Thomas Hans Orde-Lees was born on 23 May 1877, officially during his parents' holiday in Aachen in what was then Prussia.
15 Facts About Thomas Orde-Lees
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Thomas Orde-Lees was made godmother of Ada's nephew Frederick Geoffrey Lees Johnson, an arrangement that provided cover for Grace, Ada and Thomas the Elder to meet up regularly.
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Thomas Orde-Lees was educated at Marlborough College, the Royal Naval Academy at Gosport and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
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Thomas Orde-Lees joined the Royal Marines, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1895, with promotion to lieutenant on 1 July 1896, and to captain on 16 April 1902.
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In 1910 Thomas Orde-Lees applied for a place on Scott's Terra Nova Expedition, but was turned down.
6.
Thomas Orde-Lees had a keen interest in physical fitness and took his bicycle on the expedition; after the ship became trapped in the ice he frequently took cycling trips on the ice.
7.
Thomas Orde-Lees was assigned to the Dudley Docker under the command of Frank Worsley but failed to pitch in with the other men when a gale threatened to sink the small craft.
8.
The remaining men, including Thomas Orde-Lees, were to spend months living in the remaining two boats, overturned and reinforced with stones and lit by blubber lamps.
9.
Thomas Orde-Lees jumped from Tower Bridge into the River Thames to prove their effectiveness and a Parachute Committee was formed with Orde-Lees as secretary to investigate the use of parachutes for pilots.
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Thomas Orde-Lees was awarded the Air Force Cross in the 1919 New Year Honours list, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 10 October.
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In Japan, Thomas Orde-Lees is best known for his winter climbs on Mount Fuji.
12.
Thomas Orde-Lees worked for a time as a correspondent for The Times, which led to an appointment at the British Embassy.
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Thomas Orde-Lees spent almost 20 years teaching English and reading the English news on Japanese Radio.
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Thomas Orde-Lees died on 1 December 1958 after being confined to a mental hospital due to his dementia.
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Thomas Orde-Lees is buried in Karori Cemetery, Wellington, close to fellow Endurance crew member, Harry McNish.