Francis Douglas

Lord Francis Douglas

Reminder plaque on Bahnhofstrasse in Zermatt

Lord Francis Douglas (born February 8, 1847 , † July 14, 1865 by crashing on the Matterhorn ) was a British mountaineer.

Life

As a son of Archibald William Douglas , 8th Marquess of Queensberry , he came from the Scottish family of Douglas . He was one of those British mountaineers who, together with local mountain guides, attempted the first ascent of still unconquered Alpine peaks in the 19th century . During the third attempt to climb the Ober Gabelhorn for the first time in July 1865, he was beaten by another rope team for just one day. Then he turned to the first ascent of the Matterhorn, starting on the Swiss side from Zermatt .

First ascent of the Matterhorn

In Zermatt, Lord Francis joined forces with the British mountaineers Edward Whymper , Reverend Charles Hudson and his pupil D. Robert Hadow as well as the mountain guides Michel Croz (from Chamonix ), Peter Taugwalder's father and Peter Taugwalder's son (both from Zermatt). This rope team managed to climb the Matterhorn for the first time on July 14, 1865 via the Hörnligrat. On the descent, the rope team formed anew: first went Croz, then Hadow, then Hudson and Douglas. These climbers were secured by a 60 m rope. The following mountaineers Taugwalder senior, Whymper and Taugwalder junior were connected to the lead group by a second, weaker rope. During the descent, the inexperienced and tired Hadow slipped on a plate of ice above the so-called shoulder, fell on Croz and pulled Hudson and Douglas with him. When Taugwalder senior tried to hold the people sliding, the rope broke; the climbers fell fatally on the north face.

The bodies of Croz, Hudson and Hadow were recovered from the Matterhorn glacier a few days later, the body of Lord Francis Douglas was never found.

• 

  Illustration of the Misfortune by Gustave Doré (1865)