Eaton John Edward Caldwell

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Biografie:
John Edward Caldwell Eaton (1873 - 1958)
J. E. C. Eaton, who died on September 2, 1958, was one of the bestknown of the older members of the A. C., for not only did he, until quite recently, attend meetings regularly, but as one-time Secretary of the Alpine Dining Club, and as a frequenter of the Travellers' Club, he was constantly meeting members of the A. C. in one capacity or the other.
He was educated at Clifton College and King's College, Cambridge. Prior to the First World War he was the owner of a large estate at Rizzilo, in Sicily, and, since he had two sisters married abroad (in Italy and France), he was naturally cosmopolitan in outlook and was a fluent linguist, particularly in Italian. He was awarded a medal for work in the Messina earthquake of 1908.
He volunteered in 1914 in the Artists' Rifles and later was a Captain in the Intelligence Corps. After the war, having sold his estate in Sicily, he lived at Messing Park, Kelvedon, Essex, and took a keen interest in county affairs, particularly in forming branches of the League of Nations' Union. He was Deputy-Lieutenant of Essex for ten years (1930- 40) and served on the County Council from I929- 34· During the Second World War he served in the Censorship Dept.
In I913 he married Phyllis, daughter of Sir John Withers, thereby consolidating his interest in the Alpine Club and in mountaineering generally. He had been elected to the A. C. in 1904 on the proposal of H. W. C. Bowdoin, seconded by A. G. Whitting. He became Honorary Secretary in I 920 and served for three years; during his period of office he had to deal with the launching of the Everest Reconnaissance Expedition of I92I, as well as the first attempt on the mountain in the year following. He acted as A.C. representative at a conference on mountaineering held in Monaco in 1920 and for his work he was awarded the Order of St. Charles of Monaco. He also conducted the delicate enquiry whether Pope Pius XI would become an Hon. Member of the Club or not. Though the proposal came to nothing, Eaton later translated into English the Pope's book of Alpine reminiscences, Climbs on Alpine Peaks, and he also translated The Matterhorn by Guido Rey, an old and valued friend of his.
Eaton's climbing career was extensive and lasted for many years. His first recorded visit to the Alps was in 1895 ; his climbing companions included G. E. Howard (with whom he visited the mountains of Sinai), A. G. Whitting and E. G. Oliver, to name but a few. He had climbed in all the principal regions of the Alps, but probably he knew the Valais better than any other. In 1910 he visited the Canadian Rockies.
Eaton was a regular contributor to the A.J., both as a book reviewer, especially of works in Italian, and as a writer of notices on deceased members. He was always ready to help in Club matters, in which he took the keenest interest. He was very conservative in his ideas and extremely tenacious of his opinions. He had been a good deal influenced by Sydney Spencer in his views on Club affairs, and liked nothing better than to drop in at the A. C. to talk mountaineering ' shop '. Up to very recent times he would regularly walk from his home (even when living in Hampstead) to the ' Travellers ', after looking in at South Audley Street on the way, generally walking all the way back also. Of late years he worked regularly at producing Braille.
Few members of his generation were more popular in the Club, and he will be very widely missed. To his widow we extend our sincere sympathy in her loss.
T. S. Blakeney
Quelle: Alpine Journal Vol. 64. Nr. 298, 1959, Seite 99-100


Geboren am:
1873
Gestorben am:
02.09.1958