Donkin Bryan

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Biografie:
Bryan Donkin (1903-1964)
Bryan Donkin, who died last October after a grievous illness, was one of the small band of members whose names are assured of an honoured place in the annals of the Alpine Club. As well as being a thoroughly accomplished mountaineer, he gave immensely of his time, energy and counsel to the service of the Club. Much of this help was, characteristically, unobtrusive and many members are probably unaware of the extent of the Club's indebtedness to him.
Educated at Gresham's School, and subsequently at Pembroke College, Cambridge, he followed in the footsteps of his father, S. B. Donkin, and entered the engineering world, eventually becoming the senior partner of the consulting firm of Kennedy & Donkin. He was a notable figure in the field of electrical engineering, especially perhaps as regards the large scale problems of electricity supply and developments such as hydroelectric schemes. He held many high positions, and at the time of his death was Vice-President (and President-elect) of the Institute of Electrical Engineers. He was equally respected abroad and was for many years a prominent figure at the International Electrotechnical Commission and other important international bodies. It was typical of his tireless energy that, only a few months before his death, and when hardly able to get about unaided, 4e attended the I.E.C. meeting in Aix-les-Bains, and even undertook chairmanship duties.
Donkin was elected to the Alpine Club in 1936 with a qualification covering ascents in many mountain districts, from Norway to the Dolomites and from Eastern Tyrol to the Western Alps. He had no pretensions to being a 'tiger', however; neither was he a specialist, although I suspect his preference was for rock and he was much attracted by the Dolomites.
He became Honorary Secretary of the Alpine Club in 1940, a position he held for some seven years, including the difficult years of the war.This was a hard assignment and it was at this time above all that he and those working closely with him did so much to keep the affairs of the Club on an even keel and to prepare for the part it should play in the mountaineering scene of the post-war period. Towards the end of the war he was largely responsible for organising a number of climbing meets in Britain, at one of which, at Pen-y-Pass, I first climbed with him. Immediately following the war, he played a considerable part in the endeavour to rebuild and foster good relations with climbers abroad. In 1947 he took a small party to the Tatra mountains to join in expeditions with representative Czechoslovak mountaineers, some of whom he subsequently invited to this country. Again, in 1950, when we joined forces in the Dauphine, he, with John Hunt, linked up with members of the G.H.M. with, I believe, the primary object of achieving a Franco-British traverse of the Meije. The weather decided otherwise, however, and honour had to be satisfied with a turbulent crossing of the Rateau under conditions which should have appealed to any high-voltage engineer. In his climbing activities, as in his professional work and private friendships, he brought to bear a charm of manner which endeared him to all he met. He was also prominently connected with the Climbers' Club, of which he was to become President.
From 1949 onwards, I was privileged to go to the Alps and other mountains with Bryan on more than a dozen occasions. My principal recollections of him as a climber are of his great steadiness on all types of ground, his careful planning and his penetrating judgments on mountain conditions. He was a tower of strength on any rope and over the whole period of our acquaintance I cannot remember a single instance of an unsafe move, or any occasion where his quiet resourcefulness was not equal to the demands of the moment. Our first major climb together, with Wilberforce Smith, was a traverse of the Grand Cornier from the Moiry hut to the Mountet; shortly afterwards he traversed the Ober Gabelhorn. In 1950, after a stormy start in the Dauphine with Herbert Roberts, we joined forces with Charles Warren and Henry Booth in the Mont Blanc area. In 1952 I persuaded Bryan to take a trip to the Pyrenees, a range I knew well from pre-war visits. We climbed a number of peaks, including the Munia, Pie d'Enfer, Perdighero and Biciberri, mixed up with a good deal of pass crossing, and I think he thoroughly enjoyed this first visit to unfamilar territory, being especially impressed by the unusual scenery on the Spanish side of the range. We went there again in 1959·
In 1955 we had a delightful stay, in company with Charles and Dorothy Warren, in the Julian Alps, ascending Triglav and returning via the Dolomites and Rosenlaui. Our last trip together, in 1963, was to Corsica. This had been planned for some while past, but alas, when the time came, Bryan was suffering badly from pain in one leg, and mountaineering, or even walking, was out of the question. He was able to swim, however, and we spent much time on the beaches, and exploring the island by car, in superb weather.
Bryan 's interests in sport were by no means confined to mountaineering. For many years he was a keen yachtsman and shared a boat with his friend, A. A. Pereira. He was also a devotee of the hunting field and rode regularly to hounds in the region of Winterfold, his home in the Surrey hills. Despite his many responsibilities in the world of engineering, he found time to interest himself in a great variety of subjects. He was very interested in music and the arts, and in all country pursuits, as well as in matters of industry and commerce, his knowledge being not only extensive, but balanced by his taste and discrimination. His intellectual grasp was, in fact, remarkable both in its breadth and power of penetration. It was not easy, however, to get him to talk about his interests, and his reserve could on occasion be quite baffling. Foremost in all his personal relationships were his consideration for others, his kindness and charm in all dealings, and a masterly sense of the occasion.
By his death, the Club has lost one of its staunchest friends, and his fellow mountaineers a companion almost beyond compare. He is survived by his sister Mary and his two brothers, John and William, of whom the latter returned from India to look after him during the last few weeks of his life. Our sympathy goes out to them in their great loss.
R. S. Dadson.
Dr. C. B. M. Warren writes:
Although contemporary with Bryan Donkin at Cambridge, it happened that I had no personal contact with him until we met some years later at committee meetings when he was Honorary Secretary of the Club during the war years and thereafter. He was indeed a most efficient secretary, as I had occasion to discover when, in 1947, I had to take over his duties at short notice while he was away from this country on business.
These were difficult times for the Club, and it should not be forgotten what an unselfish, hard working and competent custodian of our affairs Bryan Donkin was. One of the things that amazed me during the war was the way the Club kept going. At times attendances at meetings
became thin; but members within reach of London, or on leave at the time, never failed to turn up. If in our various crises, both financial and otherwise, I may at times have had doubts about the viability of the A. C. as an institution, I had none at all after we had weathered the war years. It was not the numbers at these meetings that mattered, it was the fact that people continued to come. Mountaineering, like other disciplines, has its devotees, and the Alpine Club, for all its faults, provided the necessary sanctuary for the faithful during a disruptive period. It was largely due to the self-effacing work of Bryan Donkin at this time that the Club not only survived but was positively active.
It should be recalled that it was during his term of office that the British Mountaineering Council came into being under the sponsorship of Winthrop Young, our President at that time. It should also be remembered that it was under his guidance that we had those wonderfully successful meets in Wales, the Lake District and Scotland which, incidentally, I have always hoped to see revived. It was he too who organised the meets in the Alps which did so much to help the post-war generation of young climbers to get started again in the alpine tradition when all sorts of restrictions made it difficult for them to do so. These were events of considerable importance in the life of the Club, and on each occasion it was Bryan Donkin who was the organiser and thoughtful host.
Before he became ill, Bryan was a remarkably strong walker and a thoroughly sound climber. Above all he was a competent mountaineer; a man who could be relied upon as a sound companion for any classic alpine route. I have climbed with him in the Oberland, the Bernina and in the French and Julian Alps. Perhaps an expedition in the Bernina group remains in my memory as one of the best outings I had with him.
Efficient by nature and strong in limb at that time, Bryan was apt to take the bit between his teeth and set out for an objective at a great pace and with considerable elan. I recall one occasion when we were together in the Julian Alps. It had been decided that we should climb Triglav and we set out to do so. With magnificent self-assurance he set our course and made the pace. At the end of the first hour he was almost out of sight. The slower members of the party, having more time for contemplation, had gradually become aware that the mountain they were to climb seemed always to be behind them. When eventually they caught up with him, because he had thoughtfully waited for them to do so, it was tactfully suggested that the map should be consulted and this confirmed us in our misgivings. Unabashed, our dashing leader altered course. But it was a tired and anxious party who eventually found the hut as darkness overtook them. In spite of this misadventure, the summit of Triglav was eventually attained.
For all his efficiency and social charm, Bryan Donkin did not relax easily in company. But when one had him to oneself in the mountains, and when he joined the family circle, he could laugh at nonsense with the rest of us. It was then that he could come out with an amusing turn of phrase, as for example, when he referred to a Camembert cheese as having 'an amiable flavour of drains'. I cannot claim that I knew Donkin really well; but then who could ? He was really something of an enigma. But I think I knew him pretty well, and perhaps rather better than he realised. So for me, and I would guess for a good many other people too, life can never be quite the same without him. His fate was a cruel one, for he had cancer. But the courage with which he faced his end was a fine example for all of us.
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 70, 1965, Seite 183-187


Geboren am:
1903
Gestorben am:
10.1964