One such event was the tragedy of 21 September 1903 when four ground breaking climbers, R. W. Broadrick, H. L. Jupp, A. E. W. Garrett and S. Ridsdale, set out to climb the rock faces of Scafell which tragically ended in the death of all four climbers. It is not my intention to enter into any great detail the reasons why this came about, many other sites go into this and I am a walker not a climber.
The brief circumstances are they met another party of climbers near Lord's Rake and departed from them at around 2.30pm, each party doing separate climbs. The other party returned back along the rake at around 5.40pm and found all four climbers roped together at the foot of the rock-face, Broadrick, Jupp and Garrett were already dead. Ridsdale, although seriously injured was imploring the others to look after his colleagues, unaware they were dead. One of the other parties raced for help and on returning at around 8.30pm they managed to get Ridsdale down to the valley by 03.30am. They reached the valley floor and Ridsdale was still alive, yet by the time they got to the Wasdale Hotel he had passed away. That is a time span of nearly 10 hours between knowledge of the incident to recovery of the injured party and that is only to the valley floor.
From my experience, in today's modern age, from discovery a winch helicopter would be on the scene within 45 minutes and the injured would be at Hensingham Hospital (Whitehaven) within 10 minutes of scene evacuation, or 15 minutes to Carlisle, or 40 minutes to Newcastle for more specialist accident treatment. How times change
The other bodies were recovered the following day and the inquest held on 23 September (a modern inquest would be at least one year, if not approaching two).
The grave |
HERE let us leave him; for his shroud the snow,
For funeral lamps he has the planets seven,
For a great sign the icy stair shall go
Between the heights to heaven.
One moment stood he as the angels stand,
High in the stainless eminence of air;
The next, he was not, to his fatherland
Translated unaware.
The rock face before the Lord's Rake ascent going to the right (difficult to make out but the cross is at the end of my dogs tail |
The cross inscribed into the rock face |
The carved initials to the right of the cross |
Lord's Rake route is an inevitable and famous route onto this second highest fell in England. Many of those walkers are aware of the tragedy from literature on the internet or guide books bought on Lakeland walking routes. Those that are inevitably look for the cross at the base of the rake, carved into the rock face in tribute to the four fallen climbers who lost their lives on that fateful day.
Lord's Rake |
St Mary's church, Windermere. |
Richard W. Broadrick's Grave |
The grave inscription |
The Broadrick family graves, R. W. Broadrick is the second right. |
It seemed an appropriate tribute to have at least one site on the internet where all four climbers can be commemorated next to each other, albeit in photographs on an internet page. They died together, let them at least (albeit visually) Rest In Peace together, finally.
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**I have previously published this account, and other new material, for public knowledge. I did so in the expectation that anyone wishing to further expand that public knowledge would do so by highlighting this original account, and then adding new information they discover themselves. Sadly I am aware of one site that has repeated a large section of an account of another all but forgotten lakeland memorial to two boys that drowned and making out it was new, despite his following my many new lakes history accounts. I was asked by a person writing a book for Wasdale MRT for the generation of funds to assist that worthy cause. I gladly agreed to its use and he stated he would reference my original account. Such a stance by the latter is an honourable one; I hope the former person reflects on his conduct and no longer copies my work and then makes out he has found a new lakes history; that is dishonourable and diminishes him.**
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Thank you for your description and pictures. My great uncle James Haarbleicher died on 22nd May 1893 following an accident on the mountains at Wasdale head. He got separated from his sister in the fog and fell to his death. Your blogg gives an understanding of what may have happened.
ReplyDeleteI havew a news article on your Great uncle's death if it helps you?
DeleteI am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept. Thank you for the post.
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