Hamish MacInnes (7 July 1930 – 22 November 2020) was a Scottish mountaineer, explorer, mountain search and rescuer, and author. He has been described as the "father of modern
mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. This tends to include mountains with tech ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
".
He is credited with inventing the first all-metal
ice-axe
An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...
and an eponymous lightweight foldable alloy stretcher called ''MacInnes stretcher'', widely used in mountain and helicopter rescue. He was a mountain safety advisor to a number of major films, including ''
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) an ...
,'' ''
The Eiger Sanction
''The Eiger Sanction'' is a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker. The story is about a classical art professor and collector who doubles as a professional assassin, and who is coerced out of retirement to ave ...
'' and ''
The Mission.'' His 1972 ''International Mountain Rescue Handbook'' is considered a manual in the mountain search and rescue discipline.
Early life
MacInnes was born in
Gatehouse of Fleet
Gatehouse of Fleet ( sco, Gatehoose o Fleet gd, Taigh an Rathaid) is a town half in the civil parish of Girthon and half in the parish of Anwoth divided by the river Water of Fleet, Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, within the district council region o ...
, in the historical county of
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative county ...
in
Galloway
Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway.
A native or i ...
, Scotland, on 7 July 1930. His father's surname was McInnes, but Hamish, (according to his obituary in ''The Times'') "later adopted the more distinctive Scottish spelling of the family name". He was the youngest child amongst five siblings. He had three sisters and a brother who was eighteen years older than Hamish. His father served in the Chinese police in Shanghai, then returned to join the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
during World War I.
He had served with
National service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The l ...
, shortly after the Second World War, with a deployment in Austria.
Mountaineering and mountain rescue
MacInnes was exposed to mountaineering at a very early age and by the age of 16, he had already climbed the
Matterhorn
The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
. He had also built a motor car from scratch at the age of 17.
In 1953, when he was 23, he made an attempt to scale
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
, with his friend
John Crabbe Cunningham
John Crabbe Cunningham (1927 – 31 January 1980) was a Scottish climber. Born in Glasgow, he climbed extensively in the Scottish mountains, where he pioneered new techniques of ice climbing.
For several years, he worked for the British Ant ...
and had almost made it before
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached t ...
and
Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay (; ''tendzin norgyé''; perhaps 29 May 1914 – 9 May 1986), born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He was one of the first two people known to reach the sum ...
scaled the mountain.
He went on to complete the first winter ascent of
Crowberry Ridge Direct and of Raven's Gully on
Buachaille Etive Mòr
Buachaille Etive Mòr (), gd, Buachaille Èite Mòr, 'great herdsman of Etive'), also known simply as 'The Buachaille', is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. Its pyramidal shape, as seen from the northeast, ...
in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
, with
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL (born 6 August 1934) is a British mountaineer.
His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest.
Early life and expeditions
Bonington's father, w ...
in 1953. He was also a part of the group that scaled the Bonatti Pillar on the
Aiguille du Dru
The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is situated to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley. "Aiguille" means "needle" in French.
The m ...
, a mountain on the
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
massif of the
French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as ...
. He performed this feat with a fractured skull, which he suffered after being hit by a rockfall.
He is noted for bringing many innovations to mountaineering equipment, including designing the first all-metal
ice axe
An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...
.
He is credited with introducing the short ice
axe
An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...
and hammer with inclined picks for Scottish winter work in the early 1960s. He also pioneered the exploration of the
Glencoe cliffs for winter work with the Glencoe School of Winter Climbing and led the area's
mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. This tends to include mountains with tech ...
team from 1961. In the 1960s he was secretary of the
Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland
Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS), now known as Scottish Mountain Rescue is the body which represents and coordinates mountain rescue teams in Scotland. It has 27 affiliated mountain rescue teams.
Scottish Mountain Rescue consists of ...
. He is recognised as having developed modern mountain rescue in Scotland, setting up the
Search and Rescue Dog Association with his wife in 1965 and the
Scottish Avalanche Information Service in 1988.
He invented the eponymous MacInnes stretcher, a lightweight and specialised folding alloy stretcher, which is used for rescues worldwide.
IN 1972 he was part of an 11-strong team that attempted to be the first to ascent the southwest face of Everest, but their expedition did not reach the summit due bad weather. In 1975, MacInnes was deputy leader to Bonington's
Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition, which included
Dougal Haston
Duncan "''Dougal"'' Curdy MacSporran Haston (19 April 1940 – 17 January 1977) was a Scottish mountaineer noted for his exploits in the British Isles, Alps, and the Himalayas. From 1967 he was the director of the International School of Mountai ...
and
Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott (29 May 19417 December 2020) was an English mountaineer, noted for being on the team that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. In receiving one of mountaineering's highest hon ...
. He had been tasked with designing equipment for that expedition but after being caught in an avalanche high on the mountain was unable to continue. He went on to scale the overhanging prow of
Mount Roraima
Mount Roraima ( es, Monte Roraima; Tepuy Roraima; Cerro Roraima pt, Monte Roraima ) is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepuis (table-top mountain) or plateaux in South America. It is located at the junction of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. ...
in the mountainous regions around Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana.
Although never an official member, MacInnes climbed extensively with the Creagh Dhu, Glasgow-based climbing club as well as with the rival Aberdeen clubs. He joined forces with
Tom Patey
Thomas Walton Patey (20 February 1932 – 25 May 1970) was a Scottish climber, mountaineer, doctor and writer. He was a leading Scottish climber of his day, particularly excelling on winter routes. He died in a climbing accident at the age of 38. ...
to make the first winter traverse of the
Cuillin
The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Sliga ...
Ridge on
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...
.
He was involved with a number of films, as climber, climbing double and safety officer, including ''
The Eiger Sanction
''The Eiger Sanction'' is a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker. The story is about a classical art professor and collector who doubles as a professional assassin, and who is coerced out of retirement to ave ...
'' and ''
The Mission.''
[ He also worked on the 1975 film '']The Eiger Sanction
''The Eiger Sanction'' is a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker. The story is about a classical art professor and collector who doubles as a professional assassin, and who is coerced out of retirement to ave ...
'' and the 1986 film '' The Mission''. He was part of the production team for the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail
''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) an ...
''. He served as mountaineering consultant, built the film's "bridge of death" and became friends with star Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries.
Palin w ...
.
He wrote many books on mountaineering, including the ''International Mountain Rescue Handbook'' (1972), which is regarded as the standard manual worldwide in the mountain search and rescue discipline, and ''Call-out: A climber's tales of mountain rescue in Scotland'' (1973), his account of his experiences leading the Glencoe Rescue team.
MacInnes acquired a number of nicknames within the mountaineering community, including the affectionate "Old Fox of Glencoe", "The Fox of Glencoe" and "MacPiton".
In 1994 MacInnes resigned his position as leader of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team, over a decision taken by his colleagues to let the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
make a documentary based on their work. However, the decision changed and he returned as leader.
Awards and honours
MacInnes was awarded a British Empire Medal
The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...
in the 1962 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1962 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lon ...
. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) for services to mountaineering and mountain rescue in Scotland in the 1979 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1979 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1979 to celebr ...
. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
in 1992, University of Stirling
The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...
in 1997 and University of Dundee
The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...
in 2004. In 2007 he was awarded honorary fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...
. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame of Scotland, set up in 2002. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and National Museums Scotland. It is also funded ...
in 2003 and received the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture in 2008. In 2016 he was presented with the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of the Highlands and Islands.
In 2018 a documentary film was produced for BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...
, titled ''Final Ascent:The Legend of Hamish MacInnes''. Introduced by his friend, Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries.
Palin w ...
, it recounts the story of MacInnes's life and achievements, and how he used archive footage, his photographs and his many books to "recover his memories and rescue himself".
Personal life
MacInnes lived in Glen Coe
Glen Coe ( gd, Gleann Comhann ) is a glen of volcanic origins, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the county of Argyll, close to the border with the historic province of Lochaber, within the modern council area of Highland ...
for many years. Until 1998, he resided at "''Allt Na Reigh''", a cottage within the glen that was subsequently purchased by media personality, Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well known ...
. MacInnes later said that he was hoodwinked by Savile, and pleaded that the house, which was believed not to have been the scene of any of the offences for which Savile subsequently became infamous, not be demolished.
Illness and death
In 2014, MacInnes suffered a urinary tract infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a bladder infection (cystitis) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as a kidney ...
which, initially undiagnosed, rendered him severely confused and suffering from delirium. He was sectioned
Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qualified agent to have symptoms of severe mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hos ...
into Belford psychiatric hospital in the Scottish Highlands. From there he made multiple attempts to escape, including scaling up the outside of the hospital to stand on its roof. After around five years the infection was diagnosed and treated. MacInnes recovered, though he lost memories of his adventuring career that he sought to rebuild by reading his accounts of them.
He died on 22 November 2020, aged 90, at his home in Glen Coe. Writing on his death, the Scottish daily ''The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' said, "No one man has done more to help put in place the network of emergency response efforts designed to keep climbers from harm’s way, and it seems that MacInnes took just as much pleasure in helping to rescue people as he did in making record-breaking ascents."
Bibliography
Non-fiction
Autobiography
*
Mountaineering in Scotland: Scottish Mountain Guides
*
*
*
*
*
Mountaineering in the Greater Ranges
*
*
*
Mountain rescue
*
*
*
*
*
*
Hillwalking in Scotland
*
*
*
*
*
Scottish culture, nature and wildlife
*
*
*
*
*
Fiction
*
*
*
References
External links
*
portrait
at National Galleries Scotland
at the Gazetteer for Scotland
The ''Gazetteer for Scotland'' is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and cont ...
*
Final Ascent:The Legend of Hamish MacInnes (film)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macinnes, Hamish
1930 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Scottish writers
21st-century Scottish writers
People from Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish inventors
Scottish mountain climbers
Scottish non-fiction writers
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the British Empire Medal
People from Greenock
Glen Coe