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Alfred Gregory

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Alfred Gregory
Born
Alfred Gregory

(1913-02-12)12 February 1913
Died9 February 2010(2010-02-09) (aged 96)
Emerald, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)Mountain climber, explorer, photographer
SpouseSue Gregory

Alfred Gregory FBIPP, FRPS (Hon) (12 February 1913 – 9 February 2010)[1] was a British mountaineer, explorer and professional photographer. A member of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition that made the first ascent of Mount Everest, he was in charge of stills photography and, as a climbing member of the team, reached 28,000 feet (8,500 metres) in support of the successful Hillary-Tenzing assault on the summit.[2][3]

Early life

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Gregory was educated at Blackpool Grammar School. Before World War II he climbed extensively in the Lake District of England, Scotland and the Alps, and during the 1940s he led several new routes in Britain. During the war he became an Major in the Black Watch, serving in North Africa and Italy.[1] In 1952 he joined Eric Shipton’s Cho Oyu expedition.[4]

During the 1950s he led several expeditions to the greater ranges. These included the 1955 Merseyside Himalayan Expedition to Rolwaling and the Gauri Sankar massif, where a plane table survey was made and 19 peaks were climbed, including Parchamo.[5][6] Then to Distaghil Sar (1957),[7][8] Ama Dablam (1958),[9] the Karakoram and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.[3]

Photography

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For 20 years he worked freelance for Kodak UK, lecturing on photography and presenting his pictures to large audiences throughout Britain and Europe.

He spent a lifetime travelling on photographic assignments around the world and his pictures were regularly syndicated to 35 countries. Along with his wife Sue he produced many photojournalistic picture stories through the Tom Blau Camera Press News Agency in London. His work has been exhibited throughout Britain, France, Belgium, America, Africa, Poland and Australia.[10][11]

In 2002 they held a joint exhibition at the 80 Gold Street Gallery, in Collingwood, Victoria, with photographs of 'Walls, Doors and Windows'.[12]

Death

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Gregory died "peacefully in his sleep" on 9 February 2010 in Emerald, Victoria, where he spent the last 15 years of his life with wife Suzanne. He was three days shy of his 97th birthday.[13]

Publications

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  • The Picture of Everest (1953)
  • Alfred Gregory's Everest (published for the 40th anniversary of the first ascent)
  • Blackpool: a Celebration of the 60s
  • Alfred Gregory: Photographs from Everest to Africa

References

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  1. ^ a b Jim Perrin (10 February 2010). "Alfred Gregory Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  2. ^ Hillary, Edmund, High Adventure: The True Story of the First Ascent of Everest
  3. ^ a b "Imaging Everest". Royal Geographical Society. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  4. ^ Evans, R.C. (1953). "The Cho Oyu Expedition 1952" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #59: 9–18. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. ^ Gregory, Alfred (1956). "The Merseyside Himalayan Expedition 1955" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #61: 54–59. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  6. ^ "The Merseyside Himalayan Expedition". MEF – Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  7. ^ Davis, Dennis (1958). "Disteghil Sar, 1957". Himalayan Journal. #21: 108–116. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Disteghil Sar 1957". MEF – Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  9. ^ Gregory, Alfred (1959). "Himalaya, Nepal, Ama Dablam". American Alpine Journal. #11 (33). ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  10. ^ http://website-archive2.nt-online.org/?lid=4203[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Alfred Gregory". Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  12. ^ "Everest". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  13. ^ Martin, Tania (16 February 2010), "Mountain Man", Mail Ranges Trader, Dandenong Ranges, p. 1
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