Strath William Sir

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Biografie:
Sir WilIiam Strath, KCB 1907-1975
Bill Strath was a competent climber on both rock and snow but I was 13 years his senior and never quite sure whether my own climbing was up to AC standard. But, through choosing to take our holidays in different areas each year, we came to know the Alps of Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria pretty well and we had tremendous fun, and that surely is the purpose of the exercise. I first met Bill in 1946 when he and his wife Vera joined our party at Glenbrittle. In '47 Bill came down to join us at Arolla from Moscow where he had been representing the Ministry of Supply. Our holiday that year was saddened by the news received from Chamonix of John Barford's death.
Bill Strath was a distinguished civil servant and industrialist with great personal charm, a fine brain and an equally fine sense of humour which enabled him to appreciate our amusement at some of the silly things he did at the commencement of our holidays when he was obviously much out of training. Little sense of rhythm, stopping at any opportunity to take a photo or quench his thirst at the first mountain stream he saw, he was certainly not at his best in the early mornings. I have a grand photo of him half-way up the Matterhorn in August 1948-stretched out full length on a chaise longue at the old Schwarzsee Hotel. Elias Julen and I had much difficulty in digging him out. Exactly 10 years later, we were sunning ourselves on top of the Campanile Basso in the Brenta Alps with Giglio Alimonte.
Around 1956 Bill brought his first car but rather unwisely took it out to the Lötschental before learning safely to drive it backwards. On the way over to Zinal he drove the wrong way up a one-way street in Sierre, and retreating into the busy main road behind us was a hair-raising experience. His temper could be both short and sweet.
He was very cross at GrindelwaId in 1961 when John Henderson and I insisted on walking over to the Engelhörner instead of driving the long way round with him in his car. But Chris Bonington and Don Whillans will remember Bill and Vera entertaining us liberally with' cafe avecs' at the Schweizerhof that year when Chris told us he was joining Van den Berghs (my old firm) on 4 September.
Bill certainly had great charm and he was a good companion both at high levels and in the 'fleshpots' of Gardone etc. It is sad indeed that he died so soon after finding their lovely home at Stanton to which he had Just retired.
Brian Dickson
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 81, 1976, Seite 274


Geboren am:
1907
Gestorben am:
1975