A last message from Mallory

7th June 1924

Photo J B. Noel, annotated. Courtesy of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

The following morning Odell and Nema headed up to Camp V in support. Owing to the limited size of the camp, — two tents, one for the climbers and one for the four porters — Odell had to restrict his support activity to one camp below the high camp occupied by Mallory and Sandy. Not long after their arrival the four porters who had carried loads to Camp VI arrived in V with a note from Mallory which read: 'Dear Odell, We're awfully sorry to have left things in such a mess — our Unna cooker rolled down the slope at the last moment. Be sure of getting back to IV to-morrow in time to evacuate before dark, as I hope to. In the tent I must have left a compass — for the Lord’s sake rescue it; we are without. To here on 90 atmospheres’ for the two days — so we'll probably go on two cylinders — but it’s a bloody load for climbing. Perfect weather for the job! Yours ever G. Mallory'. After Odell had received the note, he searched the tent and found Mallory’s compass. Nema was suffering badly from the altitude at Camp V so Odell sent him back down to IV with Mallory and Sandy’s four porters. 

No one knows for certain what Mallory and Sandy did on the afternoon of 7 June after their arrival at Camp VI. Mallory sent down a note to Captain Noel telling him to look out for them on skyline at about 8 a.m.. ‘Dear Noel, We'll probably start early to-morrow (8"") in order to have clear weather. It won’t be too early to start looking out for us either crossing the rockband under the pyramid or going up skyline at 8 p.m'. It has been universally accepted that by 8 p.m. Mallory in fact meant 8 a.m. If Mallory was indeed out on a reconnaissance mission the afternoon of 7 June it is likely that Sandy was busy preparing their meal, the Thermoses for the following day and making last-minute checks on the oxygen apparatus. He had few tools with him for the final climb, but he had a pair of pliers and a spanner. That evening, after supper, Sandy asked Mallory to help him make one last check on the oxygen cylinders. While Sandy measured their individual oxygen contents, Mallory scribbled down the numbers of the cylinders and the pressures on the back of an envelope, later found on Mallory's body.