by reaching 27,000 ft. up the mountain.
Year: 1924
Season: Spring
Leader: Edward F Norton (
UK)
Route:
North
Col - North Face and
North Col - North Ridge
Height Reached: 8570m
Members: Bently Beetham (UK), John Bruce (UK), John Hazard (UK), Richard Hingston (UK), Andrew Irvine (UK), George Mallory (UK), John Noel (UK), Noel Odell (UK), Edward Shebbeare (UK), Theodore Somervell (UK), Man Bahadur Gurkha (Nepal), Shamsher Gurkha (Nepal)
Reason
Summit not reached: Abandoned after the disappearance of Mallory and
Irvine
Deaths: George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared and Man Bahadur Gurkha and Shamsher Gurkha died of illness
Summary:
In 1924, the British expedition was led by Brigadier-General Charles Bruce. Unfortunately, Bruce was unable to continue as expedition leader due to malaria, thus leaving the responsibility to Lt-Col. Edward Norton. After this, George Mallory was instated as the climbing leader. It was the 2nd of June when George Mallory and Charles Bruce made their first attempt at reaching Everest’s summit. The two set off from the
North Col with the full intention to make it to the top. However, it was not to be. A combination of severe weather, exhaustion and problems with porters, the climb was abandoned and they returned to base camp on the North Col. On the 4th of June, Somervell and Norton decided that they would make the brave attempt at a climb to the summit without oxygen due to the very good conditions. Unfortunately, Somervell had to abandon the trek due to medical issues, although he did reach 28,000 feet. Despite the fact that Norton had lost his partner, he decided to carry on. He managed to reach 28,126 ft., a mere 900 feet from the summit before he had to give it up due to exhaustion. On the 8th of June, determined to reach the peak, Mallory and
Irvine started there ascent at 26,900-ft with the help of oxygen equipment that had been modified by
Irvine. Odell, a support climber below the pair had noted that he had spotted
Irvine and Mallory at the base of the final pyramid. Sadly, this was the last time that the two climbers were ever seen again. To this day it still remains unknown as to whether or not they successfully reached the summit, or whether they perished on the way up.
Year: 1933
Season: Spring
Leader: Hugh Ruttledge (
UK)
Route:
North
Col - North Face
Height Reached: 8570m
Members: Eugene Birnie (UK), John Boustead (UK), Thomas Brocklebank (UK), Colin Crawford (UK), Charles Greene (UK), Jack Longland (UK), William Maclean (UK), Edward Shebbeare (UK), Eric Shipton (UK), William Smyth-Windham (UK), Frank Smythe (UK), E C Thompsom (UK), Lawrence Wager (UK), George Wood-Johnson (UK), Percy Wyn-Harris (UK)
Reason
Summit not reached: Route too difficult and lack of strength
Deaths: None
Summary:
In 1933 Hugh Ruttledge lead an expedition, determined to reach the summit. The group were incredibly sure that they would reach the summit. Despite the fact that oxygen was taken along, the climbers did not use it. The reason for this is that accomplished climbers thought that extra oxygen would be of no benefit to them. Although there were delays on the ascent because of several restrictions such as the weather and also illness among them, the camp was actually placed at a much higher location than the camp that was placed in 1924. The first summit attempt by Lawrence Wager and Percy Wyn-Harris did not exactly go to plan. Their plan was to simply follow the
North East Ridge. However, they made a mistake by bypassing the first step rather than going over it. This meant that they were not on course. They then decided to follow the path of Norton from 1924. However, it was decided that this particular route was unclimable, thus leading them to abandon the climb. Many climbers, including Eric Shipton and Frank Smythe have tried to follow the same path, with no success, reaching the same height as Wager and Percy-Wyn.
Year: 1934
Season: Spring
Leader: Maurice Wilson (
UK)
Route:
North
Col
Height Reached: 6900m
Members: Tewang Sherpa (
Nepal), Rinzing Sherpa (
Nepal), Tsering Sherpa (
Nepal)
Reason
Summit not reached: Maurice Wilson's death
Deaths: Maurice Wilson died of exposure/frostbite
Summary:
Perhaps one of the most notable attempts at the Everest summit was that of Maurice Wilson, a well-known British eccentric.
Wilson had decided that he was going to tackle the summit by himself, and didn’t let anything stand in his way.
Despite the fact that
Wilson was not an accomplished flyer, he illegally flew himself from the
UK to
India. Upon arrival he hiked through
Tibet and enlisted the help of some local Sherpa’s.
Wilson was not an accomplished climber, nor did he possess any climbing equipment. He had stated that he would reach the summit with spiritual help. Of course, he did not reach the summit at all. Sadly, his body was discovered by another British expedition a year later. It is said that he was found wrapped in a tent. The body of
Wilson has been rediscovered on numerous occasions by expeditions from all over the world, the last noted being that of a Chinese expedition. Unlike the body of Mallory, the body of
Wilson has decayed due to differences in temperature where he was found. Mallory’s body is still intact to this day, despite him having died a very long time ago.
Year: 1935
Season: Summer
Leader: Eric Shipton (
UK)
Route:
North
Col and
West Side
Height Reached: 7000m
Members: Leslie Bryant (New Zealand), Edwin Kempson (UK), Michael Spender (UK), Harold Tilman (UK), Charles Warren (UK), Edmund Wigram (UK)
Reason
Summit not reached: Bad conditions, deep snow and avalanches
Deaths: None
Summary:
In 1935 Eric Shipton led an exploratory expedition in order to prepare for a planned expedition the following year. This expedition took place during the Monsoon season. During this expedition the climbers explored various different routes in order to better the route. However, after exploring several different routes such as the West Ridge, it was decided that none of them were acceptable. Although they were deemed impractical, Shipton did say that the route from the Western Cwm would have been suitable if there were a way in which they could enter from the Nepalese side. Fast forwarding some years later, this was actually the route that was to be used in the expedition that took place during 1953. Another thing that makes this particular expedition so interesting is the fact that it was the first expedition that Tenzing Norgay was involved in. At the time he was engaged to one of the expedition porters.
Year: 1936
Season: Spring
Leader: Hugh Ruttledge (
UK)
Route:
North
Col
Height Reached: 7000m
Members: James Gavin (UK), Gordon Humphreys (UK), Edwin Kempson (UK), Charles Morris (UK), Peter Oliver (UK), Eric Shipton (UK), William Smyth-Windham (UK), Frank Smythe (UK), Charles Warren (UK), Edmund Wigram (UK), Percy Wyn-Harris (UK)
Reason
Summit not reached: Bad Weather, storms and high winds
Deaths: None
Summary:
Hugh Ruttledge was selected as leader for his second expedition. This expedition saw some old faces and many new ones, making it the largest attempt on
Mount Everest so far. Although the
North Col was reached, a combination of high winds, storms and waist-deep snow made any progress above 23,000ft (7,000m) very difficult and, with the monsoon arriving early, Hugh Ruttledge made the decision to call off the expedition.
Year: 1938
Season: Spring
Leader: H W Tilman (
UK)
Route: East Rongbuk Glacier - North Col and
North Col - North Face
Height Reached: 8300m
Members: Peter Lloyd (
UK), Noel Odell (
UK), Peter Oliver (
UK), Eric Shipton (
UK), Frank Smythe (
UK), Charles Warren (
UK)
Reason
Summit not reached: Bad conditions, deep snow and avalanches
Deaths: None
Summary:
Having been a member of the 1935
Mount Everest expedition Bill Tilman was this time appointed leader of the 1938 Everest expedition. This was a small but capable party of seven. The plan for this expedition was to attempt an ascent via the
North West ridge. Having arrived at Base Camp on the 6th April they did not establish a camp on the
North Col until the 26th May, this was due to bad snow conditions. Eventually they reached over 27,000 ft (8,230 m) without supplemental oxygen before being forced down due to bad weather and deep snow.
Year: 1951
Season: Autumn
Leader: Eric Shipton (
UK)
Route: Khumbu Glacier - Khumbu Icefall (recon)
Height Reached: 6000m
Members: Thomas Bourdillon (UK), Edmund Hillary (New Zealand), William Murray (UK), Harold Riddiford (New Zealand), Michael Ward (UK), Angtharkey Sherpa (Nepal), Nima Sherpa (Nepal), Pasang Sherpa (Nepal)
Reason
Summit not reached: Route proved too difficult
Deaths: None
Summary:
In 1951, an expedition led by Eric Shipton took a trip into
Nepal. The purpose of this trip was to determine a route to the summit of Everest via the southern face of the mountain. Several notable names took part in this trip, including Edmund Hillary, Tom Bourdillon, Bill Murray and Mike Ward. On September the 30th, the climbers travelled up 20,000 ft. From this height, they noted that they were able to see the Western Cwm. They then determined that actually, it would be possible to ascent via the southern side of the mountain. Once they had determined that this route was possible, they spent a whole four weeks trying to gain access to the Western Cwm via the Khumbu Icefall. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as their path was obstructed by a huge crevasse that was estimated to be between one hundred and three hundred feet wide.
Year: 1953
Season: Spring
Leader: John Hunt (
UK)
Route: South Col - South East Ridge
Height Reached: Summit
Members: George Band (UK), Thomas Bourdillon (UK), Charles Evans (UK), Alfred Gregory (UK), Edmund Hillary (New Zealand), George Lowe (New Zealand), Wilfrid Noyce (UK), Griffith Pugh (UK), Thomas Stobart (UK), Michael Ward (UK), Michael Westmacott (UK), Charles Wylie (UK), Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (Nepal)
Summit Reached By: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on the 29th May
Deaths: None
Summary:
The ninth expedition to Mount Everest took place in 1953, led by John Hunt. This particular expedition was a little different in that it was completely organised and paid for by Joint Himalayan Committee. Wilfrid Noyce and Annullu had created a path to the South Col before, and Hunt had chosen two climbing teams to attempt the summit. Charles Evans and Bourdillon were the first pair to attempt the summit, and successfully reached the South summit. However, they were unable to take their expedition any further because they had problems with the equipment that they were carrying, and they were also running out of time. Just two days later, it was the turn of the second pairing; Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. With the aid of standard oxygen equipment, the climbing pair were able to reach the summit on the 29th of May. They had used the South Col route. During their very brief time at the summit of Mount Everest, they stopped to take some photographs and also buried some sweets underneath the snow. Over the years there has been one question that has plagued this huge achievement. Many people were confused as to which out of the two was actually the first to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest. Although there was a lot of speculation, Tenzing stated that it was, in fact, Hillary. Both Edmund Hillary and John Hunt were awarded knighthoods for their achievement, after news of their achievement had reached London on the Queen’s coronation. This was to be one of the most famous expeditions of all time, and is still talked about on a daily basis.
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