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British mountaineer and writer (born 1924) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gwen Mary Moffat (née Goddard; born 3 July 1924) is a British mountaineer and writer.[1]
Gwen Moffat | |
---|---|
Born | Gwen Mary Goddard 3 July 1924 Brighton, East Sussex, England |
Occupation | Mountaineer, writer |
Nationality | British |
Genre | Fiction, biography |
Spouse |
|
Children | 1 |
Moffat was an Army driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, stationed in North Wales after the end of the Second World War, when she met a climber who introduced her to climbing and a bohemian lifestyle.[2][3] During the 1940s and 1950s she lived rough, climbing in Snowdonia, the Lakes, Scotland and the Alps, supporting herself by working in several roles including as a domestic service, a farmer, a forester, an artist's model and the driver of a travelling shop.[3][2] In 1953 she became the first female British certificated mountain guide, and for ten years she was closely associated with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, making a living from climbing.[4]
Moffatt was known for often climbing barefoot, claiming that it was better because there was more contact with the rock and no constriction of the toes.[5] She is an honorary member of the women-only Pinnacle Club and the British Mountaineering Council.[6]
Moffat featured in the BBC film Eye to Eye, broadcast in 1958.[7] Joe Brown did the hard amateur climbing and Moffat, the professional, took her husband up a route on Idwal Slabs.[7] In 2015 Jen Randall and Claire Carter made a film, Operation Moffat, based on Moffat's autobiographical book Space below my Feet[8]. The film was premiered during Banff Mountain Film Festival's UK tour,[9] and has won over 20 international film awards.[10] Moffat is included in Herrington's photographic work The Climbers[11][12] featuring 60 climbers considered legends of the 20th century. In 2017 she contributed to a documentary Give Me Space Below My Feet, for BBC Radio 3.[13]
Moffat began her writing career in the 1950s, working for BBC radio, and published her autobiography in 1961.[3] In the 1970s, she started writing crime fiction, in particular the Miss Pink series featuring Melinda Pink, a middle aged climber and magistrate.[14][15] Following a commission by Victor Gollancz Ltd to follow the California Trail[16] and produce a book, she subsequently wrote 11 mysteries set in the American West.[17] She wrote her last novel, Gone Feral, when she was in her 80s. She currently reviews for the crime magazine Shots.[17]
Moffat married Gordon Moffat with whom she had a daughter, Sheena, born in 1949. In 1955, she married Flight Sergeant John Lees, GM, BEM. They divorced in 1970.[18][7]
Moffat turned 100 on 3 July 2024.[19]
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