A packet which contained food to fortify famous adventurers during the first successful British ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 is part of an ‘incredible archive’ set for auction.
The used foil food package, which bears an official Everest Expedition label, originally contained cocoa, orangeade powder and a banana bar. It is signed by John Hunt, who led the expedition, and fellow mountaineers Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. The signatures, though faded, are visibly inscribed ‘Everest ’53’ by Hunt.
The memento was treasured by Tom Stobart (1914-1980), a British cameraman, film-maker and author. As official cameraman on the expedition, he was able to capture footage to create The Conquest of Everest, an official film of the event. He received an OBE for his efforts.
Now items amassed by Tom over a lifetime of adventure, including a pickaxe he used during the Tibetan Hunt for the Abominable Snowman in 1954, are set to go under the hammer at Hansons London on October 29. The archive, which includes camera equipment, scientific instruments and ephemera, has a guide price of £10,000 to £20,000.
It has been treasured for decades by Tom’s son Patrick Stobart. But at the age of 77 the company director from Nottingham has decided to part with it to ensure his father’s historical archive is saved for posterity.
Patrick, who at 16 travelled by road to Tehran, Iran, with his father to film Adventure On and worked as a wildlife biologist in Africa, said: “I hope the collection may go to a museum. I am extremely proud of my father and my grandfather Ralph Stobart. He was also a mountaineer. There is a microscope in the collection coming up for auction used by all three of us.
“The framed food packet, which I displayed on the wall in my home, is particularly interesting. It was made of a lightweight foil to make it easy to carry and preserve food during the seven-week expedition. I also like a canvas painting of the Wheel of Life (bhavacakra) which was donated to my father in 1953 by a Tibetan Buddhist monastery on the slopes of Everest.”
Other mementoes include tickets and an official programme for the first screening of The Conquest of Everest, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Thomas Stobart is listed in the credits as the film-maker.
An original letter of invitation to meet members of the Everest Expedition at London Airport, dated June 30, 1953 is also in the archive along with black and white photos of Tom and numerous newspaper cuttings recording the Everest expedition and ‘Yeti Hunt’.
Camera equipment includes a Paillard Bolex H-16 Reflex 16mm cine camera, possibly used by Tom during the hunt for the Abominable Snowman; a Paillard Bolex Swiss-made speed-control motor and an Adam’s Minex, London, De Luxe Model plate camera.
Scientific Instruments on offer include 19th century microscopes and cabinets packed with specimen slides of things such as leaf scales, pollen grains, fungal spores, insect antennae, marine biology, sections of butterfly wings and feathers, some from Australia and Peru.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “This is an incredible collection which reminds us of a magical moment in history. After years of dreaming about it, New Zealander Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) reached the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 11.30am on May 29, 1953. They were the first people to ever reach the summit. Tom captured the emotion of the moment on film.
“In fact, he captured some of the most famous expeditions and achievements in human history. During his career, he followed a team of scientists exploring Antarctica in 1949, as well as the Tibetan hunt for the Abominable Snowman in 1954. It’s an honour to offer this important historical archive at auction. We very much hope it will attract museum interest.”
Tom was born in Darlington, County Durham, and educated at St Bees School near Whitehaven, Cumberland. He attended Sheffield University and Cambridge University where he studied zoology.
He made Army instructional films in India during the Second World War, and adventure was always his calling. He went on a 1946 expedition to the Himalayas, and on an expedition to North Queensland. He also made the official film of the 1949-50 Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition. During the 1953 Everest challenge, John Hunt recalled that Tom had a ‘seemingly endless repertoire of adventure stories’.
Tom was also a talented cook who wrote books Cook’s Encyclopaedia and Herbs, Spices and Flavourings. Sadly, he was left partially disabled after being shot twice in the legs during a filming trip to Ethiopia around 1956. He died suddenly in 1980 aged 66 – just before a new chapter in his life was about to begin. He and Patrick planned to mass produce chutneys based on Tom’s recipes.
The Tom Stobart archive, lot 50, will be offered on Saturday, October 29 by Hansons Auctioneers in their London Auction. Catalogues: www.hansonslive.co.uk and www.the-saleroom.com. To find out more, email [email protected].
