Cheshire Memories: George Mallory and the 1924 Everest expedition

By Sarah Griffiths on Nov 23, 09 09:12 AM in 1900-1945

George Mallory, the mountaineer famous for his part in the ill-fated 1924 Everest expedition, was born and brought up in the Cheshire village of Mobberley.

George Herbert Leigh-Mallory was born on 18 June 1886 and his father was an affluent clergyman.

He was one of four children (his brother, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, was a World War II Royal Air Force commander) and his aptitude for climbing became evident at an early age. His escapades included climbing on the roof of the parish church and being rescued from a seaside rock when the tide came in.

After attending two preparatory schools in Eastbourne and West Kirby, he won a scholarship to Winchester College at the age of 14. Mallory's interest in climbing was fostered there by the experienced mountaineer Graham Irving. Irving set up the Winchester Ice Club which gave Mallory and his fellow pupils a chance to gain a wide range of experience.

The group went to the Alps in 1904 and made an attempt on Bourg St-Pierre. However, two of the climbers (including Mallory) suffered from mountain sickness and they turned back 600ft from the summit. Mallory went back to the area with Irving at a later date and made two successful summit climbs which cemented his passion for the sport.

In 1905 George Mallory went to study at Cambridge and continued to climb in the holidays, particularly with fellow student Geoffrey Winthrop Young. On finishing his degree he did some further study, spent some time in France and then took a position at Charterhouse in Surrey as an assistant schoolmaster.

He married Ruth Turner in 1914 and they had three children over the following four years. He went into the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1915 and served in France in 1916 before being discharged because of an old injury. After returning to Charterhouse, he continued to climb whenever possible and resigned the position in 1921 to join his first Everest expedition. This venture in 1922 suffered from bad weather, lack of suitable equipment and poor planning. The team refused to admit defeat and made a further three unsuccessful attempts to reach the summit in the following year.

In the meantime, Mallory did some writing and lecturing before becoming a lecturer at Cambridge. He obtained leave from the university to make a further Everest attempt in 1924. One of the team members on this expedition was Andrew (Sandy) Irvine from Birkenhead. He was younger than Mallory being at 22 at the time of the expedition. Irvine had attended Birkenhead School, Shrewsbury School and then Merton College Oxford to study engineering. He was selected for the expedition following a university trip to Spitsbergen in 1923 when he met the expedition leader Noel Odell.

During the 1924 Everest expedition, both Cheshire team members were chosen to make a summit bid from their high camp. The last sighting of the pair was by the team leader who reported that they were making good progress. However, they failed to return and died on the mountain. There has always been speculation as to whether they were the first conquerors of the mountain. In 1999 Mallory's body was found at 27,000 feet on the north face, but the evidence was inconclusive about whether they did reach the summit. Irvine's body has never been found.

Mallory's grandson, George Mallory II, successfully climbed Everest in 1995 and achieved his grandfather's dream.