The compelling biography of George Ingle Finch by Robert Wainwright is aptly subtitled ‘the boy from the bush who set out to conquer the world’.
A country boy from Orange (NSW) went on to extraordinary achievements in mountaineering, applied science, the war effort and much more in the last century.
Like another little-known, larger-than-life Australian adventurer who strode the world stage then too – Sir Hubert Wilkins, the Arctic explorer, soldier, inventor and submariner.
As a teenager Finch moved to Paris with his parents, and soon fell in love with the Alps and mountaineering. A brilliant natural climber with an effortless style and impressive physique over six feet tall, he often climbed unconventionally with younger brother Max, pioneering many new challenging mountain routes.
George went to study chemical engineering at the renowned Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (Einstein’s alma mater), not far from the mountains. Quickly learning German (on top of his French), three years later he graduated with the gold medal; and as president of the Academic Alpine Club was leading the way there too.
He then joined the Imperial College in London as teacher and laboratory researcher in the new field of chemical technology, and stayed forty years, becoming world-renowned for cutting edge multi-disciplinary work with metallurgy, applied physics and more.
George was a rebel, straight-talking colonial in the aristocratic Alpine Club of London, where unfortunately he made some influential enemies. Nonetheless, as one of the best climbers in Europe he was chosen to join the 1923 British expedition to climb Mount Everest, along with the ill-fated George Mallory, and almost got to the summit.
Designing oxygen breathing equipment for the climbers, Finch championed its use against traditionalists, who considered it unsporting; and begat an internecine struggle in mountaineering circles for years to come. He also rejected the conventional climbing attire of tweed jackets (no kidding, even at high altitude on Everest), and designed his own long eiderdown puffer jacket, thus also pioneering a fashion trend.
During the London blitz in WW2 he studied how to reduce the bomb damage caused, organised fire fighting, and later used his chemical knowledge to develop the deadly bombs used in Allied raids over German cities.
George’s broad-ranging scientific genius was appreciated and recognised across Europe, and he was invited to join the Nobel Prize committee for nomination of the physics prize.
On retirement from the Imperial College he was persuaded by the first Indian PM Nehru to head up the new National Chemistry Laboratory of India, and moved to Poona.
George’s personal life was rebellious too and rather messy, but I’ll let you discover it yourself, along with the fascinating details of all his exploits. Wainwright’s is a masterful biography, a thumbs-up read!
Finch and Wilkins were born in 1888, three months and 1100 kms apart, both country boys. Although I couldn’t find mention of them meeting, I reckon their paths must have crossed in the gentlemen’s lounges of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society in London. They would’ve got on famously.
KOOKYNIE COURIER 