Lawrence Wager facts for kids

Lawrence Rickard Wager, often called Bill Wager, (5 February 1904 – 20 November 1965) was a British geologist, explorer, and mountaineer. People remember him for his important work on the Skaergaard intrusion in Greenland. He is also known for his attempt to climb Mount Everest in 1933.

Early Life and Adventures

Wager was born in Batley, Yorkshire, England. His father was a headmaster. Lawrence went to Hebden Bridge Grammar School. Later, he lived with his uncle, Harold Wager, a botanist, while studying at Leeds Grammar School.

He then went to Pembroke College, Cambridge. In 1926, he earned a top degree in geology. At Cambridge, he became very interested in climbing. He spent many holidays climbing in Wales, Scotland, and the Alps. He even became president of the university's climbing club. He was also known as one of the "Cambridge Night Climbers." These students would secretly climb the college buildings at night! In 1929, he became a lecturer in geology at the University of Reading.

Exploring Greenland

In 1930, Wager made his first trip to eastern Greenland. He joined the British Arctic Air Route Expedition. This trip was led by Gino Watkins. Early in the expedition, Wager found and named the Skaergaard intrusion. This was a special rock formation at the mouth of the Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord. He quickly realized how important it was for understanding rocks. Finding it was called "a stroke of genius."

The expedition lasted through the winter. It showed how tough Wager was as an explorer. Once, he had to travel 125 miles by sledge. He went to the highest point on the ice-cap in terrible weather. This journey took him 39 days! Wager also tried to climb Mount Forel in Schweizerland. At the time, it was the highest known peak in the Arctic. His group turned back 500 feet below the top. But they had still made the highest climb in the Arctic up to that point.

His research in Greenland became very important for his later career. He visited Greenland three more times in the 1930s. One trip was in 1935-36, which Wager led. The goal was to map the Skaergaard Intrusion in great detail. They mapped 35,000 square kilometers of difficult land. His work on the Skaergaard Intrusion is considered one of the most important contributions to the study of petrology (the study of rocks).

Climbing Mount Everest

In 1933, Hugh Ruttledge led a British expedition to Mount Everest. This was the first expedition since 1924. In that earlier trip, climbers Mallory and Irvine had disappeared. Wager joined the team as a last-minute replacement.

On May 30, Wager and Percy Wyn-Harris made the team's first attempt to reach the summit. They followed a route used by Norton in 1924. They reached about the same height Norton had (28,200 feet). They had to turn back because of bad snow and the late hour. But they had reached the highest point ever climbed without extra oxygen. This record stood until 1978! Wager also took part in the 1936 expedition, which was not successful.

Wartime and Later Career

During World War II, Wager worked for the Royal Air Force (RAF). He helped by looking at photos to understand enemy movements. He became a pilot officer in 1940. In 1942, he went on a dangerous mission. He traveled the Murmansk Run to help find the German battleship Tirpitz. He was praised for his work.

In 1944, Wager became a professor of geology at the University of Durham. In 1946, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. In 1950, he moved to the University of Oxford. There, he helped to improve the geology department.

He went on another expedition to Greenland in 1953. But in 1955, he had a heart attack. This meant he could no longer be an active mountaineer or explorer. However, his academic work continued. He became interested in figuring out the age of rocks and studying isotope geochemistry. He also helped start two important geology magazines: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta in 1950 and Journal of Petrology in 1960.

In 1965, he died suddenly from a second heart attack. His book, Layered Igneous Rocks, was published after he died. It became a very important book for geology students. The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior gives out the Wager Medal in his honor.

Family Life

Wager married Phyllis Worthington in 1934. Phyllis was a ballet dancer. She met Wager at a Morris dancing festival. Soon after they married, Phyllis went with Wager to East Greenland. This was for the 1935-1936 expedition. Her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Mary (Kit) Wager, also joined them. Phyllis and Kit were the first British women to spend a winter in Greenland. Wager's many notes and papers are kept at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Honors and Recognition

The Wager Glacier in Alexander Island, Antarctica, is named after him.

Awards

• 1933 Polar Medal
• 1936 Mungo Park Medal
• 1938 Back Award, Royal Geographical Society
• 1945 Bigsby Medal
• 1948 Spendiarov Prize
• 1962 Lyell Medal