Ewart Grogan was born in London on 12th December 1874, his father's (William) fourteenth child, the first with his second wife, Jane. It seems that the family was fiercely proud of their Irish ancestry that could be traced back to a John Grogan of Antrim. By the late 1700s they held Ardcandrisk Estate and Johnstown Castle in Wexford but Cornelius, the owner, was executed for his part in the 1798 rebellion against the Crown. His brother fought on the other side and was killed in the Battle of Arklow.
Ewart's great-grandfather left Ireland for London and his son, Nicholas, became established in business as a wine merchant and was followed by his son's great success in Real Estate, being appointed as Surveyor General of Houses and Buildings for the Duchy of Lancaster by Queen Victoria. This was William, Ewart's father.
As his mother's first born, he was doted upon in the family and as a result developed a boundless self confidence. Prep school was Grove House, near Guildford, followed, at about age 13, by Winchester. Here he was academically precocious but his diminutive stature limited his success on the games field where he played some rugby and cricket. He excelled at rifle shooting and his interest may have been first stimulated by A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa and by King Solomon's Mines and he was determined to get to Africa and experience the hunt for 'Big Game'.
In 1891 he contracted measles. Complications set in and on doctor's orders he was taken out of school for an extended period of rest. Eventually his health stabilised. He then decided (regarding himself now as head of the family) to forsake the shackles of school and depart for Switzerland for the sake of his health. The plan seemed to work as soon as he reached Zermatt and by his second summer there he had put on four stone in weight and had grown to almost six feet in height. From a diminutive and sick teenager he had become a strong and competent mountaineer.
See Edward Paice Lost Lion of Empire for details of Grogan's life.
The time he spent in Switzerland, the seasons from 1892 to 1895 are of most interest here. The 'grumpy old recluse' that he met and befriended by the hotel fireside turned out to be Edward Whymper who provided advice and lessons on high altitude snow and ice technique. Alfred Mummery was also there and instructed Grogan on rock climbing skills.
His ascents in 1892, according to his Alpine Club membership application, were: Gramont, Dent de Jaman, Dent de Morcles, Petite Dent de Morcles (twice - second time without guides), Diablerets, Grand Moeveron.
1893 -Petits Dent de Morcles, Diablerets, Dent Jeune/Cime de l'Est, Matterhorn Shoulder (repulsed by bad weather).
At his mother's insistence that he should continue his education he enrolled in Jesus College, Cambridge in 1893. While there he played rugby and and athletics - hammer throwing and high jump - mainly, it seems to keep fit for his mountaineering endeavours.
In 1894 he was back in the Alps and he had an impressive season: Pierre Cabotz & Tete a Pierre Grept (same day), Matterhorn, Weisshorn, Riffelhorn, Rothotn (traverse), Obergabelhorn (traverse), Dom, Dent Blanche, Petite Aiguille de Charmoz (twice, 1st traverse without guides), Aig de Blaitiere, Grand & Petite Dru (traverse). The Weisshorn climb almost ended in disaster when he fell into a crevasse and underwent a long drawn rescue.
1895 was to be an eventful year in his life. It saw the death of his beloved mother to whom he was deeply attached. Also, following a number of outrageous 'pranks' he was 'sent down' from college. All this did not impinge on his climbing, for he went back to the Alps for another season of climbing - Rimpfischhorn, Monte Rosa (Nordend), Matterhorn, Dent d'Herens, Riffelhorn (4 times, twice by new route, 1st time without guides).
The result of these endeavours resulted in his being elected as a member of the Alpine Club in 1896 whose profession was recorded as 'undergraduate'. He was, then, the youngest member of the club. On the recommendation of his erstwhile guides (Sommermatter and Perron) he was also elected to the Swiss Alpine Club.
Having thus met the challenge of the mountains his mountaineering ambitions seem to have been fulfilled. Grogan never climbed in the Alps, or anywhere else, again.
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| Courtesy: Alpine Club |
Subsequently he went to Africa and became renowned for being the first person to walk from Cape Town to Cairo, the full length of the continent, spending two and a half years doing so and facing many dangers and 'adventures' from wild animals and native peoples along the way.
See Edward Paice Lost Lion of Empire for details of this part of Grogan's life and
From the Cape to Cairo by Ewart S. Grogan and Arthur H. Sharp with illustrations by A.D. Mc Cormick
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