Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
my back pocket. But it was going to be equally difficult for me since my train ticket
and money were all on the train with my bags. Twenty-four hours later, I managed
to talk my way onto the next train and I arrived at Liverpool Street a day after
everyone else. I phoned Alex from the station: 'Do you want this bread or what?'
And, of course, Jean drove Alex into town to get me.
Alex loved his mother's company. 'He used to take me places occasionally, like
the winter in 1979 when he insisted that I come out to Chamonix for Christmas.
Sarah was there along with a big bunch of his mates.
I remember Alex introducing me to Alan Rouse. “Alan, this is my mother,” he
said. Alan looked quite shocked and then with a big grin said: “Bloody hell Alex,
it's bad enough that you've brought your girlfriend, but your mother?” Alan was
like that; it was very funny.'
Alex phoned Jean to cadge another lift to do a lecture for his old school, Watford
Grammar. 'I sat at the back to watch. I was expecting shots of beautiful mountains
but most of the slides were of his horrible awful digs in Leeds and dirty washing.
Everyone thought it terribly funny, except me. Afterwards, someone came up and
said: “Wasn't it nice of Alex to bring you to his talk?” I had to say, it was me who
brought him to this talk or else you wouldn't have had one.'
In the era of Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols, many young climbers thrived on
punk's anarchic, anti-establishment message. 'At one black-tie dinner, where he'd
been invited to give the after-dinner speech, he came wearing a black tie as re-
quired, but with a t-shirt.' Jean paused to reflect.
'I think that was just him attention-seeking.'
Jean thought Alex could be a 'right toad' at times. 'I remember after Hamish had
died, I had a large dinner party for our close friends. Alex was home for the week-
end from Leeds. One of Hamish's oldest friends was there, a well-known barrister
in London. He knew Alex had changed his course to law. He came over to congrat-
ulate Alex and to ask why he had chosen to be a lawyer. Alex thought for a moment
and said: “Well, it was the only thing I could think of where you can make an awful
lot of money without having to do much work.” Alex thought that sort of talk
funny. I just thought he was rude.'
In 1972, Alex took his 'A' Levels and got stunning results: four grade As. He then
had a choice to make, Cambridge University or Leeds. 'I've no doubt Alex chose
Leeds because of the reputation of the Leeds University Climbing Club,' Jean said.
'He had his heart set on that.' That autumn, almost exactly ten years before he died
on Annapurna, his mother and father drove him up to Leeds and deposited him at
his new digs. 'I decided to go have a look and followed Alex upstairs to his room. I
was so shocked by how dirty and untidy the whole place was that I rushed back
