Moffat, Gwen (1924—)
Moffat, Gwen (1924—)
British mountaineer who became the first woman to qualify as a climbing and mountaineering guide. Born Gwen Goddard in Brighton, England, in July 1924; married Gordon Moffat, in 1949; married Johnnies Lees, in 1952 (divorced 1969); children: Sheena (b. 1949).
Selected writings:
Space Beneath my Feet (Hodder & Stoughton, 1961); Two Star Red (Hodder & Stoughton, 1964); On My Home Ground (Hodder & Stoughton, 1968).
At age 22, Gwen Moffat began climbing in Wales, after a stint with the Land Army and an unauthorized leave from the Auxiliary Territorial Service. (She would serve time for this youthful indiscretion.) After obtaining her hard-won Guide's Certificate, she became the first qualified female rock climbing and mountaineering guide in Britain. Moffat began writing around her climbing career; she also wrote crime novels and books on the environment.