Mittens worn by British Everest expedition leader Sir John Hunt in 1953 have been reunited 70 years after the momentous mountain challenge.
The quirky turn of fate came about after the owner of the right-hand mitt, a man who climbed Everest himself in 2018, spotted the left-hand mitt was coming up for sale at Hansons Auctioneers.
Determined to reunite the pair, he booked a phone line to enable him to bid live during the sale. After an intense battle, he secured the historical memento for a hammer price of £3,200. It’s now waited to be framed and displayed alongside the right-hand mitt, which he bought more than 20 years ago at auction for around £400.
Jim Spencer, manager of the May Library sale which offered the item, said: “I had the bidder on the telephone and after they won the auction they said to me, ‘By the way, I own the other one’.
“I couldn’t believe it! Talk about finding the best home for it! We had Hunt’s left-hand mitten, and they owned the right-hand mitten, which was originally offered by another auction house in around 2003/4. So, around 20 years later they managed to complete the pair!
“It’s timely because May 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the conquest of Everest. Sir John never made it to the summit due to illness but his leadership ensured Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top on May 29, 1953. The news was reported on June 2 1953, the morning of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
The owner of the mittens, Daniel Wallace, 44, a property surveyor from Winkfield, Berkshire, said: “I have owned the first one for about 20 years. It’s framed along with a letter of provenance from Sir John Hunt. It’s wonderful to pair them up again.
“I’ve been a mountaineer for around 20 years and climbed Everest in 2018. I also attempted Everest in 2014 and 2015 and witnessed tragedy. I lost three members of my team in a Nepal earthquake in April 2015. I was also there when an ice avalanche struck in 2014. I went on to raise money for the families of three Sherpas who lost their lives.
“I know first hand how difficult it is to climb Everest and how long it takes – more than two months is required in order to acclimatise to the high altitude. These mittens are an iconic symbol of the 1953 expedition. The left-hand mitt will be displayed in my house framed separately alongside the right-hand mitt with their individual letters of provenance from Sir John Hunt. Each has its own story to tell since leaving Everest.”
A letter from Sir John with the right-hand mitt, dated December 1986, confirms it was one of a pair worn ‘during the first assault on 24-28 May 1953’. He also mentioned memorabilia being distributed to ‘various charity foundations’.
This ties in with a letter of provenance with the left-hand mitt which reads, “Dear Mr Jenkins, Thank you for your letter dated 17th September. I hope that the enclosed down mitt, used by me at 27,400 feet on Everest on 26th May 1953, may be helpful to you in your campaign”.
Jim said: “The campaign referred to was a 1970s fund-raiser for a new Scout hut for the 1st Newtown Scout Group in Newtown, Powys. Sir John kindly donated the mitt and the seller’s father bought it. At that time, Sir John had a home nearby in the village of Llanfair Waterdine.
“The Welsh seller drove all the way to Hansons’ Staffordshire saleroom, Bishton Hall, to bring me the mitt. It was tucked inside an old shoebox. Seeing that humble old mitten was a catch-your-breath moment. It signifies a pivotal moment in the expedition as 27,400 feet was the highest altitude gained by Hunt. At that point he was overcome by altitude sickness and his life was at stake.”
Hunt chose two pairs of climbers to make the final push for the summit. The first, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, came within 330ft on May 26 but turned back after running into oxygen problems.
The same day, Hunt, ascending with Sherpa, Da Namgyal, intended to reach 27,900 feet to leave equipment for the second summit party of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The pair came to Hunt’s rescue when he could not move any more. Hilary fetched his oxygen apparatus and put Hunt on a maximum flow of six litres per minute. Three days later on May 29, 1953 Norgay and Hillary reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain.”
The mitt sold in Hansons Auctioneers’ May 10 Travel and Exploration Auction. To find out more email Jim Spencer: [email protected].
