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Sandra Noel Part II could they have made it
12:39 p.m. EDT Aug 17, 2003
Captain Noel served as the photographer for the 1922 and 1924 British Expeditions to Mount Everest. It was he to whom George Mallory sent his last letter, directing where Noel should be on the lookout with his camera as Mallory and Irvine made their summit attempt. Their key locations are marked on this Noel's photo of the 1924 Expedition.
In this final part of ExWebs inteview with his daughter; Sandra Noel discusses her father’s involvement in the Everest expeditions, the nagging differences of her father’s expedition account and whether he thought Mallory and Irvine could possibly have made the summit.
EW: How did your father become involved in the Everest Expeditions?
SN: He had been interested in both mountaineering and photography from his mid teens, when he was fortunate enough to spend some time in Switzerland, and he harboured a secret ambition to reach Mount Everest; he saw the army – his father’s career – as a means to possible achievement; by applying to join a regiment which was stationed in a notoriously hot posting in northern India, he guessed that there would be time for him to study maps of Tibet, learn the language and befriend some hillsmen who would accompany him on this reckless adventure.
This plan succeeded, and, in 1913, he was able to reach further than any previous westerner. His account to the Royal Geographical Society was only possible in 1919, by which time, the President, Sir Francis Younghusband, decided that the time was right to make a formal approach to the Tibetan authorities for permission to send an expedition.
Younghusband had earmarked Noel for a place in the team, but the army could not spare him in 1921, so he joined the expeditions in 1922 and 1924, as official photographer.
The plans for the 1924 attempt were almost foiled by a lack of money, and, to help the perilous financial situation of the Mount Everest Committee, Noel raised £8,000, and so acquired all the photographic rights to the cine and still material relating to the expedition. Thus he operated as a separate unit with his photographic party, oxygen and tents. He designed and had made the photographic equipment needed, arranged the construction of a laboratory in Darjeeling, where the film material was developed, and even had his own porters.
EW: Apart from the official account of the 1924 Expedition entitled “The Fight For Everest,” your father wrote his own account, which was published 3 years later. The differing details of your father’s account lead some to question its accuracy. (Noel acknowledged that he wrote his account two years later “to the best of his recollection.”)
One of the most important distinctions he mentions repeatedly is where Mallory and Irvine spent their last night before their summit bid. The “Fight for Everest” states that the pair stayed at the Camp VI established by Norton and Somervell. However, your father wrote that they camped even higher. He was told this by Lakpa Sherpa who had personally accompanied the pair and went directly back down to Noel bringing Mallory’s final note that explained where Noel should be looking out for them on the route to the summit. Noel even made a distinction between the two Camp locations on one of his photographs.
What do you think accounts for the differences?
SN: There is no reason why my father’s story is not accurate, especially as he spoke to the sherpa Lakpa who delivered the note from Mallory, and who discussed with Noel the mental and physical condition of Mallory and Irvine.
EW: Did Noel keep a diary of the expedition?
SN: I have never found any evidence of a diary; he was obviously very absorbed in the photography, and making notes of the subject matter, and the colours, in addition to carefully monitoring all the technical aspects of the picture-making, so I can understand that writing daily notes was not a priority.
EW: Even many years later, your father sounded quite emotional as he recounted the final days of the 1924 expedition. Did you ever discuss it with him?
SN: In my opinion, as time passed, my father became more emotional when recounting the story of the tragedy, although his account of events never changed.
EW: Did he believe that George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made it to the summit?
SN: Yes. My father held a firm belief that they reached the summit. They were very late, and could obviously never reach the safety of their bivouac that night, but, nevertheless, they were still going on, and up. Personally, Noel found Mallory to be very determined, and dedicated to making a success of the climb. Largely because of their ages, he had a greater affinity with Mallory than Irvine, who was much admired for his technical skill, especially with the oxygen cylinders.
EW: Did your father keep in touch with other members of the expedition after their return?
SN: Not really. Not because he did not wish to, but communication was not as easy as it is today, and, after the tragedy, the other members scattered far and wide, and the Second World War obviously hindered contact. Odell visited frequently, and corresponded regularly and in great detail, and there are letters from Somervell.
EW: Are you in contact with any of the Expedition’s family members?
SN: My mother made a supreme effort to contact other members and their families, and I am now in regular contact with the Dick Norton, Jonathan Somervell and Graham Hoyland, Peter Odell, Julie Steele and John Mallory.
EW: Will audiences today ever have the opportunity to view your father’s film, ‘Epic of Everest,” without having to make a special trip to their Alpine Club?’
SN: The master copy is held by the British Film Institute, and I would truly love to make it available on DVD. It needs a little enhancement, but is really in very good condition. Clearly, I hold the copyright.
EW: What do you think of the idea that people are still so fascinated by the mystery of the 1924 expedition?
SN: The ongoing fascination with Everest sometimes surprises me, and the media attention to sensations often appalls me; I think my father would have found the coverage of the discovery of Mallory’s body in 1999 very distasteful.
EW: While respecting the accomplishment of the early expeditions, many modern climbers tend to dismiss the chances that the Mallory and Irvine could have made the summit, citing their clothing and climbing abilities. Your thoughts?
SN: As my father predicted in his book, a successful attempt on the mountain was inevitable. He had the vision to realise that clothing would be more appropriate, the introduction of new materials, such as nylon, would have a profound influence on the climbing fraternity, oxygen cylinders would become smaller and more compact, and he was in favour of modern technology which would make it easier to scale Everest.
The climbers of the 1920s were all very strong people, most having survived the brutality and deprivations of the war; they were also very stoic men, typical products of their Victorian upbringing, extremely well disciplined and fearless. They had been chosen to represent King and Country, and this they intended to do, no matter the consequences.
EW: Finally, what do you hope readers will learn from this book?
SN: I hope that the book will bring to life the entire journey from Darjeeling to Everest – the people, their clothes, houses, monasteries, in addition to many images with which we are familiar, as well as some hitherto unpublished
The men on those early expeditions were true pioneers, treading where no white man had ever been, meeting people to whom the white man and his ways were completely alien, in a battle against the elements, with clothing and equipment which today seems quite antiquated and inadequate. The failure of the 1924 attempt must have been devastating, as the survivors had all lost great friends and companions.
For my father, the problems were compounded – he had invested time and money, which he expected to recuperate by showing the film, and he had resigned his commission, so never received an Army Pension. But he never complained. There was always some new challenge ahead – to handpaint the glass slides, to design a collapsible boat for use in the second World War, to restore Tudor Hall houses in Kent, and to write a book. Time did not permit the last of these, so I have done my best, with the aid of his unpublished manuscripts, the technical data available and my own recollections, to put together some images of the journey across Tibet, and the attempt on the great mountain, as I hope he, himself, would have done."
In late September 2003, Sutton Publishing will release EVEREST PIONEER: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF CAPTAIN JOHN NOEL, a new book written by Sandra Noel about her father.
ExplorersWeb readers from the U.S. and UK may purchase "Everest Pioneer: The Photographs of Captain John Noel" via a special pre-publication offer through Sutton Publishing.
For UK Residents, the special price is £20.00 + Free P&P
For US Residents, the special price is £20.00 + £6.00 S&H
Payment accepted in pounds sterling only (via credit card, a sterling postal order, or a sterling bank check available at most banks.)
Book will be ready to ship on 26th Sept and will take 5-7 days (possibly longer for US residents.)
This special pre-publication offer is good only until September 26th, 2003.
TO ORDER:
US Call - 011 (44) 1963 442030
UK Call - 00 (44) 1963 442030
Or e-mail - helenholness@haynes-sutton.co.uk who will forward requests to customer service.
PLEASE USE CODE “EP” WHEN ORDERING
Sandra Noel was born in 1943 as John Noel’s only child. She is a part-time lecturer in Travel and Tourism at Canterbury College and freelance Blue Badge Guide in South East England. She lives in a small town, Wye, with her partner and cat.
Sandra will present a lecture and slides from her new book at the Canterbury Festival on October 23, 2003 at 5:30 p.m. (See link to left.)
All images courtesy of The John Noel Photographic Collection: 1.Key locations marked on Noel photo of 1924 Expedition. 3.Andrew Irvine and George Mallory. 3.Everest Pioneer: The Photographs of Captain John Noel
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