Shah Khan

"The 1961 RAF Karakoram Expedition was, like the 1955 RAF Expedition to Lahul, an exploratory expedition to an unknown region. The RAF team in 1961 did not do everything they intended. They did not climb K6, but at least contributed to human knowledge on this peak. With two 22,000 feet and two 20,000 feet summits attained, a glacier system opened up, and a good map, they have no reason to be disappointed with their results. The expedition consisted of twelve British climbers of whom eleven came from the RAF, and one guest climber."

Rakaposhi is one of the most famous mountains of the Karakoram range of Pakistan and is part of the Himalayas. The 25,550 feet mountain had resisted the attempts of six previous expeditions, starting with Lord Conway in 1892. This is the story of the British-Pakistani Forces expedition which conquered Rakaposhi in June, 1958. It was photographed by two of the expedition members. One of them, Captain Banks of the Royal Marines, finally reached the summit, together with Surgeon-Lieutenant Patey of the Royal Navy.