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© Stephen Reid
An amazing thread begun by Stephen Reid has shown just how far UKC can reach. Stephen was trying to find relatives of Walter Parry Haskett Smith, the first ascensionist of Napes Needle in the Lake District. He was seeking the missing link in his quest to document the history of a commemorative statue (left) he owns. Within 16 days the thread had located 2 relatives neither of whom were regular users of this site. The thread also became the top hit on Google when searching for 'Haskett-Smith'.

The ascent of Napes Needle in 1886 by Haskett Smith is reckoned by many to mark the foundation of the sport of rock climbing. In 1936, Haskett Smith (aged 74) was taken up the Needle for a 50th anniversary ascent by Theo Chorley and Gustave Robert Speaker whilst a crowd of 300 watched from vantage points. Speaker commissioned Una Cameron to produce an artistic rendering of the Needle to be cast in bronze. The first casting of this statuette was presented to Haskett Smith by the FRCC in 1937. A second cast was made in 1938 which is still owned by the FRCC. In 1946 Haskett Smith died and the bronze disappeared. Despite much searching the statue remained lost until 1979 when a painter and decorator was pricing a job for a Mrs Wright of Purley. He noticed the bronze propping open the garage door and guessed it had something to do with climbing. He mentioned that his daughter was a climber and he was begged to "take the ugly thing away as it was on it's way to the tip" and was also told that Mrs Wright's late husband had been left it by Haskett Smith. Many years later, his daughter rediscovered it in her attic and sold it to Stephen Reid.

Despite the success of the thread in locating two living relatives, Stephen hasn't yet been able to make the connection between Haskett Smith and Wright and complete the story but maybe there is more to follow.

Thanks to Stephen Reid for the historical details.


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28 Sep, 2005
Do you know where he died? The registrar for that district should have details of his death certificate. The 1901 census is on-line and may be of help. From http://www.frcc.co.uk/rock/history/needle/napesneedle1.htm it would appear that he was still around in 1936. Ask on geneology sites as they should be used to this sort of detective work. Bob
28 Sep, 2005
He died in March 1946 at Parkstone in Dorset "to which he had retired, little-visited, isolated, and in failing health, after the bombing of his London house", according to Perrin in the introduction to the Ernest Press edition of his 'Climbing in the British Isles'.
28 Sep, 2005
I posted that because I thought other people might be interested to know.
28 Sep, 2005
Did he not live with his sister, neither of them marrying? His brother Edmund may have married. The Haskett-Smith family were from around Goudhurst in Kent, so you might find some more distant relatives there. There's an inscription in Goudhurst churchyard: "Thermutis Ashe daughter of Haskett SMITH of Trowswell born 29 September 1854 died 27 February 1864. Haskett Smith of Trowswell died 7 October 1895 aged 83. Anne (DAVIES) his wife died 6 September 1893 aged 74. Algernon HASKETT-SMITH born 4 July 1856 died 27 November 1887." There's a Claire Haskett-Smith living at Burnham-on-Crouch (or was in 2002) and a Philip Haskett-Smith whose name I've seen on a campsite register near Tunbridge Wells (noticed them both because of the surname!). Not much help, but may give you something to go on.
28 Sep, 2005
Oh, and in his short life, Algernon H-S was apparently a first class cricketer. He's the right age to be a brother or cousin of W.P., and you may find some leads through cricketing archives.
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