THE widow of Everest climber Wilfrid Noyce, was due to meet the Queen and Prince Phillip yesterday (Thursday).

Rosemary Ballard, of Colwall, was invited to Endeavour on Everest, a royal gala event at Leicester Square in London to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the mountain.

The late Wilfrid Noyce, a teacher at Malvern College for some years, played a crucial part in the successful climb as part of the expedition team.

He was selected by expedition leader John Hunt for the difficult task of ascending the South Col.

Conquering the Col was necessary to establish the camp from which the final assault on the peak would be launched.

The first attempt by Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon was not successful, but the second, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay was, and passed into the history books.

Had things turned out differently it could have been the name of Wilfrid Noyce taught to schoolchilden the world over.

"If there had had to be a third attempt on the summit, Wilfrid would have gone up with John Hunt," explained Mrs Ballard.

She was in the Lake District when she heard the news in 1953.

"We were staying in a cottage at Buttermere and we'd gone to bed, when the phone went," she said.

"I thought it was absolutely marvellous, but it was also quite unexpected because the communications were so bad. We had no idea they were so close to the summit," she remembers.

Organised by the Mount Everest Foundation, the Endeavour on Everest event at the Odeon, Leicester Square features veterans of the expedition talking about their experiences.

Among the climbers expected to attend were George Band, George Lowe, Michael Ward, Michael Westmacott and Charles Wylie.

Jan Morris CBE, The Times reporter from the 1953 expedition, Sir Chris Bonington and Sir David Attenborough were also due to attend.

Everest assault - See page 17.

6 Noyce with sherpa Anullu at South Col.