Hilda Frances E Clark married Captain Harry Willes Darell
de Windt (b. Paris 1856) at Marylebone, London in 1899.
 He
was previously the ADC to the Rajah of Sarawak, becoming an
explorer and author of many books about his travels (overland
from Paris to New York via Siberia, Peking to Paris, Russia
to India via Persia, Trough savage Europe, to name a few),
and much more.
They married in London, not in Toronto as I had earlier believed,
(his second marriage) in 1899 and Hilda died in 1924 at New Lodge Clinic, Windsor Forest, Winkfield, Berkshire.
His books were published under the name of Harry de Windt. He died at Bournemouth in 1933, aged 77, and is buried at
Bournemouth, England.
He must have been a truly amazing man.Two of the books that he published about his travels are
shown here. |
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| Books of Harry de Windt, FRGS |
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| Pictures of Harry de Windt - 1905 held in the Lafayette Collection at V & A Museum (link) |
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| Copyright V&A - Lafayette Collection |
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| Harry de Windt |
Harry de Windt in tchuktchi dress |
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| (prints available from and copyright of art.co.uk) |
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| There was a biography/obituary in the The Times - 2nd December 1933,
p 17a. |
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Harry de Windt was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge and
there
is an Intrepid Magdalene scheme still operational. see Intrepid
Magdalene, Magdalene College, Cambridge
"Every year, Magdalene students undertake projects worthy of
their predecessor, the nineteenth-century traveller, Harry de Windt,
who made the journey from Paris to New York via Siberia, the Alention
islands and Alaska." |
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Charles
Edward Wyncoll reports -
On the 4th November, 1874, (he) was gazetted
sub-lieutenant of the 2nd Warwickshire militia, which then trained
at Leamington, and in which I remained three very happy years. My
friend was Sir Peyton Skipworth, bart., and of the others, good fellows
all, perhaps the best known to the world is Harry de Windt, the great
traveller. |
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| Aug 25, 1902 - Harry de Windt arrives in New York City, having traversed
the Arctic across the Bering Strait, from Paris. |
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| Another fellow explorer on his expeditions, including Paris to New
York, and earlier
was George William Harding (see details below). |
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| The Klondike Gold Fields. HARRY DE WINDT. Contemporary Review -
Sept., 1897. Comments on the dangers and difficulties of the region,
gives a brief outline of the journey, information of the deposits
and manner of working, scarcity of food, etc. 2500 w. |
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Harry de Windt and Hilda (Hylda) Clark links
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| Books by Harry de Windt (see below) |
| Longest
riders |
| Sarawak
(indebted to Christopher J Buyers - but content not now available) |
| The Books of Harry de Windt at Royal Geographical
Society |
| William Le Queux (author) In 1908 he toured the Arctic with his
friend Harry De Windt.
De Windt comments on the frustrated journey in his "My Notebook at
Home and Abroad", 1923. Chapman & Hall. - "Le Queux and I are very
old friends, and therefore once arranged to start out on a winter
trip from Archangel and across the Kola Peninsula, about three months'
journey in reindeer sleds. During the summer before the proposed voyage,
we travelled up to Lapland to have everything in readiness, but, for
some reason or other, the project was eventually abandoned." |
| The
Frontiersman Historian |
| Classic
Adventure Books -quote (see below) |
| When it came to dash and flair, few nineteenth-century adventure
travelers could compete with handsome Harry de Windt. A Fellow of
the prestigious Royal Geographic Society of England, De Windt already
had a reputation for bravery and foolhardiness. Then he decided to
top his own reputation by undertaking a journey too crazy to be considered
by anyone else. He announced to a stunned Europe that he was going
to leave his adopted home in Paris and journey to New York city. However
instead of traveling west, crossing the Atlantic on a ship like everyone
else in his day, De Windt proposed to travel east, across the frozen
steppes of Siberia by horse-drawn sleigh, over the ice-packs of the
Arctic Ocean by dog-sled, through the dark waterways of Canada by
boat, and finally past the western deserts of the United States by
train, before finally reaching his destination in faraway New York.
What followed can only be compared to a Jules Verne fiction, yet is
absolutely true. De Windt dined with political exiles in Siberia,
almost starved in the Arctic ice fields, and lived through more dangers
than a dozen men. Yet through it all this dashing explorer kept his
nerve and his panache. Amply illustrated with photographs taken by
the author, “From Paris to New York by Land” remains a page-turning
thriller of early adventure travel. |
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| 'When I went up to Cambridge (in 1875), wrote Harry de Windt "Magdalene
was essentially a riding college, and certainly not a reading one...
an oasis of idleness and insubordination to University rules and regulations.
It was more like a club than a college." |
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Books of Harry de Windt
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| "From Pekin to Calais by land". London, Chapman
& Hall, 1889. |
| "Through Savage Europe" published by T. Fisher Unwin, London,
England, (no date) c.1903 |
| Through savage Europe: being the narrative of a journey (undertaken
as special correspondent of the 'Westminster Gazette') throughout
the Balkan States and European Russia De Windt, Harry |
| My restless life. London: G. Richards, 1909. |
| On the equator. London: Cassell, Peter, Galpin, [1882?]. |
| True tales of travel and adventure. London: Chatto & Windus,
1899. [chapter ?: Some notes on Sarawak] |
| THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS. Harper.
1898. 314pp, including index. First edition. de Windt went over
the Chilkoot pass to the Klondike, on down the Yukon River to
Saint Michael, and then spent 2 months with the Chukchis on
the Chukotsk Peninsula, Siberia. Xlibrary. Includes the folding
map. |
| A Ride to India Across Persia and Baluchistan. Folding map,
22 black and white full page plates by Herbert Walker from sketches
by the author, 4 page publisher's catalogue at rear, 339pp,
some foxing, particularly first leaves, tear in folding map,
now neatly repaired, original pictorial cloth rubbed and worn
at extremities, corners bumped, minor wear endpapers, binding
a trifle skewed. Ex Parliamentary library, gilt library stamp
upper cover, few library stamps first leaves. Chapman and Hall.
London. 1891. A most readable account of the author's journey
from Tiflis to Baku, the Caspian Sea, Astara, Resht, Patchinar,
Teheran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Bushire, Baluchistan, Beila and Gwarjak,
Kelat, Quetta to Bombay. Scarce. (ISBN ). |
| Finland As It Is. -- Price: £45.00 |
| Siberia as it is / by Harry de Windt ; with an introduction
by Her Excellency Madame Olga Novikoff (“O. K.”). London : Chapman
& Hall, 1892. xxiv, 504 p. see
link |
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| Online Books Page - Harry de Windt |
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| The American (?) explorer Harry de Windt demonstrated that a rail-route
could be found between Siberia and Alaska, and crossed the Bering
Strait to world acclaim in 1902. |
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There is now searchable information at the Royal
Geographical Society (RGS).
He was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society in April 1890. |
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The Paris to New York Overland expedition 1901-1902
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| New York Times announcement of the start of the journey published
17th December 1901 [here..] |
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| Start of the journey in Paris |
Reaching Dawson, Yukon, Canada from Siberia |
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Companions of Harry de Windt |
| William Le Queux and Wm. George Harding were frequent companions of de Windt on several trips. |
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Information from a sale of Wm. George Harding artefact
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| see Robert
Finan (formerly Finan and Co) - April 2003 - Item 145 |
| see
kayak illustration |
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| The sale description was |
An Inuit model kayak enclosing a seated figure of an Eskimo, carved
wood head with pegged body decorated in orange pigment, hide leggings
- moss filled, moth damage, one glove lacking; together with a model
snow-shoe, and compliment of weapons, with painted wood shafts and
marine ivory tips, the figure 10in overall, kayak 27.5in long. Provenance:
acquired by Wm. George Harding, ca. 1901.
Harding had accompanied the explorer Harry de Windt on his failed
attempt in 1896 to travel overland from New York to Paris, travelling
only as far the Siberian shores of Bering Straits. In 1901 another
attempt was made by de Windt and Harding, this time attempting the
route in reverse, i.e. Paris to New York. The "De Windt Expedition"
left Paris on Dec. 19th 1901 and travelled to Moscow and thence
to Yakutsk, Verkhoyansk, Nijni-Kolymsk, and the Bering Straits;
travelling 11,263 miles and employing 808 horses, 887 reindeer and
114 dogs en route.
From East Cape, Bering Straits they travelled to Cape Prince of
Wales, Alaska, to Nome City, St. Michael"s, Dawson City and eventually
to New York on Aug. 25th 1902, covering a total distance of 18,494
miles. During the journey they spent much time amongst the Inuit
peoples of Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska; it was here perhaps that
Harding acquired this kayak.
Accompanying this lot are photo-copies taken from an album of newscuttings
and photographs relating to this expedition (one photograph showing
Harding with de Windt); the original album having been retained
by the family. An account of the expedition by de Windt "From Paris
to New York by Land" was published in 1904. |
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| It sold for £750. |
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| Readable book on Project Gutengerg |
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Elaine Inescourt (third wife of Harry de Windt)
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After the death of Hilda (his second wife) in
1924, Harry married Charlotte Elizabeth Ihle,
better known as the well-known actress Elaine Inescourt, in
1927.
She survived him, being many years younger, and she died in 1964. |
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De Windt family members buried at Blunsdon St Andrew, Swindon, Wiltshire
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Blunsdon Hall (Abbey), Highworth, Wiltshire was the former family home of
the de Windts.
Family members are buried at Blunsdon St Andrew church.
These include Harry's father (killed in a fall from his horse at Blunsdon
Hall), his brother,
and his mother Elizabeth Sarah de Windt (nee Johnson). |
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| Blunsdon Hall (Abbey) |
Blunsdon Hall after the fire |
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| Index
of Blunsdon St Andrew burials |
| Graves
and inscriptions of the de Windt family |
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Book by Harry's sister, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt
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She married HH Rajah Sir Charles Anthony Brooke
and became the HH The Ranee of Sarawak |
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BROOKE [de Windt], Margaret Lili Alice, Ranee, Good morning and
good night.
London: Century, 1984 [1934].
BROOKE [de Windt], Margaret Lili Alice, Ranee, My life in Sarawak.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987 [1913].
see
Brooke and 19c. Sarawak link
see Ohio
University - Charles Second Rajah of Sarawak link
Charles
Brooke (formerly johnson) Link
The
Brooke's - srawak online
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The RGS has a newspaper cutting from the Standard, 25/02/1897,
which gives some details of his travels in Alaska |
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| See
Michael Palin's Full Circle |
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