Charles Francis Meade

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Charles Francis Meade (1881-1975) was a British mountaineer and author.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Climbing 3 Personal life 4 Publications

[edit] Origins

He was the only surviving child of the Hon. Sir Robert Henry Meade and Caroline Georgiana Grenfell. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father before he reached the age of 17.

[edit] Climbing

Meade climbed extensively in the Alps and the Himalayas, often accompanied by his guide, Pierre Blanc (d. 1966). In particular, he made a number of early attempts on Kamet, camping overnight in 1913 at Meade’s Col, at a height of 7,138 metres. He was an original member of the Mount Everest Committee. Meade Nunatak, a hill in the Antarctic, is also named after him.

Meade also invented the Meade tent, a design which, for a number of years, was extensively used by other climbers.

[edit] Personal life

Meade married Aileen Hilda Brodrick, the daughter of St.John Brodrick (later Earl of Midleton), by whom he had three daughters and a son. They lived in Wales, at Pen-y-Lan, near Meifod.

[edit] Publications

• Approach to the Hills (John Murray, London, 1940)
• High Mountains (Harvill, London, 1954)