Beetham, Bentley

Bentley Beetham was born in Darlington on the 1 May 1886. His early interest in ornithology and climbing combined with his photographic skills to produce the record preserved in this collection. He became a schoolmaster at Barnard Castle School in 1914.

His combination of skills made him an important member of the 1924 expedition to climb Mount Everest and led to his creating a photographic record of the expedition. The expedition party, Edward Norton, Geoffrey Bruce, Andrew Irvine, George Mallory, Noel Odell, John MacDonald, Edward Shebbeare, Howard Somervell and Bentley Beetham, left Darjeeling in March 1924 and travelled through Tibet, reaching Everest at the end of April. After two attempts at the summit in early June, and the deaths of Irvine and Mallory during the second, the expedition returned through Tibet, reaching Darjeeling towards the end of July.

Beetham continued teaching biology at Barnard Castle School, where he continued his climbing, ornithology and photography, interests that were combined in field trips and his fostering of an outdoor approach to the subject. After his death the Bentley Beetham Trust was founded to preserve his collection and foster interest in his life and enthusiasms.

From the guide to the Bentley Beetham Collection, 1920s-1950s, (Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections)