Louise Nettleton (née Dyer) (1874–1954) was a British archery champion and a mountaineer.

Biography

Louise Dyer was born in Surry in 1874, the daughter of Abraham Dyer, a chemist. In 1898 she married Charles William Nettleton (1871–1962) and during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she was a certified mechanic in the Motor Section of the WVR. She died on 22 October 1954.

Mountaineering

Nettleton was a distinguished mountaineer who was elected President of 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 ...

(1920–1922). In the early 1900s she was "looked up to by her contemporaries as one of the really great climbers of those days". She excelled at rock climbing, both in the Alps and on short technical routes in the UK. Amongst her more notable alpine achievements were the traverse of

Monte Rosa Monte Rosa (; ; ; or ; ) is a mountain massif in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps, on the border between Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). The highest peak of the massif, amongst several peaks of over , is the D ...

in 1900; the

Cinque Torri Cinque Torri ("Five Towers", sometimes named also ''Cinque Torri di Averau''; ) comprise a small rock formation belonging to Nuvolao group in the Dolomiti Ampezzane (part of the Eastern Dolomites) north-west of San Vito di Cadore and south-west ...

and

Kleine Zinne The ; ), also called the ; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, from east to west, are: *Cima Piccola / Klein ...

in 1901; the Aiguille de Blaitiere in 1903; the

Weisshorn The Weisshorn (German language, German, lit. ''white peak/mountain'') is a major mountain, peak of Switzerland and the Alps, culminating at above sea level. It is part of the Pennine Alps and is located between the valleys of Anniviers and Mat ...

in 1904 and the traverse of the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

in 1906. Her greatest alpine achievement during those years was leading the traverse of the Aiguille du Grépon in 1903, accompanied by her husband and a porter. Prior to her alpine exploits she had led climbs in the UK which at the time were held to be particularly demanding. One of those was Kern Knotts Crack on

Great Gable Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named after its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there ar ...

in the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

, about which George Abraham wrote "an expert, and none other should attempt the course" in the introduction to his book he adds that "The traverse of the Aiguille de Grepon at Chamonix is just as much rock-gymnastics as the ascent of Kern Knotts Crack on Great Gable". She led Kern Knotts Crack at the age of 23, only a year after Owen Glynne Jones had made the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

in 1897.

Archery

Nettleton's "fame as an archer was great". She was competing in international archery until her late 70s, and was present at every world championship until 1952. She was on the winning team at the World Archery Championships three times, in 1935, 1937 and 1946. and was awarded the gold medal in the women's individual competition at the

1938 World Archery Championships The 1938 World Archery Championships was the 8th edition of the event. It was held in London, Great Britain on 8–13 August 1938 and was organised by World Archery Federation (FITA). In the women's individual competition, Nora Weston-Martyr a ...

where she finished as co-champion with Nora Weston Martyr, no silver medal was awarded that year. In 1933, 1939 and 1946 she was the British National Champion and at the

1939 World Archery Championships The 1939 World Archery Championships was the 9th edition of the event. It was held in Oslo, Norway from 31 July to 5 August 1939 and was organised by World Archery Federation (FITA). It was the last edition of the World Championships until 1946 ...

she was awarded the bronze medal in the women's individual competition. She was Honorary Vice-president of the Grand National Archery Society (later

Archery GB Archery GB is the largest Sports governing body, national governing body for the sport of archery in the United Kingdom. Archery GB is responsible for all levels of archery within the UK from elite to development level and supports over 40,000 m ...

), the Southern Counties Archery Society and the Royal Toxophilite Society.

References

1874 births 1954 deaths Presidents of the Ladies' Alpine Club British female climbers Climbing biography stubs European archery biography stubs British female archers Sportspeople from Surrey {{UK-archery-bio-stub