Read Online Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine by Julie Summers - Free Book Online Page B

Sandy.  His energy and enthusiasm for everything he does just bursts out of the letter.  But there is also, tucked away amongst the humour and chaos of his thoughts, a genuine kindness and generosity towards others.  He is concerned to acknowledge the very hard work that the boatmen have done for the VIII throughout the summer, both in preparation for Henley and also on the house boats.  He also takes the trouble to tip the House John.  Then there are the little digs at his mother which he cannot resist: ‘Talking of Henley I have my accounts to give of it & will leave it to your judgement what you think ought to come out of my pocket.’  He goes on to list in great detail the expenditure he had incurred at Henley, including repair of a broken canoe paddle.  He explains this as well.  ‘The last named Broken canoe paddle was a most unfortunate accident and came from trying to race another canoe on Sunday afternoon before the races. As you see after paying Kitch & the Mission boats I had £2 one for July & one for Henley & also you will see that those went on unfortunate accident & 2 prs white socks & a very little frivolity which is quite natural after 6 weeks of strict training & hard work.’  A little frivolity! Lilian knew all about Sandy’s little frivolities and probably disapproved of them but there was nothing she could do now to rein him in.  Henley is physically draining for the oarsman but there is plenty of opportunity to let off steam after the racing and I strongly suspect that Sandy was a leading light in the post-race frivolities.
    The hospitality was not one way, however, and soon after Sandy had begun at Shrewsbury he was invited to spend time during the holidays at the Summers family home at Cornist Hall in North Wales with Dick.  Cornist Hall is not one of North Wales’s most beautiful houses but what it lacks in architectural merit it makes up for in size and position. It was not a modest house.  At Cornist there was a tennis court, a swimming pool, a beautiful walled rose garden (which still exists) and extensive grounds leading down towards Flint with views over the Dee estuary. 
    What Cornist also boasted were garages with gleaming cars, tenderly cared for by the chauffeur, Dick and HS. Cars have been an inevitable cause of friction, delight and disaster in our family ever since they were invented.  HS had been an early owner of a motor car and in 1907 had been spoken to firmly by a Chester magistrate for driving down Bridge Street without due care and attention.  He had accidentally put his foot on the accelerator rather than the brake pedal, ploughing into a flock of sheep and killing several of them.  He was advised thereafter to leave the driving to his chauffeur.  Dick’s elder brother Geoffrey was also a keen motorist and a great deal more accomplished than his father.  He had taught Dick to drive at the age of seven. It was at Cornist that Sandy learned to drive a car and under Geoffrey and Dick’s supervision became a very able driver.
    Dick’s interest in cars extended beyond those he drove himself and he fed Sandy endless information about the merits or otherwise of certain models that the Irvine family was considering acquiring. The family did not own a car until 1916 when they took delivery of a second-hand chocolate-coloured 1914 Briton which was immediately nick-named the Choccy Bus.  When Hugh joined the RAF in 1917, the duty of chief motor mechanic fell to Sandy, Willie being entirely impractical in matters mechanical.  The Choccy Bus was desperately unreliable and by 1919 the frequent breakdowns and near-disasters, such as the steering habitually sticking at full left lock, ceased to be accepted as either funny or inevitable.  Sandy was deputed to scour the motoring journals for a newer and more reliable marque.  This he did with his usual dedication and Dick was more than helpful in supplying the literature.  They pored over every publication they could