Maurice Wilson, a British Army officer from Bradford with almost no mountaineering experience, attempted to climb Mount Everest solo in 1934, convinced that prayer and fasting would see him safely to the summit. His bizarre plan, which involved crash-landing a small aircraft on the mountain, ended in his death and remains one of the strangest tragedies in Everest history.
Wilson believed he could prove the power of faith by succeeding where professional climbers had failed. After surviving World War I and claiming to have cured his tuberculosis through prayer and fasting, he became obsessed with the idea that divine intervention would guide him. He flew a second-hand Gypsy Moth biplane from Britain to India in 1933, but local authorities confiscated the aircraft. Undeterred, Wilson disguised himself as a Buddhist monk to retrieve the plane, sold it, and then crossed illegally into Tibet on foot.
In spring 1934, Wilson set out alone up Everest's remote northern side. His diary revealed a startling lack of understanding of glaciers, altitude, and ice climbing. He ignored essential equipment, assumed steps cut into the ice the previous year might still exist, and relied heavily on faith. Two Sherpas who briefly accompanied him begged him to abandon the climb, but he refused.
On 29 May 1934, Wilson set off alone towards the North Col. His final diary entry, dated 31 May, read: “Off again, gorgeous day.” He was never seen alive again. The following year, a British expedition led by Eric Shipton discovered his body at the foot of the North Col, frozen beside the remains of his tent. He had likely died from exhaustion or starvation and was buried in a crevasse nearby.
