John Crabbe Cunningham

John Crabbe Cunningham
Born23 November 1927
Glasgow, Scotland
Died31 January 1980 (aged 52)
Anglesey, Holyhead, Wales

John Crabbe Cunningham (23 November 1927 – 31 January 1980) was a Scottish climber. Born in Glasgow, he was a member of the Creagh Dhu Mountaineering Club [1] and climbed extensively in the Scottish mountains, where he pioneered new techniques of ice climbing.[2][3]

During the 1950s and 1960s, Cunningham went to New Zealand, India, South Georgia and Antarctica. He wanted to climb Mount Everest, and in 1953 he had gone to Nepal via India with Hamish MacInnes, also a Scottish mountaineer, to start his climb. However, Hillary and Tenzing had made it to the top of Mount Everest before he could begin.[4]

On 23 November 1964, he made the first ascent of Antarctica's Mount Jackson.[5][6] [4]

Professional years

Cunningham was a member of the South Georgia Survey led by Duncan Carse for the third field season, 1955–56.[7]

In 1960 Cunningham started his career with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which became the British Antarctic Survey in 1962. He served as base leader at Base A, Port Lockroy for the winter of 1960, followed by two winters at Base E, Stonington Island, again as base leader, 1961 and 1962. He returned for a fourth winter in 1964, this time as base leader at Base T, Adelaide Island, during which time he and three companions climbed Mount Jackson.[8] (Both Port Lockroy and Stonington Island bases are now Historic Sites under the Antarctic Treaty, managed on behalf of BAS by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.[9]

In the 1970s, after he returned to Scotland, he became an instructor at the Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore. In this capacity he perfected innovations in techniques for front point cramponing and use of curved pick ice axes on steep sloping ice.[4] He had used this front point technique while working in Antarctica on icebergs and cliffs with a slope of 70 to 90 degrees.[2] In 1976 he became an instructor at I M Marsh Campus in Liverpool.[4]

On 31 January 1980, he took a group of six students for practical instruction on climbing to the South Stack sea-cliffs on Anglesey. Weather conditions deteriorated whilst the group were coasteering and a student was swept off the cliff. During the attempt to rescue him, a mature student tried to swim out to him with a rope but got into difficulty and Cunningham and a third student were washed into the sea. Cunningham, who was not a strong swimmer, was drowned. The three students survived but their instructor's body was never found.[1][4]

Honours

Cunningham was awarded the Perry Medal by the Royal Georgraphical Society in the 1950s. [1]

He was awarded the Polar Medal in 1967 [10]

Mount Cunningham (1,220 metres (4,000 ft)) in the Queen Maud Bay at the southern end of South Georgia was named in his honour.[7][4]

His biography, titled Creagh Dhu Climber, the life and times of John Cunningham, was published by Ernest Press.[1][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Connor, Jeff (1999). Creagh Dhu Climber, the life and times of John Cunningham. Ernest Press. ISBN 978-0-948153-54-9.
  2. ^ a b Cunningham, John; March, Bill. "New ice climbing techniques and equipment" (PDF). Alpine Journal: 75–79.
  3. ^ "Old Climbers & Bold Climbers: A brief history of northern Cairngorm climbing". BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Hard Man of the Hills". The Herald. 11 September 1999. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Mountaineers and Skiers in British Antarctic Territory Place-names" (PDF). Alpine Journal Org. Retrieved 27 December 2012. Of the many young mountaineers that have served at the BAS stations over the years, space allows mention of only two. J. C. Cunningham (1927–80)...on 23 November 1964 he led the first ascent of Mount Jackson, Palmer Land (3180m); the highest peak in the BAT
  6. ^ "Exploring the Frozen World" (PDF). Mountain World, Climb Magazine.com. ascent... [of] the highest mountain in the entire Peninsula, Mt Jackson at 3,188 metres (10,459 ft) well to the south in remote Palmer Land, fell to the notorious Scot, John Cunningham, in 1964
  7. ^ a b Trendall, Alec (2011). Putting South Georgia on the Map. Alec Trendall / Quality Press, Perth, Australia. ISBN 978-0-9870614-1-6. Includes several colour photographs of Cunningham during survey expeditions in South Georgia in the 1950s; a photo during one of his 1955 trips showing the later Mount Cunningham (photo 65) named that after his death in 1980; and a biography (p 197). Several other members of the 1950s surveys, mentioned and illustrated in the book, also now have a high peak in South Georgia named after them, e.g. Louis Baume, Tony Bomford, Duncan Carse, Gordon Smillie, Keith Warburton.
  8. ^ Fuchs, Sir Vivian E. (1982). Of Ice and Men. The Story of the British Antarctic Survey 1943-1973. Anthony Nelson.
  9. ^ "UK Antarctic Heritage Trust". Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  10. ^ Poulsom, Neville W.; Myres, J.A.L. (2000). British Polar Exploration and Research: A Historical and Medallic Record with Biographies, 1818–1999. Savannah Publications, London. ISBN 1 902366 05 0.
  11. ^ "Mount Cunningham". Mountains mounts. Retrieved 13 September 2011.

Further reading