Firmin

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Biografie:
ARTHUR HERBERT FIRMIN (1912-1955)
ARTHUR Firmin, who died near Pokhara in Nepal on May 28. 1955, was the most distinguished mountaineer and professional photographer in East Africa ; indeed, he was outstanding in any company in these fields and his loss at the early age of 43 is a grievous blow to a very wide circle of friends and admirers.
Firmin was born in 1912 in Kenya. After education in-England he returned to the Colony in 1937 and joined the Kenya police force, in which he served throughout the war, acting as official photographer. The police declined to recognise his special talent by creating a special post and he resigned in 1946 to set up his own business in Nairobi. Through exceptionally hard work, the highest professional standards, and able assistance from his wife, he was soon established as the leading photographer in Nairobi and East Africa, with a wide and growing reputation in other countries such as England and America. He specialised in portraiture, wild game and mountain photography, but recently had taken up a good deal of commercial photography. His superb pictures, some of which appear elsewhere in this Journal, have given pleasure to thousands. In 1953, at the first Exhibition in London of Commonwealth photographers, he won high praise : the Manchester Guardian critic wrote : 'Firmin's work dominates the Exhibition . . . [his principal exhibit, a magnificent landscape taken in the Ruwenzori] deserves to be enlarged to the size of a shop window and set up outside a shop window for everyone to enjoy.'
He had an exceptional flair for composition and lighting effects. He sometimes told me how much he would like to take up painting-possibly an unusual ambition for a photographer, but which showed the true artist in him.
Nearly all Firmin's mountaineering was done in East Africa, though he knew most of the British hill ranges and had spent ten days in Switzerland in 1951 when he did the Wellenkuppe-Obergabelhorn traverse and the Zermatt ridge of the Matterhorn. He was, however, essentially East African trained. From about 1941 onwards he became passionately devoted to the hills and was able to spend numerous holidays in them, combining business with pleasure.
He was of ideal build short, compact; spare, and very strong ; a magnificent, determined and rhythmic rock climber ; and a more delightful companion never existed. He was absolutely unselfish. His optimism and resounding laugh were infectious, and characteristically he much preferred the ascent to the descent ; if so inclined, or when on a rescue party, he could walk steadily uphill almost as fast as most people walk downhill.
He knew the principal East African mountains better than any other and had made no less than ten expeditions to Mt. Kenya, ten to Kilimanjaro, and three in the Ruwenzori. On Mt. Kenya he had climbed all the known routes except for the French I952 piton route on the North face, and the January 1955 ice route on the West face. His principal ascents on this mountain were :
Batian and Nelion by the ordinary route on several occasions, including one with Mrs. Firmin.
1944 1-st ascent of the North face of Batian ( and traverse of twin peaks).
1946 1-st ascent of the South face and S.W. ridge of Batian and ascent of Pt. John.
1948 2-nd ascent of the West ridge of Batian and 1-st descent of the North face ( 1-st traverse of Batian without touching Nelion).
2-nd ascent of Pt. Piggott.
1949 1-st ascent of the West face of Nelion, continuing by Mackinder's 1899 route (2-nd ascent) across the Diamond glacier to Batian.
I was privileged to accompany him on many of these climbs. He led nearly all the critical pitches (usually rock) and although accounts have been written in this Journal I should like to make special mention of the long vertical chimney on the North face and the exposed bulging buttress on the South-west ridge of Batian both keys to the climbs and both brilliant achievements of the highest order requiring great skill, boldness and endurance. He had a unique record on Mt. Kenya which will probably never be equalled. His last trip was in January this year when he led the rescue party for the late Gerald Rose.
On Kilimanjaro he had climbed both Kibo and Mawenzi several times ; once he camped for a week in the crater at 19.000 ft. His great ambition was to climb the terrific East face of Mawenzi a facet of the peak which is almost Himalayan in the scale of its gorges and cliffs, and which he had reconnoitred on several occasions both from the air and the ground.
I never went with him to the Ruwenzori, but he explored new routes there with D. L. Busk and P. Nolan-Neylan in 1953 and he had previously climbed all the principal peaks except Margherita.
Although I have recorded Firmin's most notable achievements he himself had no use for records. He climbed for pleasure and for photography ; his last expedition was a private one for the most part privately financed and the objects were, first, to climb the chosen peak and, second, photography ; but, come what might, to revel in ' the fun and jollity of the struggle.' He deplored nationalism in the mountains, pitons, do-or-die attempts, and anything savouring of bombast or competition. He never took unjustifiable risks ; the risks he did take were reduced to the minimum by good technique and it is all the more tragic that his death should have resulted from a stumble when walking over a patch of boulder scree along the shores of a mountain lake. His left thigh was broken by a rock which he had caught hold of and which fell on top of him one unlucky chance in a thousand. After courageously enduring the long and difficult carry down the south-west slopes of Himal Chuli and over a lower range of the Himalayas to Sisaghat Bazar he suddenly weakened in the great heat at the foot of the 1.000-foot ascent to the village of Deorali one day's march from Pokhara and his heart gave out. Two tireless and devoted British nurses from Pokhara Mission Hospital had tended him for the last five days and doctors were on the way.
A sterling character and a fine mountaineer Mummery's ' true mountaineer ' has passed on at the height of his powers. He is the first Christian to be buried at Pokhara. His grave, which I know will be devotedly cared for by the small Nepali Christian community, is in full view of the great Machha Puchhare (Fish Tail) peak and the tremendous south wall of the Annapurna range. Although far from home no mountaineer could wish for a better resting-place, and his films (bothmovie and still) which have been brought back from Nepal will, I hope, serve in some measure as a memorial to his artistry.
Although Arthur Firmin only joined the Club in 1954 he lived up to its ideals and traditions throughout his life and is worthy to be remembered amongst the greatest.
J. W. Howard.

MR. D. L. Busk writes :
I count it a great privilege to have made two expeditions to the Ruwenzori with Arthur Firmin. He was a beautiful mover on difficult or delicate rock and, though his experience of ice was limited, he was supremely steady. He was, I think, the fastest amateur I have ever known on the approach march or the actual climb despite the fact that he always carried a monstrous sackful of cameras; tripods, films, lenses, etc. I do not think I have ever seen him with less than 40 lb. on his back.
Above all he was the most unselfish and cheerful companion, at his best when things were blackest.
Mrs. Firmin was his able partner in all his photographic work and a large share of the burden of a thriving business fell on her shoulders. She is also a very fine mountaineer and accompanied him on many of his expeditions. She was the first lady to reach the higher summit of Mt. Kenya and Alexandra Peak in the Ruwenzori, both climbs alone with her husband. The Club will wish to extend profound sympathy to her.
The great snows of East Africa, which none knew or loved so well, are darkened by his passing and the mountain fraternity will sorely miss his stocky vigorous figure, his deft movements and irrepressible cheerfulness.
Quelle: Alpine Journal Vol. 60. Nr. 291, 1955, Seite 397-399


Geboren am:
1912
Gestorben am:
28.05.1955