Una May Cameron (6 May 1904 – 15 October 1987) was a Scottish mountain climber known for her ascents in the Alps, Caucasus and Kenya.

Biography

Cameron was born in West Linton, Scotland. Twin daughter of her father Ewen Cameron, a landed proprietor, and mother Jeanie Dewar from the Dewar whisky family. She studied in the Cheltenham Ladies' College in Montreux, Switzerland and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London. She had the wealth to live abroad and pursue climbing. In the 1930s, she made many first ascents in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

, which she described in ''A Good Line'' (1932). She also made the first female ascent of the highest peak, Batian, on

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...

, March 1938. She joined the

Ladies' Alpine Club The Ladies' Alpine Club was founded in London, England in 1907 and was the first mountaineering club for women. It merged with the Alpine Club of Great Britain in 1975. History In December 1907 a group of ladies who were climbers in the Alps m ...

in 1929 and served as its president from 1956 to 1958. She lived for many years in

Courmayeur Courmayeur (; ; Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in northern Italy, in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley. History The toponym ''Courmayeur'' has been mentioned as ''Curia majori'' (1233–1381), ''Corte Maggiore'' (1620), ''Cormoyeu'' (1 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and made many ascents in the

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

range. She died in

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

, England. In 2002, the Montagna Sicura Foundation in Courmayeur, Italy designated their headquarters in Una's home that she had built during the 1930s which is still named after her, Villa Cameron. The foundation aim is to promote safe use and study of the mountains that she loved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Una 1904 births 1987 deaths Scottish mountain climbers Presidents of the Ladies' Alpine Club British female climbers