Horace Westmorland, was born in Penrith, Cumberland in 1886, the second and final little one of Emma and Thomas Westmorland, Alice being his older sister by a yr.The Westmorland household ran a profitable tannery enterprise within the city, which afforded them the cash and the time to dedicate all their spare time to exploring the far corners of the English Lake District at a time when it was wild, primarily un-fenced, devoid of vacationers, and extra importantly, with solely a handful of rock climbs having been accomplished, usually the mountain gullies after which solely in winter, this being the coaching floor for the center class Alpinist who got here to the Cumberland hills earlier than going out to the Alps on annual climbing journeys.For his or her half, the Westmorland household have been well-known for his or her adventurous life-style, certainly, his father, aunt and uncle have been famous for his or her un-roped ascent of Pillar Rock in 1873, making it the second ascent by a woman.What might not be recognized, is that Rusty, as he got here to be known as, had a climbing profession that spanned over 90 years, with many first ascents to his credit score, each right here within the English Lake District and the Canadian Rockies.It began on his 1st birthday, when he and his 2 yr outdated sister, have been taken for an open air in a single day camp by his dad and mom, to Norfolk Island on Ullswater. Two weeks later, they have been each taken to the summit of Helvellyn, to attend the bonfire to rejoice Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. On his 4th birthday, his father took him to Brougham Citadel, the place they each climbed as much as the second story and again down once more, with out utilizing a rope.On his 11th birthday, he was to fulfill the ‘father of English mountaineering’ – Walter Parry Haskett-Smith, together with three different notable Lakeland climbers – John W. Robinson, Ellis Carr and Geoffrey Hastings, as they returned from a failed try on a gully on Tarn Crag above Grisedale. What Rusty was to not know again then, was that it will be his title that will get the credit score for the primary ascent of this daring climb some 13 years later, and that 2 years after that, he can be strolling within the Canadian Rockies with Haskett-Smith, when a rock fall may so properly have ended the climbing profession of Haskett-Smith, if not his life, however sources at the moment, stored this incident underneath wraps.On his 15th birthday (1901), he climbed Pillar together with his sister and father, all un-roped, a daring feat for that point, and made a number of un-roped makes an attempt on some as but, un-climbed gullies in Dovedale and Deepdale..
When his father died in 1909, Rusty turned a person of personal means, so he was capable of exit climbing nearly each day. Throughout this new discovered freedom, he met and have become shut associates with George and Ashley Abraham, who he was to climb with on many events.Regardless of climbing usually together with his older cousins – John Mounsey and Arthur North – making exploratory climbs on many native crags, 1910, was for Rusty, the busiest climbing time he had needed to date. It began in January climbing at Tremadoc and Carreg Wasted with George and Ashley Abraham, the place they climbed extensively earlier than returning to the Lakes to proceed their climbing till the top of February. In March with others, he made the first ascent of Easter Crack on Elliptical Crag adopted in April by a 1st ascent of Blizzard Chimney. Together with his cousins, he climbed extra winter climbs on St. Sunday Crag; Fairfield; The Dodds; Dollywaggon Pike; and Catchedicam. In June he set off for the Alps with the Abraham brothers on a climbing photographic expedition. Throughout their go to, they made many 1st ascents which turned the idea for George’s e book: ‘On Alpine Heights and British Crags’.On returning to the Lakes, Rusty continued to climb together with his cousins, doing 1st ascents of Chock Gully and Dove Crag, along with a 2nd ascent of Dollywaggon Gully, presumably the primary full true ascent in a single climb.In 1911, he went to Canada and secured work with a mountain survey occasion run by Arthur Wheeler, the founding father of the Alpine Membership of Canada. Throughout his three years of working with Wheeler, Rusty climbed many peaks and summits within the Canadian Rockies together with Swiss guides corresponding to Konrad Cain, the Fuez brothers and others. His record of ascents is spectacular (some 1st and 2nd ascents) some solely inviting a number of repeat ascents. His climbs totals properly over sixty summits and peaks, which incorporates being the primary particular person to rock climb the cliff face of Mt Whyte.He obtained a fee within the Territorial Military – 50th Regiment Gordon Highlanders, and following outbreak of WWI, he was commissioned within the Canadian Royal Transport Firm. Throughout his time on the entrance, he was nominated a number of instances for mentions in dispatches for his bravery when he led his ammunition horse provide practice underneath fireplace, to troops on the entrance line at each Ypres and the Somme.He returned to Canada after the warfare, continued to serve with the Canadian Military and climbed and skied each time potential. He was to find climbing crags in Nova Scotia, was instrumental in discovering snowboarding venues in Quebec, and made important climbing ascents in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, a few of which have been hardly ever repeated. As well as, he was a eager horseman and took part in lots of competitions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, profitable a number of instances in his class (heavy horse), and, he was additionally a very good novice golfer and all spherical skier.In 1936, he went to the Alps together with his shut buddy Dr. P. B. Finn (Director of Atlantic Fisheries), for 2 weeks and in that point, they climbed the Unttergabellahon, Riffelhorn (by three completely different routes), Rimpfischhorn, after which capped their vacation off with an ascent of the Matterhorn. When again in Cumberland, Gerald Buck and others, had arrange the Lake District Ski Membership which Rusty was invited to be President of, which he remained related to for the remainder of his life.On his return to Canada, he made the primary winter ascent of each East and West Lion exterior Vancouver; made the primary winter ski exploration of the complete Yoho Valley; found a crag known as Eagle’s Nest and made 1st ascents of all routes in each summer season and winter; wrote infinite climbing and mountaineering articles for native newspapers; gave frequent illustrated talks on the topic, and, was absolutely concerned within the mountain warfare coaching programme arrange within the Rockies by the Alpine Membership of Canada. This led to Rusty occurring a clandestine go to to the Warfare Workplace in London, which resulted within the Lovat Scouts being despatched on the coaching programme, commanded by Frank Smythe.With the onset of WWII, Rusty was given the go forward from the Canadian Authorities, to arrange and run the nation’s first official navy mountain warfare coaching camp at Terrace, east of Prince Rupert. While travelling there on the practice, he took significantly unwell with biliary colic leading to his gall bladder being eliminated. Consequently, in 1945 he was medically discharged from the Military with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, returned to his beloved Cumberland, and settled right down to his retirement in Keswick.By no means a one to permit any grass to develop beneath his ft, he was out on the fells and crags inside days of arriving dwelling.
A yr later in 1946, he went to assistance from Wilfrid Noyce (Everest veteran) who had fractured his femur while out climbing on Nice Gable. This occasion led to Rusty forming the Borrowdale Mountain Rescue Workforce which later modified its title to Keswick MRT. He was finally awarded the O.B.E. for his companies to mountain rescue, along with receiving the Silver Rope Award from the Alpine Membership of Canada in 1947, being the one climber to take action that yr.All through his lifetime, he climbed and hiked the fells and hills of each the UK and Canada with many notable climbers; Haskett Smith, George Seatree, Norman Collie, Noel Odell, Bentley Beetham, Harry Griffin, Godfrey Solly, Tony Mason-Hornby (Ogwen Cottage), John Disley and plenty of many others. Within the 1960’s he suffered from abdomen most cancers – underwent 15 main operations – given a number of weeks to stay in 1964 – however was nonetheless climbing and strolling in 1976 aged 90, with out helmet, harness or different modern-day climbing aides, and, carrying a full time catheter!He revealed ‘Adventures in Climbing’ (1964), wrote articles for quite a lot of climbing journals, and, did the world’s first ever stay radio exterior broadcast while mountaineering with Stanley Williamson in Borrowdale, the broadcaster who was accountable for clearing Captain Thain of blame for the Manchester United Munich air catastrophe.Rusty was a quiet unassuming particular person, preferring to be within the shadows of publicity. He took nice curiosity in introducing many novices to mountaineering and snowboarding, and firmly believed within the adage, that climbers shouldn’t fall and as such, ought to be taught to ascend and descend climbs in an effort to enhance their climbing method and talents.On 24th November 1984, Rusty lastly succumbed to his sickness and sadly, dementia, and handed away in a nursing dwelling close to Kirkby Stephen.A specific view from Nice Gable, considered the best in all Lakeland, was marked by his father and uncle by constructing a cairn within the 1830’s, now referred to as the Westmorland Cairn the place Rusty’s ashes have been unfold. He left an solely son Horace Lyndhurst and an solely grandson, Dickon now dwelling in Australia.