Brown Thomas Graham

(Bearbeiten)

Biografie:
geboren in Edinburg (Großbritannien)
gestorben in Edinburg (Großbritannien)
Mediziner und Prof. der Psychologie

Erschließer am Montblanc (Brenvaflanke)
Erstbegehung der Sentinelle Rouge mit Smith im Jahre 1927.
Erstbegehung der Major Route mit Smith im Jahre 1928.
3. Begehung der Nordostwand des Piz Roseg und Westwand des Piz Bernina mit direktem (neuen) Gipfelanstieg (T. G. Brown und A. Zürcher mit A. Graven und J. Kunbel) - (Quelle: Bergsteiger 1930)
Erstbegehung der Poire Route mit A. Aufdenblatten und A. Graven im Jahre 1933.
Quelle: Archiv Proksch (Österr. Alpenklub)

Graham T. Brown
1882 — (+) 1965
Es war 1935, als wir Graham T. Brown und seinen damals noch so jungen Gefährten, den Amerikaner Charles A. Houston, auf dem Vorplatz des Hotels Seiler in Zermatt kennenlernten; irgendwie kamen wir ins Gespräch und nach kurzer Zeit schon entwickelte sich ein Kontakt, der, wenn auch mit jahrelangen Unterbrechungen, bis zu Graham Browns Ende aufrechterhalten blieb.
Prof. G. T. Brown war alles eher als ein Blender; sein Wesen mag dem eines Purtscheller ähnlich gewesen sein — keine Äußerlichkeit an ihm — alles zielsicher, prägnant, bescheiden, aber bewußt. Obwohl wie kaum einer den Bergen verfallen, war er hervorragender Mediziner und später Professor für Physiologie. Seine Bergheimat war die Montblancgruppe. Die erste Durchsteigung der „Sentinelle Rouge" mit Smythe (1927; machte den Namen Browns in den Kreisen der Bergsteiger der ganzen Welt bekannt; 1928 folgte die Route Major — ebenfalls mit Smythe. Die Schilderung der ersten Ersteigung des Mount Foraker (5242 m) in Alaska durch Brown und Houston in unserer ÖAZ (Charles A. Houston „Denalis Frau", ÖAZ, Folge 1166) verdanken wir den damals angeknüpften Banden, ebenso wie G. T. Browns Bericht über eine Ersteigung der Ostwand des Nordends (Graham T. Brown „Eine Überschreitung des Nordends — Ostwand und Nordkante", ÖAZ, Folge 1234). Auf dem Gipfel dieses Berges winkten wir Brown, der mit Houston und mit den Führern Biner und Graven am Wege war, zum letztenmal zu.
Zu den bedeutendsten Unternehmungen, an denen Brown teilnahm, war die Fahrt zum Nanda Devi, bei der Odell und Tilman den Gipfel erreichten und der Versuch einer Ersteigung des Masherbrum.
Außer einer Reihe von Aufsätzen erschienen aus der Feder von G. T. Brown das hervorragende Buch „Brenva" und — als Widmung zur 100-Jahr-Feier des Alpine Club gedacht — „The First Aszent of Mont Blanc". 1949-1954 war Brown Schriftleiter des Alpine Journal. Fürwahr — ein Bergsteigerleben! Der Österreichische Alpenklub, dem Prof. Graham T. Brown wiederholt seine persönliche Sympathie bewiesen hat, hat allen Grund, um diesen bedeutenden Menschen und außerordentlich erfolgreichen Bergsteiger bester britischer Prägung zu trauern. Wir wenigen aus unserem Kreise, die wir ihm persönlich auf dem Berg und im Tal näher gekommen waren, sagen dem Schicksal für die gemeinsamen Stunden mit diesem außerordentlichen Menschen Dank.
Rolf Werner
Quelle: Österreichische Alpenzeitung 1966 März/April, Folge 1346, Seite 42

Thomas Graham Brown (1882- 1965)
Graham Brown was born in Edinburgh on March 27, 1882, and died there on October 28, 1965.
By profession he was primarily a scientist; after graduating from Edinburgh with a science degree in 1903 he qualified in 1906 as a medical man and then devoted himself to physiology. He was Professor of physiology in the University of Wales from 1920 to 1947, and in I927 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
His climbing career started late, when he was over thirty, and his Alpine climbing did not begin until he was forty-two. He was elected to the Alpine Club in 1926. From 1924 to 1938 he was climbing every summer either in the Alps, in Alaska, or in the Himalaya; in those years he played an important part in many ascents and expeditions, amongst which the following are the most notable:
1924 Monte Rosa.
1925 Finsteraarhorn.
1926 Gran Paradiso, Wetterhorn, Gross Schreckhorn, Jungfrau, Grand Combin, Mont Blanc, Aiguille Purtscheller, Tour Noir.
1927 Requin, Grands Charmoz, Aiguille de Trélatete. Mont Blanc by Red Sentinel Route. *)
Les Courtes by S.S.W. buttress.!
1928 Grepon, Aiguille Verte by Moine ridge, Trident de la Brenva. Mont Blanc by Route Major.*); Grandes Jorasses, Weisshorn traverse with descent of Schalligrat.
1929 Breithorn by Triftjegrat, Täschhorn-Dom traverse, Nadelgrat traverse from Lenzspitze to Galenhorn, Grand Combin, Mominggrat traverse from Zinal Rothorn to Schallihorn.
1930 Wellenkuppe-Gabelhorn traverse, Dent Blanche by Viereselsgrat, Dent d'Herens by W.N.W. face, Monte Rosa-Nordend to Signalkuppe and Parrotspitze over Lyskamm, Castor and Pollux to Furggrat on two successive days, Piz Palü, Bernina up the West face and down by Biancograt, Piz Scerscen, Piz Roseg, Täschhorn by Teufelsgrat and Breithorn by Klein Triftjegrat.
1931 Grands Charmoz, Tour Ronde, N.W. ridge of Mont Mallet, Rochefort ridge, Aiguille du Geant, Aiguille des Pelerins, Mont Blanc by Old Brenva route.
1932 Aiguille du Tacul, Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey traverse, Punta Innominata, Pie Eccles, Mont Blanc by Peuterey ridge. East face of Mont Brouillard.*) First crossing of Col Maudit.*)
1933 Wellenkuppe North face, Mont Dolent, Mont Blanc by Route Major, Mont Blanc by Bionnassay ridge and descent by Mont Maudit and Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Blanc by Brouillard ridge. Mont Blanc by Pear route.*) Mont Blanc by Innominata ridge, Mont Blanc by Chamonix (N.W.) face, second south-north crossing of Col du Dolent, Le Rateau, traverse of Meije, traverse of Les Ecrins (West and East ridges). Complete traverse of summit ridge of l'Ailefroide.*) Les Bans by East buttress of North face.*)
1934 Mount Foraker, Alaska.
1935 Zinal Rothorn by Rothorngrat, Lyskamm, Nordend from Marinelli hut and down by North ridge to Jagerjoch, first traverse of Dent Blanche up Ferpecle ridge and down Viereselsgrat to Col de Zinal.
1936 Nanda Devi expedition: reached about 23,000 ft.
1937 Mönch, Gross Fiescherhorn, Eiger by Mittellegi ridge, Gross Lauteraarhorn.
1938 Karakoram, Masherbrum expedition: reached about 21,000 ft.
From 1948 to 1952 he did a certain amount of guideless climbing which included the Monch, Finsteraarhorn, Strahlhorn traverse, Dent Blanche and Matterhorn. He climbed the Matterhorn by the Hörnli ridge in 1952 because, after waiting for good weather to do it by some other route
in earlier years, he thought that now, in his seventieth year, he should seize an opportunity which might not come again.
It was Graham Brown's wish that his obituary notice in the A.J. should consist of nothing more than his climbing record, a complete list of his climbs in the remarkable year 1933, and a list of only the unusual climbs in other years. Whilst respecting his wishes and endeavouring to carry them out in spirit, I find it impossible not to add some notes of a more personal kind.
I have included in the record a good many climbs that in themselves are in no way unusual; this I have done because the sheer number of expeditions accomplished illustrates one characteristic of Graham Brown's approach to mountains: the intense, sustained, energetic application to an activity that was of absorbing interest to him. Climbing, writing about it with meticulous scholarship, finding out with a scientist's attention to detail what was being done by others, his dominant interests were mountaineering and mountaineers. The result was that in his later years he could know and help the younger British climbers who were active after 1946 as no other of his generation could. He gave them excellent talks and showed them his splendid photographs, he discussed plans with them, and even in his seventies he joined them in the mountains, sharing and enlivening their climbs and bivouacs under all conditions of weather. No one will ever know how many individuals were inspired by him at this period of his life.
I first met him at Courmayeur in 1949 when I had just completed a traverse of Mont Blanc. Four days later I came down again to Courmayeur after the fatal accident to Richard Hull above the Col Emile Rey, and found Graham Brown on the eve of departure for England. He was almost a stranger to me but I told him that I knew no one else in Courmayeur, and he at once cancelled his own arrangements and took me under his wing. The result was that from that moment the authorities of the town, and particularly the guides of Courmayeur, were all concerned to help me, and in the most friendly fashion possible.
To climbers of a younger generation than his own Graham Brown was especially kind and friendly, and he will be remembered with great affection by those of us who had the good fortune to know him.
R. C. Evans.
MR. B. R. Goodfellow writes:
Although Graham Brown asked that he should be remembered only by his greatest climbs, I feel with Charles Evans that I cannot refrain from adding a few personal remarks. For Graham Brown was for nearly thirty years a much loved and most generous friend.
There were very few who were accorded the honour of being invited to join Graham Brown in the Alps when he was at the height of his powers as a guided mountaineer. I had the unforgettable experience of being with him for two short seasons, in 1931 with Alexander Graven and Josef Knubel and in 1933 with Graven and Casimir Rodier.
Having by then barely served my guideless apprenticeship, to climb with this enormously competent party was an experience in new dimensions. Especially, the gain in speed and the relaxing of tension added so much not only to achievement but to enjoyment of the environment. Graham Brown's relations with his guides were those of perfect harmony. He was the planner and he was the master. His discipline was strict and he allowed no guides' misgivings to frustrate his plans; he would defer to them only on details of route-finding or on judgement of the weather. His guides provided technique and speed. For Graham Brown was neither a fast mover nor a climber of conspicuous virtuosity on rock or on ice. When difficulties were met he suffered from none of the British rock-climber's false rride about overcoming them unaided; he would simply use the rope, and time was saved. He was quite inexhaustible. years his junior, had had enough and would seek every excuse for a rest.
Evans has referred to his meticulous planning. He conducted a large correspondence with the most knowledgeable of the older generation, especially Colonel Strutt, who certainly indicated the possibilities of some of the great routes which Graham Brown made. Being one of the first to see the scope of miniature photography in mountaineering he acquired one of the very earliest Leica cameras. At every halt or check he would not only fire a dozen shots in all directions but would catalogue them precisely in his notebook. This mass of material provided his data for a winter of evenings of patient research conducted in the solitude of his laboratory in Cardiff and in his hotel room. For he was an uncompromising bachelor. Few can have written up their expeditions in the A.J. with such thoroughness of detail.
In the decade before the second war Graham Brown thus built up a unique Alpine reputation. Indeed he was the only British mountaineer of his time whose record in the Alps is internationally respected. His much maligned younger British climbing contemporaries may rest on their Himalayan laurels.
A word must be added about his generosity. I am in his debt for too many kindnesses to recount; not least that he never allowed me, I am sure, to contribute my full share of employing the best guides in the Alps. To have known Graham Brown and to have climbed with him was indeed to have savoured the golden age before the first war. His death has closed the last chapter of a hundred years of traditional British guided climbing.
*) First ascent.
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 71, 1966, Seite 191-194

Brown Thomas Graham, * England
1923 Best.Monte Rosa,4609m, (Walliser Alpen)
1927 Best.Tour Ronde,3792m, (Montblancgebiet)
1927 1.Beg.Montblanc-Brenvaflanke „Sentinelle Rouge”,III,bis 55°,1300 HM,4810 m,
(Montblancgebiet)
1928 1.Beg.Montblanc-Brenvaflanke „Major Route“,V-,57°,1300 HM,4810 m, (Montblancgebiet)
1930 1.Beg.Piz Bernina-Westwand-Direkter Ausstieg,IV,55°,650 HM,4055 m, (Berninagruppe)
1933 1.Beg.Montblanc de Courmayeur-Brenvaflanke „Poireroute“,4810m, (Montblancgebiet)
1934 1.Best.Mount Foraker,5304m, (Alaska)
1936 Teilnehmer Nanda Devi-Expedition, (Garhwal Himalaya)
1951 Best.Matterhorn,4478m, (Walliser Alpen)
Beg.Monte Rosa-Nordend-Ostwand,4609m, (Walliser Alpen)
Best.Vers.Masherbrum,7821m, (Karakorum,Pakistan)
Gerd Schauer, Isny




Geboren am:
27.03.1882
Gestorben am:
28.10.1965