Charles Granville Bruce Brigadier - General The Honourable Charles Granville Bruce , CB , MVO ( 7 April 1866 at London – 12 July 1939 at London ) was a Himalaya n veteran and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924 . Background and early life . Charles Granville Bruce was the youngest of the fourteen children of Henry Bruce , 1st Baron Aberdare ( 1815 – 1895 ) . His father was born at Duffryn , Aberdare , attended Swansea Grammar School , and trained as a barrister . In the 1830s , coal was discovered beneath the family ' s land , and with the development of the industry they became rich . Henry Bruce was stipendiary magistrate for Merthyr Tydfil , 1847 to 1854 , Liberal member of parliament for Merthyr Tydfil , 1852 to 1869 , and Home Secretary in Gladstone ' s government , 1868 to 1873 . He was created first Baron Aberdare , of Duffryn , in 1873 . Bruce was educated at Harrow and Repton . His early life alternated between the ' pompous formality ' of Queen ' s Gate , London , the family home in Aberdare , and a Scottish estate . In Wales , his mentor was a local farmer and inn - keeper , who in his youth had worked as a hunter in California and British Columbia . He taught the young Bruce how to hunt , find his way around the local hills , and drink . One of Bruce ’ s most notable achievements was running down a “ rough crew ” of local poachers . Half a century later he was proud to list their names in his memoirs : Bruce and the local game - keepers chased one poacher to the narrow alleyways and courts of Georgetown . The poacher was only caught when a furious husband found him snoring in his wife ’ s bed and threw him out on the street . The gang were duly punished , but gained revenge by returning to Bruce ’ s house and stealing all the weapons from his father ’ s gun - room . After leaving school , Bruce entered military college . He had huge physical strength , was an enthusiastic boxer and 300 yard runner , and in the 1880s represented England against France in an international running meeting . Career . In 1888 , Bruce joined the Indian Army and became a career soldier serving with the 5th Gurkha Rifles from 1889 to 1920 , rising to the rank of Brigadier - General . As a young lieutenant he was posted to Abbotabad , a British hill station in the Panjab , where he developed a passion for the locality , wrestling and climbing . Bruce had an akhara ( wrestling pit ) dug near his residence , where he practised on most days . Both the British and the Raja hs wagered thousands of rupees on professional wrestling matches and took pride in having the strongest sides . In the 1910s , Bruce was patron of the wrestler Rahim Sulaniwala , who went on to become a renowned champion ( Summers 2000 ) . Bruce took a special interest in his Gurkha soldiers and became fluent in Nepali . He introduced hill racing to his Gurkha regiment and in 1891 took his champion runner Pabir Thapa to Zermatt , in Switzerland , to learn ice - climbing . On the way there , the two stayed at Aberdare , where Thapa enjoyed “ running down ” poachers . Despite his poor English , he was very popular with the locals . He disappeared for the last three days of his visit and was found living it up with some coal miners in Tonypandy . Bruce went on to train the Gurkhas in mountain - warfare . In 1897 he equipped his troops on the Northern Frontier with shorts , and is widely credited with their introduction to the British Army . Bruce ’ s climbing experience was impressive . He spent ten climbing seasons in the European Alps and took part in three of the earliest climbing expeditions to the Himalaya . In 1892 , with a troop of Gurkha soldiers he accompanied Conway in his exploration of the Baltoro region of the Karakorum , visiting Muztagh Tower , Broad Peak and K2 . In 1893 he was with Francis Younghusband on a mission to the Hindu Kush to bestow recognition on Nizam - uk - Mulk as Mehtar . He and Younghusband were probably the first to discuss mounting an expedition to climb Everest . In " Himalayan Wanderer " , Bruce says that it was Younghusband ' s idea . Younghusband says that it was Bruce ' s . In 1895 , Bruce joined Albert F . Mummery and Collie in their attempt on Nanga Parbat , but he had to leave early because his army leave was up . In 1906 - 1907 , he and Longstaff took another troop of Gurkhas to the Nanda Devi group , visiting Dunagiri and Kanchenjunga , and climbing Trisul . " “ It is impossible to enumerate all the peaks seen , but when I state that in a country no greater than Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan , there are some 80 peaks all in the neighbourhood of 20 , 000 ft … it will give an idea … of that mighty range ” . " In 1915 , Bruce went to Gallipoli , in command of the 1st Battalion the 6th Gurkha Rifles . After two months in the front line he was severely wounded and was transferred back to India . He had perpetual good humour , enthusiasm , and love of alcohol , coupled with competence and shrewdness . He was a superb raconteur , and a font of bawdy stories . Younghusband described him as : Between 1923 and 1925 Bruce was president of the Alpine Club . Because of his experience in the Himalaya he was appointed leader of the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition , the first attempt to summit Everest . He was skilful in bridging the cultural divide between Sahib and Sherpa , and had long advocated training Indians in mountain techniques , with a view to forming a body of porters and guides like those in the European Alps . He called his men porters rather than coolies . He was particularly liked by the local peoples , and for the 1922 expedition collected a cohort of local men , and enthused them with an esprit de corps . He later christened an elite group of high altitude porters the " " Tigers " . " He was universally admired by the expedition team ; George Mallory in particular , liked and trusted him . Bruce was wary of oxygen apparatus , nevertheless , George Finch and Geoffrey Bruce ( Charles ’ s nephew ) used oxygen to set a new altitude record of 27 , 300 feet on Everest , via the North Col . Bruce was appointed leader of the next effort to summit Everest , the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition . Several stories of him survive the trip . On the trek to Tibet , two of his muleteers got drunk and bit a local Tibetan woman . As punishment he fined them , and made them carry the " " treasury " " ( double the normal load carried ) on a three - day march . Arthur Hinks , the rather mean - spirited secretary of the expedition committee seated in London , was exasperated by the official correspondence reaching London from the Himalayas . " " Captain Noel will be arriving in Darjeeling with a box forty foot long and I am currently scouring the country for an adequate mule " . " " " Please note that I am doing my best for this expedition . I have interviewed the Viceroy , I have preached to Boy Scouts , and I have emptied the poes in a Dak Bungalow . This is the meaning of the term General . They are cheap at home , they are more expensive out here . Hurry up with that thousand [ pounds ] please " . " Bruce contracted malaria while tiger shooting in India before the expedition , and had to be stretchered out of Tibet . Edward Felix Norton took on leadership , and would set a new height record of on the mountain , less than below the summit . Two days later Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared on their summit attempt , and it is still argued that they may have succeeded in completing Bruce ' s goal of having an expedition member reach the summit . Bruce did not return to Everest . Between 1931 and 1936 he was Honorary Colonel of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles of the Indian Army . He died of a stroke in 1939 .