to complete the ascent the next morning.

Yet that marked the end of his climbing career. Undeterred, however, he simply learned to fly so he could still be among the peaks. His experiences formed the basis of another book, From Heston to the High Alps, which contains 31 photographs of Alpine peaks taken, probably by him, from the air. (See appendix for details). The Heston referred to was Heston Aerodrome, situated adjacent to the present-day Heathrow, which was operational from 1929 to 1946, and from where Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made his famous “Peace in our time” speech.

Heston, the future Heathrow, where Fawcett learned to fly.

Left: The control tower at Heston Aerodrome in 1930, where and when Fawcett learned to fly.

After the war, he settled back in England. In1947, he married Mrs. Vera Sybil Elise Dick-Cunyngham (née Pryce), the widow of George Dick-Cunyngham whom she had married in 1908. The new Mr. & Mrs. Fawcett lived at 98, Walton Street, London SW3.

He continued with his Alpine flights until 1950. One can imagine him then, in his 80s, struggling to steady his light aircraft against the swirling updrafts among the mountain peaks, while photographing the grandeur beneath him. Eventually, the authorities refused to renew his pilot’s licence – probably a wise decision in the circumstances.

In his final years, he settled into a routine of entering the same congresses each year, mainly Hastings in the New Year and Paignton in September. He tended to enter sections that were too high for his declining powers, often finishing last, though