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Anthony David Machell Cox (8 June 1913 — 25 October 1994) was a historian and mountaineer.

David Cox
Born(1913-06-08)8 June 1913
Plymouth
Died25 October 1994(1994-10-25) (aged 81)
Cyprus
NationalityBritish
Alma materHertford College, Oxford
Occupation(s)historian, rock climber and mountaineer
Known forFirst ascent of Machapuchare, vice-master of University College, Oxford

David Cox was born in Plymouth,[1] he spent his early years in Yelverton, Devon and attended Clifton College, Bristol.[2] In 1932 he went on to study Greats and modern history at Hertford College, Oxford


Academic Life

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Cox was elected as a Fellow of All Souls (1937),[1] before becoming a Fellow and Praelector in Modern History at University College (1939 - 1980). ?? FROM ?? He was vice-master of University College, Oxford until his retirement in 1984.[1]

An authority on the history of University College, Oxford.[3]

Climbing in the UK and the European alps

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Cox was not only a leading mountaineer he was also a highly proficient technical rock climber.

Involved in numerous significant first ascents, many in the upper grades of difficulty.

CC ordinary (**, 1935) and CC Direct (1936 with Hodgkin, HVS 5a ***) on dewerstone ('one of the hardest routes in the counry at the time' and not repeated for a decade.[4] These were the first recorded climbs on the Dewerstone.[5]

He made the first ascent of several routes on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu

sunset crack with Hodgkin and the mallory sisters (daughters of george) in 1937 whilst spending a week camping together.[1]

Sheaf (HVS **, Oct 1945): described as a superb discovery[6] and a masterpiece of route finding[7]

He also co-authored the guide book for Craig yr Ysfa in North Wales.[8]

His solo first ascent of Spiral Route (HVS, 1938) on Craig yr Ysfa has been described as one of the outstanding achievements of the pre-war era.[9]  ??PART OF GUIDE PREP ??


War years

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He served with the RAMC ??OR RA ?? in Greece, Palestine and Iran[2] before joining the Commando Mountain and Snow Warfare Centre in Braemar where he trained troops along with John Hunt.[1][2] Later in 1943 he became 'Chief Instructor, Rock' for the Middle East Ski and Mountaineering School at the Cedars of Lebanon above Beirut.[10]

He was Commanding Officer of a Mountain Commando Training Wing in Llanberis.[11]

He belayed Chris Preston when he was practicing Suicide Wall on a top rope a few days before Preston made the first ascent

Himalayan climbing

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had climbed extensively with Noyce in the UK.[12]

In 1957 he joined a team, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Roberts, to attempt the first ascent of Machapuchare in Nepal (6,993 m (22,943 ft)). The local Nepali people regarded the mountain as sacred[13] and Cox, with Wilfrid Noyce climbed to within 150 m (492 ft) of the summit via the north ridge (an approximate altitude of 22,793 ft (6,947 m)).[14] In the early stages of the expedition Roger Chorley, another member of the party, contracted polio and was evacuated.[15]

King Mahendra had given them permission to climb the mountain, but forbade them from stepping foot on the summit itself,

Cox and Noyce went on to make the first ascent of Singu Chuli (otherwise known as Fluted Peak) (6,501 m (21,329 ft)).[15] They climbed the north-east face, finishing by the top section of the east ridge, and reached the top on 13 June 1957.[16]


After a short alpine holiday in 1958, with Wilfrid Noyce and Anthony Rawlinson, Cox himself contracted polio and was left with permanently weakened arms and chest (which was a factor in his final year of respiratory failure).[2]

Later life

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Cox was elected as President of the Alpine Club (1971–1973).[17] He has been credited for preparing the ground in the face of many die-hards for the amalgamation of the Ladies Alpine Club with the (then) male only Alpine Club.[1]


He died on 25 October 1994 on the last day of a holiday in Cyprus.[18]


References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Armstrong, Dennis (1995). "Obituary – A. David M. Cox (1913 – 1994)". Yorkshire Rambles Club. #12 (3). Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Hodgkin, Robin; Hunt, John (1995). "In Memoriam: Anthony David Machell Cox 1913-1994)" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #100 (344): 332–335. ISBN 978-0948153419. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  3. ^ Darwall-Smith, Robin (2008). "Appendix I". A History of University College, Oxford. Oxford University Press. p. 529. ISBN 978-0-19-928429-0. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  4. ^ Wells, Colin (2008). Who’s Who in British Climbing. The Climbing Company Ltd. ISBN 9780955660108.
  5. ^ Littlejohn, Pat; O’Sullivan, Pete (1985). Rock Climbs in the South West: South Devon and Dartmoor. Cordee. p. 7. ISBN 9780904405972.
  6. ^ Williams, Paul (1989). Clogwyn Du'r Arddu. Climbers Club. p. 10.
  7. ^ Soper, N. Jack; Wilson, Ken; Crew, Peter (1971). The Black Cliff - The History of Rock Climbing on Clogwyn du'r Arddu. Kaye & Ward. p. 46. ISBN 9780718207908.
  8. ^ Cox, A. D. M.; Kretschmer, H. E. (1945). Craig yr Ysfa. Climbers Club.
  9. ^ Perrin, Jim (1985). Menlove: Life of John Menlove Edwards. Gollancz. p. 263. ISBN 9780575035713.
  10. ^ Cox, A. D. M. (1992). "The Lebanon: Some Memories of Mountain Warfare Training during World War II" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #97 (341): 191–197. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  11. ^ Jones, Trevor Geoff; Milburn, Geoff (1986). Welsh Rock: 100 Years of Climbing in North Wales. Pic Publication. p. 78. ISBN 9780951111406.
  12. ^ Hawkins, Stewart (2014). Far, Far, the Distant Peak: The Life of Wilfrid Noyce Mountaineer, Scholar, Poet. Curbans Books. ISBN 9780957404304.
  13. ^ Noyce, Wilfrid (1998) [1958]. Climbing the fish's tail. Pilgrims Book House. ISBN 978-8173031007. OCLC 857085947. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  14. ^ "British Machhapuchare 1957". MEF – Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  15. ^ a b Noyce, Wilfrid (1958). "Asia, Nepal, Machapuchare". American Alpine Journal. #11 (32): 118–120. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  16. ^ O’Connor, Bill (1992). The Trekking Peaks of Nepal. Crowood. ISBN 9781852236519.
  17. ^ https://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Cox.pdf
  18. ^ Perrin, Jim (1994). "Obituary: David Cox 1913 (1933) – 1994". Climbers Club Journal. #22 (113): 114–118.
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