Discovery of boot could provide new clues in 100-year-old mystery

In what could possibly provide new clues to a 100-year-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of British mountaineer Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine in 1924, a team of climbers have found a preserved sock embroidered with the letters ‘A.C. Irvine’ lodged in a boot revealed by melting ice.

The team, associated with National Geographic and led by Oscar-winning director Jimmy Chin, made the discovery last month while descending the Central Rongbuk Glacier by the north face of Everest.

Irvine, who was only 22 at the time of his disappearance, was part of the third British expedition to scale Mount Everest . He and his climbing partner George Mallory were last seen alive on June 8, 1924 when they set off on their adventure.

Family provides DNA sample

The boot, along with the sock that provided the crucial evidence, have been sent to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, the organization responsible for issuing climbing permits on Everest’s northern side. Furthermore, London-based Royal Geographical Society has received a report of the find. Author Julie Summers, Irvine’s great niece and his biographer, was also intimated of the discovery.

The family has now provided a DNA sample to help determine if the boot indeed belonged to Irvine. “It is remarkable that this discovery was made in the centenary year of Sandy’s disappearance,” said Summers. “I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest.

The story became even more real for Summers when remains of Mallory were discovered in 1999. She wondered if Sandy’s body would be discovered next. A quarter of a century after that discovery, the thought seemed extremely unlikely. “When Jimmy told me that he saw the name A.C. Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment,” Summers added.

A fortuitous find

Speaking about the breakthrough discovery, Chin noted that it was a monumental and emotional moment for his team which included filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher. “We discovered an oxygen bottle marked with a date on it that said 1933.” The 1933 British Everest Expedition was the fourth such attempt to climb the mountain. While the expedition did not succeed, the climbers found an item belonging to Irvine nine years after he went missing.

Locating the oxygen cylinder led Chin’s teammates to believe Irvine’s body could not be far away. The boot was discovered following several days of search. According to the team’s estimate, the ice had only melted a week prior making the fortuitous find possible.