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A FOOT WAS ALL OF 12 INCHES

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A foot was all of 12 inches; and still is. That, of course, is broadly meaningless to anyone born this century; and even beyond. The world’s gone metric. It makes a lot more sense working with a numerical notation that has ten as a base. Not a base of two; that’s binary. Though there may be pressure to import another word soon. Are not all the ‘wokes’ pushing for greater use of ‘non-binary?’ Anyway … And that word, with many available meanings, has a good optimistic ring to it. We need plenty of that. The foot itself emerges below. So, nowadays, you have to be thinking and going metric. Unless of course you live in the United States where imperial measurement still rules the roost, and the stone is more than a pound. How can that be? Well, it must be a diamond (btw, I’m no longer using lol)?

Measured

And, to most young people of today, a mile is just ‘a long way away’. The writer’s poetry can soon be measured by the yard. Or in the yard, if you’re lucky enough to have one. Go lower and you have a foot.  Three of them used to make a yard - while 1 760 yards made a mile. How did we get our heads round all that? Well, we had no choice. Before accepting metric, in the UK, value was expressed in Pounds, Shillings and Pence; twelve Pence in a Shilling and 20 Shillings in a Pound. One of the partners in an earlier version of accountants KPMG used to be able to mentally add downwards all three columns of Pounds, Shillings and Pence at the same time. That was before the days of the calculator. He deserved the heavy adulation he got, though the skill would not be much use today. Enough of the frivolity. These are serious times. Imagine living on the Ukraine/Russia border or near the Israel/Gaza/Lebanon borders. It seems almost wrong to laugh and enjoy wild fun when innocent people are dying under the same sun and stars.

Life

Not as bad as the landed gentry of England who enjoyed a relaxed and indulgent life while on July 1, 1916, one of the most infamous days of World War One, the British forces suffered 57 470 casualties, including 19 240 fatalities at the Battle of the Somme. In those pre-penicillin days even a non-life-threatening wound could mean death from septicaemia, just a few days later. Half a generation of young women then lost the chance of marriage; for life, and in the years before they were able to get a job. These days are clearly not as bad. But could be better.   

Let us get back to that foot. In the context of what the writer found to be a very moving story, a foot has proved to be a significant discovery. If your eyes were glued to the news – and you could take a break from the disheartening news about the Florida hurricane and the Israel/Lebanon carnage – you will have read about the death of a suave and man-about-town, cool guy called Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine. Together with famous climber, George Mallory, he was trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. But they were both lost high in the upper slopes exactly 100 years ago, while trying to be the first to the top.

That honour was left until 1953 for local guy Tenzing Norgay (‘Sherpa Tenzing’), and New Zealander, Edmund Hillary, who was later knighted for his achievement. Not wishing to detract from their historic feat (not feet – we come to that in a minute), but there have been moments of speculation about whether anyone else got to the top – over 29 000 feet (8 900 metres) high – before them but were lost on the way down. Many perished attempting that climb. The severe weather, altitude sickness and avalanche risk were the most serious threats.
Irvine and Mallory were part of a British expedition and last seen making a push for the summit. Mallory’s body was found in 1999; but no sign of Irvine; giving rise to one of the most enduring mysteries in mountaineering – whether the two men died before reaching the summit. Or after, as members of their team believed. Irvine actually had a Kodak camera with him. Finding that might resolve the speculation one way or another.

We may now be getting closer. No, we have not found the camera; just a foot aAnd in a boot with Sandy Irvine’s name on a label inside. The only reason they found the foot was because the ice, that has buried so many on that mountain, has periods of melting, and revealed this trophy. The ravens probably got the rest of him in other warmer times. It is a wonderful moment for the family, now hopefully able to give their ancestor, albeit only part of him, a proper burial. Searchers will renew their efforts, this time looking for that camera. Not to spoil history but to add to it. One wonders if they took selfies in those days. Secretly of course, for fear of being stoned for their vanity. There goes that stone again.Some might feel that it is a waste of effort. You cannot go scouring the ground of this world looking for dead bodies and their name-tags. However, Mount Everest is unique and very special. No fewer than 340 have climbed the mountain since 1953; and over 200 bodies remain buried in its slopes. What a lonely way to end your life.

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