Travis George Laurence

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Biografie:
George Laurence Travis (1903- 1958)
Laurence Travis died suddenly and prematurely in November 1958. He was the only son of a Sheffield Silversmith, and was educated at King Edward's School in that City, and later at Clifton. As a knowledge of French was to be valuable in the family business, Laurence spent two years in a Paris Bank before joining his father. In due time he became a Director and was carrying the responsibilities of office until his death.
He had a long and wide climbing experience, in thirty-three years of devotion to the hills. He learned to climb on Gritstone, often visited the Lakes and Wales, and carried to the Alps that grounding in cragsmanship which enabled him soon to become a steady leader of guideless parties.
At home, his early ascents were with such men as Haskett-Smith, George Bower, H. M. Kelly ... all pioneers of the then pre-eminent climbing areas in the Lakes. On his home practice ground, Stanage Edge, he often climbed with that energetic pioneer, Rice K. Evans, an American Consular official.
His first Alpine season was in 1927, when he led the Aiguille de la Tsa, and climbed the Zinal Rothorn and Monte Rosa with a guide. In rg28 he was in the Italian Alps with Beetham, Pryor and Meldrum. In 1929 he visited Saas Fee with Harold Jenkins and his son John. A strained heart needed a four-year rest, before Alpine tours could be resumed, but he went out again in 1935 and annually until the War.
In 1938 we were at Chamonix, and Laurence elected to lead a traverse of the Grepon in nails. He had the Mummery Crack sufficiently under control to raise his hat, to the assembled company in the breche, when half-way up. Later in the holiday he led us over Mont Blanc from the Gouter Hut, by the three summits, and down to the Requin Hut. Laurence never cared merely to follow a guided party's tracks, and I well remember how pleased he was on that day when Armand Char let, then at the top of his form, with perfect courtesy, gave Laurence and his two companions fifteen minutes' ' law ' to break trail in new snow, before sweeping past them to the Dome, with the young Wilfrid Noyce in tow.
During the War, after a short time in the ranks, he was commissioned in the Royal Air Force, eventually becoming Adjutant of a Spitfire Fighter Squadron in the Desert Air Force, being mentioned in Dispatches. He was in Sicily and Italy, and there met the Contessa Gabriella Borgogelli Ottaviani, whom he married in 1945. He entered the Church of Rome and the rank of commendatore was conferred upon him. He came back home with his wife in 1946, and his only son, Michael, was born in the following year.
In 1947 he went to Chamonix again, with John Jenkins, Norman How and Frank Colley. The death of Jenkins, with Kretschmer, on the descent of the old Brenva route was a great shock to him, and it was the unfortunate cause of his not visiting the Alps again.
From that time on, he continued to climb, with all his old skill and enthusiasm, on British rock that he knew and loved so well. He was a member· of the Derbyshire Pennine Club, the Fell and Rock Club and the Rucksack Club, and perhaps it was with his many friends in the last-named that he spent his most active days, often going down to the Club huts in Wales with a cheerful party in which he naturally seemed to become the acknowledged leader.
He was a witty and mordant conversationalist and after-dinner speaker. One example must suffice. It is the privilege of a Club President to select the ' next friend ' to propose his health, and at the Rucksack Club I chose Laurence, knowing what might be in store for me. He won a roar of approval when he said in his speech that no precedent to my election could be found other than the case of Caligula's horse. I do not doubt that, had he lived, he would himself have become President next year.
Within our own Club, to which he was elected in 1948, Laurence was one of the all-too-small band of North Country members, and though he could not often come up to London, he was proud to be of our number. His last attendance was, I think, at the Centenary Reception, when he came with his wife.
He was a good man on a rope; a leader whom we would cheerfully obey; and a companion who held our affection. We offer our sympathy to his ·wife and his son.
C. Douglas Milner
Quelle: Alpine Journal Vol. 64. Nr. 298, 1959, Seite 294 - 296


Geboren am:
1903
Gestorben am:
11.1958