Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury (1881 – 1963) was an Irish explorer and botanist. Born at Charleville Castle, King's County, Ireland, on 15 August 1883, the only son of Captain Kenneth Howard-Bury (1846–1885). Educated at Eton and Sandhurst. Was always interested in climbing as a youth, which led him to take up the larger routes in Austrian Alps. Howard-Bury joined the 60th rifles in 1904 and was posted to India, where he went travelling and big game-hunting. In 1905 he secretly entered Tibet without permission and was rebuked by Lord Curzon. His early travel diaries date from 1906 and show his keen powers of observation, encyclopaedic knowledge of natural history, and linguistic ability.and by 1909. He travelled widely and visited Tibet, Kashmir and the Karakoram. During World War I he saw action at the Somme, Ypres and Passchendale. He was captured by the Germans and was a prisoner of war until 1919. At the behest or Sir Francis Younghusband in 1920, C.K. Howard-Bury successfully paved the way for the Everest Expedition. In 1921 he was the leader of the Everest Reconnaissance Expedition, for the Royal Geographical Society. In 1922 he wrote a full account of the expedition and published "Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921" (ISBN 1-135-39935-2). The Everest expedition of [[1921} made Howard-Bury a public figure and in 1922 he was elected to parliament for Bilston (South Wolverhampton) as a Unionist, and then for Chelmsford from 1926 until his resignation in 1931.
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Footnote to the 1921 Expedition
During the 1921 expedition Charles Howard-Bury found many footprints at high altitude, he later pronounced that the tracks "were probably caused by a large ‘loping’ grey wolf" [1], however his sherpas were quick to offer that they were the tracks of a "Metoh Kangmi". It was at this time that a Mr. Henry Newman of The Statesman in Calcutta (now Kolkata) obtained decriptions from the expedition's porters on their return to Darjeeling. Bill Tilman writes in his book [2] (see also [3]) that the Tibetan porters had used the word "Metch kangmi" (meaning "filthy snowman") to which Newman translated, incorrectly, as "Abominable", hence the phrase "Abominable Snowman" came into existence in 1921. Later Newman wrote in a letter to The Times "The whole story seemed such a joyous creation I sent it to one or two newspapers"[4]. Izzard adds "whatever effect Mr. Newman intended, from 1921 onwards the Yeti - or whatever various native populations choose to call it - became saddled with the description "Abominable Snowman", an appellation which can only appeal more to the music-hall mind than to mammologists, a fact which has seriously handicapped earnest seekers of the truth"[5]
Citations
- ^ Howard-Bury, Charles (1921). "Chapter 19", Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921. Edward Arnold, p 141. 1-135-39935-2.
- ^ Tilman H.W, (1938). Mount Everest 1938. Pilgrim Publishing, p 127-137. ISBN 81-7769-175-9.
- ^ Masters J. (1959). The Abominable Snowman CCXVIII, No. 1304. Harpers.
- ^ Tilman H.W, (1938). Mount Everest 1938. Pilgrim Publishing, p 127-137. ISBN 81-7769-175-9.
- ^ Ralph Izzard. (1955). The Abominable Snowman Adventure. Hodder and Staoughton: p 24.
References
- C.K. Howard-Bury, "Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921" (ISBN 1-135-39935-2)
External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Edgecomb Hickman |
Member of Parliament for Bilston 1922–1924 |
Succeeded by John Baker |
| Preceded by Sir Henry Honywood Curtis-Bennett |
Member of Parliament for Chelmsford 1926–1931 |
Succeeded by Sir Vivian Leonard Henderson |
