Cochran Norman James

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Biografie:
Norman James Cochran
1910--1959
Norman James Cochran, M.B.E., M.B., Ch.B. (Norman to his numerous friends), was lost in the early hours of July 24, 1959. He was climbing with his son Malcolm and Christine Gilchrist, both of whom are eighteen years of age. They were ascending the ridge of Les Ecrins; the party had found some difficulty in route-finding and were obliged to bivouac on a narrow ledge. The morning found them a little weak, but not excessively so, and as they were able to get moving, morale was high again. Norman decided to put on crampons; these were strapped on the rucksack, and as soon as he got to his feet the rucksack fell down and disappeared over the edge of the snow slope.
Inside the rucksack were all the documents, money, travellers cheques, car key, etc., and the last of their food. Norman realised that an emergency had arisen; both Malcolm and Christine were very tired, so he untied from the rope, cutting steps down the snow slope. The weather was far from good, so the two younger members climbed to a nearby rock and waited, but Norman did not return. Eventually Malcolm and Christine, by giving the Alpine Distress Signal, were able to attract the attention of a guided party, and the guides rescued them; by this time they had been on the ridge sixty hours. Four search parties went out to look for Norman, but without success, and the search was not finally given up until the middle of the following week.
Born in the Shetlands in 1910, his father was a Doctor of Medicine and an outstanding member of his profession, having been awarded the William Hunter Medal in 1894, Gairdner and Cullen Medals in 1895, and the John Hunter Medal in 1896. Norman's mother, nee Elizabeth Boyne, was a Sister at the Western Infirmary Glasgow. The family moved to Aberfeldy but after being there for about four years his father died, Norman being then six years of age. He and his elder brother attended George Watson's College, later Edinburgh University, where Norman graduated in 1933. Among other activities he ran for the University and was a Group Scout Master. For some time he was Captain of the United Colleges Rugby Club.
Norman was a man of many interests, to all of which he brought great energy and enthusiasm and through these stimulated others. Reading and music relaxed him, he was fond of entertaining, and Diana his wife says that their spare beds were seldom cold. At Burton on Trent, where he settled twenty-four years ago, he was senior partner in a Medical Practice, and a highly respected citizen.
He took a great interest in local affairs, and his activities in Burton on Trent seem as numerous as his mountain ascents. Among other things he was Founder-President of the Caledonian Society of Burton; Founder of the Burton Branch of the British Medical Association, Chairman of the Burton Executive Council for the Administration of National Health, and a lecturer and examiner for the Red Cross & St. John Ambulance Associations. During the last war he was a Major in the Burton on Trent Home Guard and was awarded an M.B.E. for his services, as well as the Coronation Medal.
Public Work was of great interest to Norman; he was elected to the Burton on Trent Town Council as an Independent in 1950, and though he served on many committees, becoming Chairman of the Finance Committee, his greatest interest lay in Education, and to this he whole-heartedly devoted his energies and sagacity. He was elected .Chairman of the Education Committee in 1952. He was later appointed to, and became the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the West Midland Advisory Council for· Technical Commercial and Art Education, and had the distinction of becoming Vice-President of the North Staffordshire University College.
With all these activities he still found time to give help to local youth organisations and climbing clubs, and to give many lectures on Mountaineering, illustrated by his own excellent slides. He was always ready to go to a party and stimulate the company with his lively wit. Norman Cochran was elected to the Alpine Club in 1951, and visited the Alps annually, achieving a large number of magnificent guideless climbs, and had visited most of the main climbing areas. He was a past President of the Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland, also of the Midland Association of Mountaineers. For a number of years he was leader of the Easter Meet of the Midland Association of Mountaineers at Fort William, one of the Club's most popular Meets.
I well remember him setting out on one of these Meets to cover all the summits of the Mamores in a day; the river Nevis had to be forded above Stiell. Norman just strode through the icy torrent, fully clothed, as if it did not exist, and this at the beginning of the day; he was certainly possessed of amazing stamina. Week-ends Norman regularly went to Wales, even Scotland too; in between these excursions he would practise on the Derbyshire Gritstone Crags. Recently with the help of his wife, as co-driver, he scaled the three highest peaks in Great Britain in less than twenty-four hours.
He was an enthusiastic driver of fast sports cars. After leading one of the classical routes on Mont Blanc, under bad weather conditions, a member of his party said that the drive back to the coast was even more exciting. .
During his visits to Fort William Norman led a number of rescue parties on Ben Nevis; in the Alps he effected at least two successful rescues before the official rescue parties had arrived on the scene. A visit to the Himalayas was a great ambition, and he had recently prepared for an expedition to the Karakoram in 1961. It was a great disappointment to him that owing to professional duties he was unable to accept a suggestion to join the reconnaissance expedition which preceded the successful Everest climb in 1953.
No man could do so much without a prodigious and constant amount of help, and this his wife, Diana, provided. She, and their two sons, Malcolm, now reading Medicine, and Robin reading Law, at Birmingham University, have every reason to be proud of a man so greatly gifted, and who gave so generously of all he had to his fellow men. Norman was a man who loved life and lived it to the full, enjoying every minute. His patients in Button on Trent will long remember, not only his skill, and attention, but also the generosity and help which he and his wife extended to those in distress and need.
C. B. Machin.
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 65, 1960, Seite 139-141


Geboren am:
1910
Gestorben am:
24.07.1959