James Riddell
Encyclopedia
W. James Riddell MBE
(December 27, 1909 – February 2, 2000) was a British
champion skier and author who was involved in the early days of skiing as a competitive sport and holiday industry. Like his near contemporary, Sir Arnold Lunn
, he matched his adventurism on the slopes and knowledge of the Alpine countries with an elegant record of his times.
at Zakopane
, Poland
, in the first international downhill race, having got the reluctant backing of the International Ski Federation
, and finished eighth among 60 racers. In the same year, he won the Kandahar Club's Muerren Inferno, still the longest and most demanding of amateur downhill races. He was British national champion in 1935 and vice-captain to Arnold Lunn's son, Peter
, at the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen
.
He worked with Lunn and the Kandahar Club to overcome Scandinavian objections to downhill-only skiing: they saw the sport being as much uphill as down. Finally, Alpine skiing was admitted at Garmisch, but only on the basis of combined results in downhill and slalom
, a word coined by Lunn for a race with shorter, sharper turns through gates of twin poles.
Riddell was a winter sports polymath
. In 1930, he had skied at 127.96 km an hour in the Flying Kilometre at St Moritz, and, moving over to its Olympic jump, vaulted nearly 50m. In the Garmisch Olympic downhill, which was part of the Olympic combined event
, he crashed into a tree, catapulted into a river and badly injured his back.
. Educated at Harrow School
, he played cricket against Eton
at Lord's and performed strongly for the cross-country team. At Clare College, Cambridge
, he read modern languages, but took a year out to practise gorilla and cheetah photography in the Belgian Congo
and Kenya
, interspersed with writing children's books and publicity activities for De Havilland
, Selfridges
and Fortnum and Mason.
. In 1942, he was seconded to the Australian 9th Army to set up the Middle East Ski and Mountaineering School at the Cedars of Lebanon
above Beirut
. He was awarded the MBE
for his work, teaching upwards of 20,000 soldiers the techniques of mountain mobility and survival. While working at the War Office, he was pasting cuttings for a snowcraft manual when he inadvertently pasted together the head of a dog on the body of a camel. From that came the idea of "split" books for children, a series published in many languages.
In 1948, with the writer Nevil Shute
, he made a six-month flight to Australia
and back in a single-engine Percival Proctor
monoplane
. From that experience, Riddell wrote a travel book, Flight of Fancy, and Shute the novel, A Town Like Alice
. Riddell's 1957 book, The Ski Runs of Switzerland
, was the first detailed guide to Swiss resorts, followed by a similar book on Austria
the following year.
, in 1959, and their combined knowledge of the Alps
resulted in a Penguin handbook, Ski Holidays In The Alps, a source book for many skiers and travel writers. In it, Riddell wrote: "You do it because, once you have tried it and taken to it, there isn't any other game to compare with it in the world."
Riddell was president of the Ski Club of Great Britain
, the Kandahar Club and the Alpine Ski Club
in postwar years, and was awarded the Pery medal and Arnold Lunn medal while continuing his career as writer and traveller.
He gave up skiing in his 70s, though he often returned to Muerren, the Kandahar Club's Swiss Alpine headquarters, where he spent time painting watercolours. Although his eyesight was slowly failing, at his home near Ringwood
, Hampshire
, he worked on a unique ski stamp collection.
After the death of his first wife, he married Alison in 1973 and his daughter Jemma Jeannette was born in 1976. He died on February 2, 2000 aged 90.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(December 27, 1909 – February 2, 2000) was a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
champion skier and author who was involved in the early days of skiing as a competitive sport and holiday industry. Like his near contemporary, Sir Arnold Lunn
Arnold Lunn
Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn was a famous skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952.He was born in Madras, India and died in London.-Early life:...
, he matched his adventurism on the slopes and knowledge of the Alpine countries with an elegant record of his times.
Skiing achievements
In 1929, he raced for BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at Zakopane
Zakopane
Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in the first international downhill race, having got the reluctant backing of the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
, and finished eighth among 60 racers. In the same year, he won the Kandahar Club's Muerren Inferno, still the longest and most demanding of amateur downhill races. He was British national champion in 1935 and vice-captain to Arnold Lunn's son, Peter
Peter Lunn
Peter Northcote Lunn is a British alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics. As a spymaster in the early Cold War, he is noted for his resourceful use of telephone tapping in espionage.-Biography:...
, at the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
.
He worked with Lunn and the Kandahar Club to overcome Scandinavian objections to downhill-only skiing: they saw the sport being as much uphill as down. Finally, Alpine skiing was admitted at Garmisch, but only on the basis of combined results in downhill and slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
, a word coined by Lunn for a race with shorter, sharper turns through gates of twin poles.
Riddell was a winter sports polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
. In 1930, he had skied at 127.96 km an hour in the Flying Kilometre at St Moritz, and, moving over to its Olympic jump, vaulted nearly 50m. In the Garmisch Olympic downhill, which was part of the Olympic combined event
Alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics - Men's combined
The men's alpine skiing combined event was part of the alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event...
, he crashed into a tree, catapulted into a river and badly injured his back.
Education
Riddell was born in WandsworthWandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
. Educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, he played cricket against Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
at Lord's and performed strongly for the cross-country team. At Clare College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, he read modern languages, but took a year out to practise gorilla and cheetah photography in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, interspersed with writing children's books and publicity activities for De Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
, Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
and Fortnum and Mason.
Wartime and writing
During the Second World War, Riddell was based in Jerusalem and SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. In 1942, he was seconded to the Australian 9th Army to set up the Middle East Ski and Mountaineering School at the Cedars of Lebanon
Cedars of God
The Cedars of God is one of the the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Cedars of Lebanon that thrived across Mount Lebanon in ancient times. Their timber was exploited by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians as well as the Phoenicians...
above Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. He was awarded the MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for his work, teaching upwards of 20,000 soldiers the techniques of mountain mobility and survival. While working at the War Office, he was pasting cuttings for a snowcraft manual when he inadvertently pasted together the head of a dog on the body of a camel. From that came the idea of "split" books for children, a series published in many languages.
In 1948, with the writer Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute
Nevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
, he made a six-month flight to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and back in a single-engine Percival Proctor
Percival Proctor
The Percival Proctor was a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model.-Design and development:...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
. From that experience, Riddell wrote a travel book, Flight of Fancy, and Shute the novel, A Town Like Alice
A Town Like Alice
A Town Like Alice is a novel by the British author Nevil Shute about a young Englishwoman in Malaya during World War II and in outback Australia post-war....
. Riddell's 1957 book, The Ski Runs of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, was the first detailed guide to Swiss resorts, followed by a similar book on Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
the following year.
Marriage; and further books
He married another former ski racer, Jeanette KesslerJeanette Kessler
Jeanette Anne Kessler was a British alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics.In 1936 she finished eighth in the alpine skiing combined event.She married James Riddell in 1959.-External links:*...
, in 1959, and their combined knowledge of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
resulted in a Penguin handbook, Ski Holidays In The Alps, a source book for many skiers and travel writers. In it, Riddell wrote: "You do it because, once you have tried it and taken to it, there isn't any other game to compare with it in the world."
Riddell was president of the Ski Club of Great Britain
Ski Club of Great Britain
The Ski Club of Great Britain is a recreational snow sports club, founded on May 6, 1903. It is a not-for-profit organisation. The Ski Club was until the 1960s responsible for the British racing teams.-Respect the Mountain campaign:...
, the Kandahar Club and the Alpine Ski Club
Alpine Ski Club
- The Alpine Ski Club :The Alpine Ski Club is an active club of ski mountaineers based in the UK and the first ski mountaineering club in Great Britain.The objectives of the club are to:# Promote mountaineering on skis...
in postwar years, and was awarded the Pery medal and Arnold Lunn medal while continuing his career as writer and traveller.
He gave up skiing in his 70s, though he often returned to Muerren, the Kandahar Club's Swiss Alpine headquarters, where he spent time painting watercolours. Although his eyesight was slowly failing, at his home near Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, he worked on a unique ski stamp collection.
After the death of his first wife, he married Alison in 1973 and his daughter Jemma Jeannette was born in 1976. He died on February 2, 2000 aged 90.
Rediscovering James Riddell
In 2009, James' wife, Alison Riddell, asked Antony Nasce (Tappi App Design) to adapt one of his books, Animal Lore and Disorder, into an application for iPhone and iPod touch, some 60 years after its initial book release. In 2010, the sequel Hit or Myth was also converted into an App for sale on the iTunes store. More details can be found herePublications
- Animal Lore and Disorder (1947)
- Hit Or Myth: Family of Imaginary Beasts (1948)
- In The Forests of the Night (1948)
- Very Wild Life. An Unnatural History Book for First and Second Childhood (1948)
- Flight of Fancy (1950)
- Many, Many Times (1953)
- The Holy Land (1954)
- London In Colour - A Collection of Colour Photographs (With Notes by William Gaunt) (1955)
- African Wonderland (1956)
- Dog in The Snow (1957)
- The Ski Runs of Switzerland (1957)
- The Ski Runs of Austria (1958)
- Ski Holidays in the Alps (1961)
- Ski Lore and Disorder (1962)