J. O. M. Roberts
Encyclopedia
James Owen Merion Roberts (1916-1997) was one of the greatest Himalayan
mountaineer-explorers of the twentieth century, a highly decorated Army officer who achieved his greatest renown as "the father of trekking" in Nepal. His exploratory activities are comparable to those of Eric Shipton
and Bill Tilman
.
Born in England, Roberts spent his early life in India, where his father was a headmaster. He joined the British Indian Army in 1936 as a 19 year old subaltern to satisfy his ardent craving for mountaineering, and was posted to the 1st (King George V's Own) Gurkha Rifles.
His first major expedition was in 1938 to Masherbrum
, 7890 metres, in the Karakorams: the weather was bad, the attempt was unsuccessful and J.B.Harrison and R.A.Hodgkin got severely frostbitten. Roberts himself suffered at high altitude and had mild frostbite.
He tried to join the post-monsoon 1939 Everest expedition led by Bill Tilman
, but was informed the attempt had been called off. That year he recorded the first of his many first ascents, that of Guan Nelda, 6303 metres (now called Chau Chau Kang Nilda) in the Spiti Himalaya. The ascent was remarkable for something which became a Roberts hallmark: he climbed without any other 'sahib' for company, accompanied only by his Gurkhas. In this he was the true successor of the legendary Dr. A. M. Kellas who had climbed in the same fashion in Sikkim before 1914.
He was selected for the abortive 1940 Everest expedition.
The second major first ascent by Roberts was the 1941 climb of the c.21148 foot peak he named White Sail( also known as Dharmsura) in the Tos Glacier of Kullu Himalaya.
. Roberts's party reached Fort Hertz in early August and discovered it was still in British hands. On August 13 a party led by Capt.G.E.C. Newlands of 153 Para dropped in on Fort Hertz with engineering supplies, and the hitherto-unusable airfield at Fort Hertz was made operational by August 20. Roberts and his men were extracted around that date.
As Major commanding 'A' Company of the 153 (Gurkha) Para Battalion, he took part in the 50th Para Brigade defense of Sangshak in 1944 against the Japanese thrust towards Kohima
. The defense of Sangshak was portrayed by some in the Army High Command as not having been exemplary and Brigadier Hope-Thompson, in local command, took the punishment for that. However Slim, the 14th Army Commander personally sent a dispatch praising the bravery of those involved in the six days and nights of hand-to-hand fighting by a force outnumbered by 18 to 1. In fact the action is noted for the highest number of awards for gallantry issued by the Indian Army for a single action. Roberts fought well. The book about the battle by Harry Seaman has a photograph of him.
He led the first combat paratrooper
jump in Southeast Asia on 1 May 1945, dropping with a battalion-sized force at Elephant Point, South of Rangoon as part of the operation to capture that city, and was mentioned in Despatches.
After the war he was posted in Malaya
until 1954. He went to Kathmandu in 1958 as military attaché. He left the Army in 1962 as a Lieutenant-Colonel.
In 1995 he was given the Back Award (instituted 1888) by the Royal Geographic Society.
Roberts founded the first trekking and mountaineering outfit Mountain Travel Nepal in 1964 to offer the opportunity for well-heeled travellers to enjoy the experience of trekking or climbing in Nepal without problems. His trained Gurkha/Sherpa teams took care of transportation, camping and local liaison, leaving trekkers free to enjoy the thrills. The first trek he handled was one by three elderly ladies to Everest Base Camp in 1965. He is known and revered as "the father of trekking in Nepal".
He acted as bird-collector for the British Museum
during the 1950 expedition, and maintained an aviary in Pokhara where he bred pheasants. He died at Pokhara on November 1, 1997.
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
mountaineer-explorers of the twentieth century, a highly decorated Army officer who achieved his greatest renown as "the father of trekking" in Nepal. His exploratory activities are comparable to those of Eric Shipton
Eric Shipton
Eric Earle Shipton CBE was a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.-Early years:Born in Ceylon in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. His mother buried her grief by taking Eric and his sister Marge and travelling constantly for the next five years...
and Bill Tilman
Bill Tilman
Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar was an English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages.-Early years and Africa:...
.
Born in England, Roberts spent his early life in India, where his father was a headmaster. He joined the British Indian Army in 1936 as a 19 year old subaltern to satisfy his ardent craving for mountaineering, and was posted to the 1st (King George V's Own) Gurkha Rifles.
His first major expedition was in 1938 to Masherbrum
Masherbrum
Masherbrum is located in the Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan. At it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan. It was the first scaled and mapped peak in the Karakoram mountain range, hence its name....
, 7890 metres, in the Karakorams: the weather was bad, the attempt was unsuccessful and J.B.Harrison and R.A.Hodgkin got severely frostbitten. Roberts himself suffered at high altitude and had mild frostbite.
He tried to join the post-monsoon 1939 Everest expedition led by Bill Tilman
Bill Tilman
Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar was an English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages.-Early years and Africa:...
, but was informed the attempt had been called off. That year he recorded the first of his many first ascents, that of Guan Nelda, 6303 metres (now called Chau Chau Kang Nilda) in the Spiti Himalaya. The ascent was remarkable for something which became a Roberts hallmark: he climbed without any other 'sahib' for company, accompanied only by his Gurkhas. In this he was the true successor of the legendary Dr. A. M. Kellas who had climbed in the same fashion in Sikkim before 1914.
He was selected for the abortive 1940 Everest expedition.
The second major first ascent by Roberts was the 1941 climb of the c.21148 foot peak he named White Sail( also known as Dharmsura) in the Tos Glacier of Kullu Himalaya.
Military career
Serving with the 1st Gurkhas, Captain J.O.M.Roberts won the Military Cross in North Africa. Then he returned to India, and joined the 153 (Gurkha) Indian Para Battalion.He was dropped into North Burma on July 3, 1942 at the head of a small force to recce the Myitkyina area and then march 150 miles North to Fort HertzFort Hertz
Fort Hertz was a remote British Military outpost in northeastern Burma in the district of Putao in what is now the Kachin State near the present town of Putao. It was named after William Axel Hertz...
. Roberts's party reached Fort Hertz in early August and discovered it was still in British hands. On August 13 a party led by Capt.G.E.C. Newlands of 153 Para dropped in on Fort Hertz with engineering supplies, and the hitherto-unusable airfield at Fort Hertz was made operational by August 20. Roberts and his men were extracted around that date.
As Major commanding 'A' Company of the 153 (Gurkha) Para Battalion, he took part in the 50th Para Brigade defense of Sangshak in 1944 against the Japanese thrust towards Kohima
Kohima
Kohima is the hilly capital of India's north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. It lies in Kohima District and is also one of the three Nagaland towns with Municipal council status along with Dimapur and Mokokchung....
. The defense of Sangshak was portrayed by some in the Army High Command as not having been exemplary and Brigadier Hope-Thompson, in local command, took the punishment for that. However Slim, the 14th Army Commander personally sent a dispatch praising the bravery of those involved in the six days and nights of hand-to-hand fighting by a force outnumbered by 18 to 1. In fact the action is noted for the highest number of awards for gallantry issued by the Indian Army for a single action. Roberts fought well. The book about the battle by Harry Seaman has a photograph of him.
He led the first combat paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
jump in Southeast Asia on 1 May 1945, dropping with a battalion-sized force at Elephant Point, South of Rangoon as part of the operation to capture that city, and was mentioned in Despatches.
After the war he was posted in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
until 1954. He went to Kathmandu in 1958 as military attaché. He left the Army in 1962 as a Lieutenant-Colonel.
Postwar climbing career highlights
- 1946 Eastern Karakorams, reconnaissanceReconnaissanceReconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
(recce) of the Saser KangriSaser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of five named peaks:...
massif. First ascent of Lookout Peak, c. 20150 feet (6,141.7 m), and Stundok Peak, c. 20012 feet (6,099.7 m). His recce report was the basis on which the successful 1973 Indian expedition to Saser Kangri ISaser KangriSaser Kangri is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India.The Saser Kangri massif consists of five named peaks:...
, 7672 metres / 25170 feet, opted for a change of approach route from West to East that turned out to be the key to success.
- 1950 The most glorious chapter in Roberts' mountaineering career began with the opening up of Nepal in the 1950s. Roberts was asked to join a team led by Bill TilmanBill TilmanMajor Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar was an English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages.-Early years and Africa:...
to the AnnapurnaAnnapurnaAnnapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
massif in 1950. The expedition was 'ill-organised and badly led' and failed to climb even Annapurna IV, but Roberts saw a lot of the Nepalese mountainscape, seen earlier by only very few people like Toni HagenToni HagenToni Hagen was a Swiss geologist and a pioneer of Swiss development assistance. After taking a diploma in engineering and geology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, he took a doctorate in the geology of the Welsh mountains and then became a research assistant at the Zurich...
and Oleg PoluninOleg PoluninOleg Vladimirovitch Polunin was an English botanist, teacher and traveller. He was one of three brothers with interests in the natural sciences...
. The vale of PokharaPokharaPokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal. Pokhara is city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, which is the centre of the country from east to west or from north to south, 198 km west of Kathmandu or 90 km west of Mugling, and...
came as an Elysian discovery to Roberts. The same year saw the opening of the successful campaign against the 8000 metre peaks with the French achieving the ascent of Annapurna IAnnapurnaAnnapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
.
- 1953 Roberts hoped to be invited to join the 1953 EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
team, but found his hopes fulfilled in a disappointing fashion, being asked to organise the transport of oxygen cylinders to Base Camp. Allowed to depart thereafter, Roberts put the time to good use, exploring three valleys lying South and South-west of Everest, and making the first ascent of Mera, 6654(6456?) metres on 20 May 1953 with Sen Tensing.
- 1954 First ascent of Putha HiunchuliHiunchuliHiunchuli is a peak in the Himalayas of central Nepal. The mountain is an extension of Annapurna South. Between this peak and Machapuchare is a narrow section of the Modi Khola valley that provides the only access to the Annapurna Sanctuary....
, 7246 metres in the Annapurna group with Ang Nyima on Nov.11 during recce of the DhaulagiriDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
massif with G. Lorimer.
- 1956 Recce of MachapuchareMachapuchareMachapuchare or Machhapuchhre Lit. "Fish Tail" in English, is a mountain in the Annapurna Himal of north central Nepal...
- 1957 Leader of expedition to MachapuchareMachapuchareMachapuchare or Machhapuchhre Lit. "Fish Tail" in English, is a mountain in the Annapurna Himal of north central Nepal...
(The Fishes' Tail), 6993 metres, the only officially recorded attempt. The summit team stopped some 150 feet (45.7 m) below the top due to lack of time, so the peak is generally regarded as unclimbed. No further expeditions are allowed as this superbly beautiful peak is considered holy. Fluted PeakSingu ChuliSingu Chuli is one of the trekking peaks in the Nepali Himalaya range. The peak is located just west of Ganggapurna in the Annapurna Himal. A climbing permit from the NMA costs $350 USD for a team of up to four members. The peak requires ice climbing equipment....
(21800 ft) was first climbed by this expedition.
- 1960 Leader, Annapurna IIAnnapurnaAnnapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
, 7937 metres, expedition: first ascent achieved. This was Chris BoningtonChris BoningtonSir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
's first major Himalayan summit.
- 1962 Leader, Dhaulagiri IVDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
, 7660 metres, expedition: reached 6400 metres on masking peak Dhaulagiri VIDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
.
- 1963 Transport Officer, American Mount Everest Expedition
- 1965 Joint Leader, Dhaulagiri IVDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
expedition
- 1971 Joint leader with N.G. Dyhrenfurth of the International Everest Expedition that ended in disaster and the death of Indian member H.V. Bahuguna on the West Ridge.
In 1995 he was given the Back Award (instituted 1888) by the Royal Geographic Society.
Roberts founded the first trekking and mountaineering outfit Mountain Travel Nepal in 1964 to offer the opportunity for well-heeled travellers to enjoy the experience of trekking or climbing in Nepal without problems. His trained Gurkha/Sherpa teams took care of transportation, camping and local liaison, leaving trekkers free to enjoy the thrills. The first trek he handled was one by three elderly ladies to Everest Base Camp in 1965. He is known and revered as "the father of trekking in Nepal".
He acted as bird-collector for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
during the 1950 expedition, and maintained an aviary in Pokhara where he bred pheasants. He died at Pokhara on November 1, 1997.