wardrobe

1921

When George Bernard Shaw saw portrait of 1921 Everest expedition – men dressed in Norfolk jackets knickerbockers and puttees – camel hair grey goat , Donegal tweed – matching tie and waistcoat – woolen scarf. He famously quipped the entire scene resembled “Connemara picnic surprised by a snowstorm” (Connemara is coastal region in western Ireland.)

FIRST DAY OF EXPEDITION – Mallory rode a pony w a sun umbrella in hand, an oiled silk cover on his topee and a rucksack on his back, humping out of his cycling cape. He told Ruth he looked ridiculous.

Head lama, Lingkhor Rinpoche  – 1921 -Bury took pic of him “dressed in robes of beautiful golden brocade, w priceless silk Chinese hangings arranged behind him while he sat on a raised dais w his dorjee and his bell in front of him, placed upon a finely carved Chinese table. – became famous photo everyone (Buddhists) wanted it for the man was a living saint and worshipped as god incarnate

On the descent in the sleet and snow, bullock put up his pink umbrella. Mallory wore his shepherd’s overalls, airplane wing fabric oiled to a dirty yellow sheen.

Bullock – clothes for the trek – 3 pairs of drawers and 3 shetland sweaters.

Finch anticipating the cold, contacted S.W Silver and Co – a firm specializing in military uniforms and expedition gear and ordered custom-made garments of his own invention: knee length coat, trousers and gauntlets lined with eiderdown

1922

Each climber responsible for his own kit so it was a motley assemblage – layers of underwear, flannel shirts, cotton outer garments padded w eiderdown, waistcoats and lamb-skin jackets, plus fours and cashmere puttees, stockings, knickerbocker suits and shetland pullovers. The only standard issue was a pair of thigh length sheepskin RAF flying boots which reduced all movement to “a clumsy waddle”. Morris wore a suit of shoddy cashmere tweed “it looked alright” he wrote “but afforded little protection from the howling Tibetan gales”

Morshead put on his sledding suit.

Advanced to provision camp 4. Mallory wore 2 felt hats. Strutt and Somervell wore solar topees. Norton and Morshead foolishly went without protection from the sun and would regret it.

1924

Irvine writes: a very amusing dinner w a couple of bottles of champagne. A very dirty and bedraggled company. Hingston clean-shaven and proper sitting opposite Shebbeare w a face like a villain and a balaclava inside out on the back of his head. Hazard in a flying helmet w a bristly chin sticking out even further… Beetham sat silent most of the time, round and black like a mixture of Judas Iscariot and an apple dumpling. George sitting on a very low chair could hardly be seen above the table except for a cloth hat pinned up on one side w a huge safety pin and covered in candle grease. Noel as usual, leaning back w his chin down and cloth hat over his eyes, grinning to himself. Everyone was very happy to be back in a Christian mess hut eating decent food.

Norton describing his look: “personally I wore thick woolen vest and drawers, a thick flannel shirt and two sweaters under a lightish knickerbocker suit of windproof gaberdine the knickers of which were lined w light flannel, a pair of soft elastic Kashmir putties and a pair of boots of felt bound and soled with leather and lightly nailed w the usual Alpine nails. Over all I wore a very light pajama suit of Messrs Burberry’s “shakleton” windproof gabardine. On my hands I wore a pair of long fingerless woolen mits inside a similar pair made of gaberdine… On my head I wore a fur-lined motorcycling helmet, and my eyes and nose were protected by a pair of goggles of Crooke’s glass, which were sewn into a leather mask that came well over the nose and covered any part of my face, which was not naturally protected by my beard. A huge woolen muffler completed my costume.”

Mallory climbed into a Whymper shared by Odell, Somervell and Irvine. He removed his boots and knickers, put on his favorite footless stockings knitted by Ruth.

Odell and hazard made the climbers a breakfast of fried sardines, biscuits, chocolate and tea. Mallory didn’t overdress: cotton and silk underwear, a flannel shirt, a brown long sleeved pullover, woolen waistcoat. For wind he wore a gabardine shackletonjacket. He had 2 pairs of goggles, a fur lined helmet, woolen mittens, and a scarf.  Crammed into his pockets and in 2 pouches worn around his neck were misc item; nail scissors and a penknife, a box of swan vesta matches, extra laces and straps, a tube of petroleum jelly and 2 handkerchiefs one burgundy, green and blue. And the other red, blue and yellow, each monogrammed GLM. He had a list of supplies scratched out on a bit of paper and three letters. One from Trafford his brother dated April 2. A second from sister Mary in Colombo April 12 and the third was from a woman he had met in NY- Stella Cobden-Sanderson (no scandal here) on the back of the envelope he had written info about pressure levels of the O2 cylinders which is the only reason he carried that letter w him.

Irvine wore similar gear but w breeches and puttees beneath his shackletonjacket. He had a felt hat pulled down low over his face to protect it from sun.