George Band 1953 Autograph Letter Signed - From Mount Everest Base Camp

Simply incredible autograph letter signed “George C. Band”, dated “Everest Base Camp / Sunday April 19th” [1953], sent to Thomas Martin in Manchester, England, in full:

My uncle wrote saying that you would be pleased to have signed postcards from every camp. Unfortunately that’s rather impracticable because I haven’t the postcards. However, I hope this letter will do instead.

So far we have just been reconnoitering the approach for the Western Cwm and have installed Camps I & II. I hope to be with the party installing Camp III on April 22. There will probably be eight camps in all.

Will all good wishes,

Yours sincerely

George C. Band

The letter has folds so that it could be sent in the attached “By Air Mail / Air Letter” envelope, which is address in Band’s hand with the return address as:

G.C. Band British Mount /

Everest Expedition 1953 /

c/o British Embassy /

Kathmandu /

Nepal /

via INDIA

The 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition would prove to be the first successful ascent of Everest when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit on May 29, 1953. George Band was the youngest climber on the expedition. Two years later, he made the first successful ascent of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.

In all our years of collecting Everest material, this is the first letter from base camp we have ever handled. We know of only a few others that have changed hands over the years.