George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared on the North Ridge of Mount Everest on 8th June 1924. Their fate has remained a mystery.

Expedition Leader, Edward Norton, ordered an immediate withdrawal from the mountain and dispatched a coded message to the Royal Geographical Society in London informing them of the tragedy.

The expedition returned to Darjeeling by a circuitous route which included an unsanctioned crossing over the border into Nepal. Despite the loss of the two climbers and the failure to reach the summit they were welcomed back by marching bands and speeches from local dignitaries.

Three individuals standing in a mountainous area. Rocky terrain and sparse vegetation are visible, with a campsite or resting area in the background.

Waiting for news of Mallory and Irvine missing on Everest

Waiting for news of Mallory and Irvine missing on Everest

George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared on the North Ridge of Mount Everest on 8th June 1924. Their fate has remained a mystery.

Three individuals standing in a mountainous area. Rocky terrain and sparse vegetation are visible, with a campsite or resting area in the background.

Waiting for news of Mallory and Irvine missing on Everest

Waiting for news of Mallory and Irvine missing on Everest

Expedition Leader, Edward Norton, ordered an immediate withdrawal from the mountain and dispatched a coded message to the Royal Geographical Society in London informing them of the tragedy.

The expedition returned to Darjeeling by a circuitous route which included an unsanctioned crossing over the border into Nepal. Despite the loss of the two climbers and the failure to reach the summit they were welcomed back by marching bands and speeches from local dignitaries.

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A black and white illustration of Mount Everest with labeled points A to H, each indicating significant historical ascents or attempts, along with altitude measurements.
An individual sits outside a tent, working on a small object with tools. They are wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a hat, focused on the task at hand.

Bentley Beetham carving the memorial stone

Bentley Beetham carving the memorial stone

A black and white photograph of a rocky landscape with a large cairn in the foreground. The background features mountainous terrain with snow-covered peaks under a partly cloudy sky.

Memorial cairn

Memorial cairn

A black and white photograph of a mountainous landscape. A figure is walking through rocky terrain with sparse vegetation. Snow-capped mountains and a small body of water are in the background.

The last to leave

The last to leave

The expedition members were photographed, suitably cleaned up and smartly dressed, at a social gathering at Darjeeling Natural History Museum hosted by the wife of the Governor of Bengal, Lady Pamela Lytton. Poignantly, Mallory and Irvine are absent.

A black and white photograph of a group of individuals posing for a picture. The front row is seated, the middle row is standing, and the back row is on an elevated platform. They are dressed in formal attire.

Back in Britain Mallory and Irvine’s disappearance was met with dismay and disbelief. Private and national grief culminated in a memorial service at St. Paul’s Cathedral attended by the royal family and hundreds of mourners.

Theories regarding their deaths and speculation as to whether or not they got to the summit of Everest have continued to this day but the immediate reaction of their fellow climbers is probably correct – that they climbed to within striking distance of the top but ran out of time and slipped and fell to their deaths during the descent.

This version of events was partly confirmed in 1999 when the body of George Mallory was discovered on the North Face of the mountain. Andrew Irvine is still missing. 

Bentley Beetham returned to Barnard Castle School where he continued to teach and to introduce his pupils to the thrills of rock climbing until his retirement in 1949. His slide show lectures recounting the story of the 1924 Everest Expedition became a much anticipated annual event.

Click the button below to find out more about the work we have done with Nepali communities in North East England as part of this project.

Nepali Life in the North East

You can also visit the Photography page to find out more about the documentation of the 1924 expedition and see more of the Bentley Beetham collection at Durham University.

Photography

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