Famous mountaineer George Mallory’s Everest letters digitized after 100 years

On the 100th anniversary of his attempt to climb Everest, renowned mountaineer George Mallory’s emotional letters illuminate his life before and after the ascent, revealing the human story of his desire to reach the summit of Everest

Letters written by renowned mountaineer George Mallory have been digitized to mark the centenary of his attempt to climb Everest.

Mallory is best known as a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and said he wanted to climb Everest “because it’s there.” Whether Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew “Sandy” Irvine actually reached the summit of Everest is still a matter of debate.

In 1924, Mallory and Irvine set out for the summit from a camp at the foot of Mount Everest. But the pair were never seen alive again after they were last seen by climber Noel Odell thousands of meters above and near the summit of Everest.

The letters written by the famous mountaineer include correspondence between him and his fiancée Ruth from the time of their engagement in 1914 until his death in 1924. They include his last letter, written before his last attempt to summit Everest, and three letters recovered from his body in 1999. These letters were discovered after 75 years in Mallory’s jacket pocket.

The letters cover some fascinating topics, including the following:

• In 1921 he made his first expedition to Mount Everest. There were no records or maps available, it had not been mapped and this mission was to see if it was possible to reach the foot of Everest.
• His second mission was to survey Everest. This mission ended in disaster when eight Sherpas (an ethnic group living in Nepal) were dragged off the mountain and killed in an avalanche. In his letters, Mallory blamed himself for this tragic accident.
• His involvement in the First World War includes first-hand accounts of serving in the artillery during the Battle of the Somme.
• Letters from 1923: He visited the United States at the height of prohibition in 1923. Because it was forbidden at the time, he visited speakeasy venues, asked for milk and was served whiskey through a secret hatch.

The letters cover important topics such as Mallory’s Everest expeditions, his participation in the First World War and his visit to the U.S. in 1923. His wife, Ruth’s letters to Mallory are an important source for women’s social history.

Archivists state that they have had a great pleasure in analyzing Mallory’s and Ruth’s letters. In Mallory’s last letter to Ruth before his last Everest attempt, he wrote, “We are 50 to 1, but we are still hopeful and we will make ourselves proud.”

These letters offer an important insight into the life of the famous mountaineer and his experience of climbing Everest.

Source: Newsroom