Edward Felix Norton

Who was Edward Felix Norton?

Edward Felix Norton DSO MC was a British army officer and mountaineer.

He was educated at Charterhouse School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and then joined artillery units in India and served in World War I. He had been introduced to mountain climbing at the home in the Alps of his grandfather, Alfred Wills. His experience led to joining the British Mount Everest expeditions in 1922 and 1924, and reached high elevations both years. His 8570m height was a world altitude record which stood for nearly 30 years, only being surpassed during the unsuccessful Swiss expedition of 1952. In 1924, he took over leadership of the expedition when General Charles Granville Bruce fell ill, and Norton was praised for handling affairs in the aftermath of the disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine .

He served at Staff Colleges in India and England, and commanded the Royal Artillery and later the Madras District in the 1930s. During 1940-41, he was acting governor and commander-in-chief, Hong Kong. He retired in 1942.