Friday, April 29, 2022

The Trunk


So let's take a closer look at this mysterious trunk I retrieved from the sidewalk on Wednesday, shall we?

You've already seen the outside, which identifies it as belonging to R. A. Stoodley of the International Karakoram Project of 1980. That project was organized by the Royal Geographical Society to mark its 150th anniversary, and consisted of about 70 people including scientists from Britain, China, Pakistan and elsewhere. It began with a conference in Islamabad in June 1980, followed by an expedition into the mountains along the treacherous Karakoram highway, which from the papers I've read sounds like a "highway" in name only. (At that time, anyway.)

"The steep, almost vertical sides of the mountains allow but a narrow track to be cut which on one side falls steeply to the Indus, and on the other is bounded by a rock wall," wrote J.A. Steers in The Geographical Journal in 1983, reviewing a book by the expedition's leader, Keith Miller. "Rock falls which contain blocks almost as big as a double-decker bus are of frequent occurrence; the greatest non-Polar glaciers reach down to the river in places, and the effects of rock falls and advancing ice not only cause obstruction to the highway, but also great dams in the river. These dams may be 'cemented' by finer material and so may exist for months. Eventually the lake impounded above breaks through and the river may rise 50 feet or more below the dam and cause great havoc. Erosion in its most violent forms is common in all the region."

The project's goal was to study the geology and tectonics of the area, while providing the Asian scientists with an opportunity to publish their work in the West. Stoodley, according to an article I found online, was on the logistics team, which I assume means he helped organize the practicalities of the expedition -- the transportation, the camps, that kind of thing.

That's the inside of the trunk, above. It's not in great condition, as you can see, and it's filled with fine wood dust from deterioration of the panels. It's also missing one of the top supports on the right-hand side.


Here's the manufacturer's label. Elsewhere on the exterior of the trunk is another label identifying it as a model called "The Plito." (Here's an identical one, in better shape, that looks like it traveled no farther than Paddington Station.) There are also handwritten notes, one noting that the trunk's weight was 49 kg (or 108 pounds) and another that says "RWP/LON" -- the old airport codes for Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and London.

Stoodley, incidentally, was quite well known as a war hero and one of the first men to parachute into Normandy on D-Day. He died last September at the age of 97; his large house in the English countryside, known as Otterbeck Hall, was put up for sale soon after.

So what was inside Stoodley's trunk?


There's this nylon garment. I don't even know what to call it -- a flight suit? Is it the kind of thing someone would wear into the Karakorams? It may not be associated with the expedition at all, but it apparently did belong to Stoodley, as one of the pockets contained a piece of paper addressed to him at Otterbeck Hall. On it, someone wrote a short supply list, including batteries, jump leads, tools and antifreeze.


This is the label on the garment. I have no idea what company this is. There's a luxury tailor on Savile Row that comes up when I Google G&H suits or menswear, but that seems unlikely. Other than the one slip of paper linking the outfit to Stoodley, the pockets are empty.

Some of the articles I've read about the International Karakoram Project include pictures, and no one is wearing a suit that looks like this. Stoodley, however, also went on other mountaineering adventures, including two trips to Mount Everest. Who knows what this suit's purpose was?

The only other item in the trunk was a pale blue Etienne Aigner suit for a girl or petite woman:


Otherwise, the trunk contained only discolored, dusty bubble wrap and scraps of old trash.

I think I'll get the Etienne Aigner suit cleaned and give it to charity. It seems to be in pretty good shape, and if someone's into vintage women's wear maybe they'd want it. The flight suit I just put back in the trunk, after I vacuumed out all the dust and debris, and I'll leave it there for now.

The International Karakoram Project, incidentally, wrapped up with a second conference in London in September 1981, to present the findings. It sounds like it was a treacherous undertaking, and one man did die while setting a beacon on a mountain. "Jim Bishop fell from the summit area of Kurkar down a very steep precipice at least 1000 feet before he disappeared," wrote Steers. Miller, in his book, described this as having a great effect on the participants, as one can imagine.

It feels a bit strange to now be the custodian of this trunk and its contents. But Dave and I agree it can live in our front hallway, beneath our hall table, as a sort of conversation piece. So for now, that's where it's staying.

26 comments:

  1. I love the style of writing on the side of the trunk - especially the way Stoodley's signature has been done. Maybe he wore the all-in-one blue outfit when he attended raves in the Oxfordshire countryside.

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  2. I am so pleased you brought the trunk home and what an interesting history it has. I wonder if it is has a life time guarantee? The House of Fraser seems to be the company who has responsibility for D H Evans. But the purchaser is now dead, so it did last his lifetime.

    The nylon garment reminds me of, sans hood, what older female American tourists wore when visiting Australia in the 1980s. Shell suits I think they were called. Ghastly.

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  3. The inside of the trunk is intriguing. The women's suit is a great find,too, and I'm glad it's not going to be trash. I see from the weight you quote that it was quite a feat to get the trunk home without a hand truck!

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    1. The 49kg must be its weight when packed. It certainly wasn't that heavy when I brought it home. (Heavy enough to be a challenge, though!)

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  4. What an intriguing item to research! I find it fascinating!

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  5. When in the mountains, many have nylon shells as a layer to shed wind and light precipitation which organic fabrics like wool or cotton don’t do well. My guess is that it was a wind suit for climbing mountains. Love the history behind the trunk and that you attempted to learn it rather than throw everything inside away and just make a coffee table out of it first with no knowledge at all.

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  6. A tsrange assortment inside that trunk. And I keep getting 'Lost' vibes from the HazMat-looing suit and that spare, sparse woman's suit.

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  7. Strange indeed. Do you suppose it has any historical value?

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  8. Here, a trunk increases a LOT if it is labeled. The fact that this belongs to a known historical figure as he was taking part in a known historical expedition would make it quite a bit more valuable. There are people who fix trunks, but I'm going to suggest that you get it appraised and take suggestions from them before getting anything done. I would also hang on to the clothing just for right now. Let us know what happens. I'm dying of curiosity.

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  9. This is just fascinating to me and I'm so glad you rescued it. Seems like something someone would bring to Antiques Roadshow! (Complete with contents, including the vintage suit!). It will be a wonderful conversation piece and I love the research you did and what all you discovered. This is so my kind of thing!

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  10. What Debby said above. You might take it on Antiques Roadshow and discover that it is quite valuable, especially given that you have been able to unearth its provenance!

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  11. The 'flight suit' might be some kind of wind protection garment. I have wind pants as well as a wind shirt from my river guide days. They were essential for during winter trips as they protected you from the wind and helped keep you warm especially if you got dumped in the river and were wet.

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  12. I remember getting an Aigner purse & wallet when I was in my 20s and thinking I was the STUFF - that was a high fashion moment for me. Ha! That suit might be worth some money! I like the idea of getting the trunk appraised, but I would still keep it because it's so interesting!

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  13. It seems you have acquired a little piece of history. What a great find. The contrast between the jumpsuit and the woman's business suit strikes me. Two such completely different things. Back in the 80's I owned an Eteinne Aigner suit or two.

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  14. Super-cool! And use of the internet at its best! First your posted photo and finding out about the original expedition, then my little sleuthing about R.A. Stoodley (and I didn't even have to get out of my chair for that!), then your deep dig into more history of the contents and provenance of the trunk. What fun! Thanks for the links and also the photos.

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  15. Your trunk is very interesting. I'm curious as to what you might be storing in it after a while. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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  16. How interesting! Thanks for sharing your research with us.

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  17. Steve, such an interesting article on the trunk. I did feel sad that Jim Bishop had died. I suspect that many have perished over the decades.
    I smiled that the trunk will serve as a conversation piece because that is a very awesome topic and I can just imagine that it is going to be one of those tales of "If This Trunk Could Talk!"
    Have an awesome weekend. xx

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  18. Love the label and the finds inside. What a treasure!

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  19. Will the jumpsuit fit you, Steve? Justin Bieber just appeared on the cover of GQ in a jumpsuit and it seems they are all the rage now! You could be styling at your school in your electric blue jumpsuit!

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  20. So intriguing! I have a similar looking trunk and have been looking for a way to have it restored. I found that behind the fabric lining, which I was told to hold on to for restoration reference, were layers of old newspaper from the 1920s. But that's as far as I've come.
    I wonder if there is still someone around who went on that project and who could shed a light on the suit and/or some other details? Maybe contact the Royal Geographical Society?

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  21. I think you should contact the Antiques Road Show, don't clean the lady's suit and print off all the information you found about the trunk and keep everything, including the blue onesie! It would be amazing to learn it is worth more in historical value then anything ... Maybe even monitarily!!

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  22. John: That's a great idea, but I don't think the trunk is strong enough to support a glass tabletop, at least not now. It would need some reinforcement first.

    Mitchell: Isn't it?! I like it more and more.

    YP: Maybe I should be Googling "G&H raverwear" instead.

    Andrew: It is a fairly ghastly looking outfit, I'll agree with that!

    Boud: See my response above. :)

    Miss Kim: It was fun to learn more about this expedition and this man!

    Bob: Ha! It IS very "Lost." (I loved that show back in the day.)

    Ms Moon: I think it does have historical value. I'm not sure who would most appreciate it but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd just want to put out for the trash.

    Debby: Yeah, I wouldn't want to have it repaired or reconditioned. I think it's more valuable and interesting in its original condition.

    37P: Antiques Roadshow would have to come to my door. I'm not taking that trunk anywhere ever again!

    Ellen: Yeah, that's a possibility. My brother thinks they're coveralls like a mechanic might wear, but the fact that they're nylon with a hood suggests to me some type of outdoor wear.

    Bug: I agree, I think the suit is too nice to throw out! But I don't particularly want it. I will try to move it along. :)

    Wilma: Yes! It was fun to do this research and learn more about this item and its provenance.

    Edna: I think we'll be keeping it empty. It's not in very good shape and frankly it's pretty dusty and deteriorated inside, even after my cleaning. I wouldn't want to keep anything in it.

    Jenny-O: Certainly! Blogging inspires me to learn and write about all sorts of unexpected topics. :)

    Beth: I'm sure the people on that expedition knew there were dangers involved, but yes, such a tragedy must have been sobering for them.

    Margaret: Yes, the labels are especially fun.

    Ellen D: Ha! I don't particularly want to try it on! Just from looking at it, I think it's too small for me.

    Sabine: Yeah, I could follow up with them. We'll see how far I want to take this!

    Marcia: I will definitely keep the "onesie" and I won't restore the trunk, just to keep it original. I don't think the woman's suit has a lot of historical value, though. I believe it's from a period after the expedition (perhaps the '90s) and I'm happy to move it along to someone who could possibly use it.

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  23. The blue flight suit reminds me of painter's overalls when they have to spray ceilings. You can tell I've been spending time in paint stores.

    I'm glad the trunk has a new home with you two.

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