Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet OBE (born 7 March 1944), usually known as Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, is an English adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He was the first man to visit both the north and south poles by surface means and the first man to completely cross the Antarctic on foot. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This list of explorers is sorted by surname. ... For other uses, see North Pole (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see South Pole (disambiguation). ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ...

Biography

Fiennes was born in England shortly after the death of his father, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, who was killed in action in the Second World War at Monte Cassino in 1943. Fiennes inherited his father's baronetcy, becoming the 3rd Baronet at his birth. Fiennes is the third cousin of Hollywood film actors Joseph and Ralph Fiennes, and is a distant cousin of Britain's royal family. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The restored Abbey. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the brush-footed butterfly species, see Euthalia nais. ... ... Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (pronounced fines; born May 27, 1970) is an Screen Actors Guild award-winning English film and stage actor. ... Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, (IPA: ), born 22 December 1962) is a Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Genie Award-nominated British actor. ...

After the war his mother moved the family to South Africa where he remained until he was 12. Ranulph then returned to be educated at Eton, after which he joined the British Army. The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Soldier

Fiennes served eight years in the British army — in his father's regiment, the Royal Scots Greys — and was later seconded to the Special Air Service, where he specialised in demolitions. He admitted in his autobiography to cheating on the notoriously harsh SAS endurance test known as the Long Drag. The Scots Greys was the unofficial and later official name of a dragoon regiment of the British Army from 1678 until 1971, when they amalgamated to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys). ... SAS in their armed jeeps, during the North African campaign The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. ... For other uses, see Demolition (disambiguation). ... The Long Drag is a slang term referring to the event that is the culmination of the Fitness and Navigation phase of selection for the British Special Air Service. ...

Service life was enlivened by various scrapes and escapades, including an occasion when Fiennes and a brother officer procured a very lively, squirming piglet, smothered it with tank grease and slipped it into the crowded ballroom of the army's Staff College, Camberley. On another occasion, offended by the construction of an ugly concrete dam built by a US film company for the production of the film Doctor Dolittle in the Wiltshire village of Castle Combe — reputedly the prettiest village in England — Fiennes planned to demolish the dam. He used explosives which he later claimed to have obtained legitimately from the armoury,^[1] but in the event didn't detonate them.^{[citation needed]} Using skills from a recently completed training course on evading search dogs by night, he escaped capture, but he and a guilty colleague were both subsequently traced. After a court case, Fiennes had to pay a hefty fine but he and his co-conspirator were discharged from the SAS. Fiennes was initially posted to another cavalry regiment but was then allowed to return to his regiment. Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, is a training college for the British army. ... Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 musical film which tells the story of a doctor who learns from his pet parrot to talk to animals. ... Not to be confused with Wilshire. ... Castle Combe is a small village in Wiltshire, England, with a population of about 350. ...

Becoming disillusioned by his British Army service, in particular his career prospects, he spent the last two years of his service seconded to the army of the Sultan of Oman. At the time, Oman experienced a growing communist insurgency supported from neighbouring South Yemen. Fiennes had a crisis of conscience soon after arriving in Oman, as he became aware of the Sultan's poor government. However he decided that the oppression threatened by a communist takeover, combined with moves towards progressive change within the Sultanate system, justified his part in the conflict. After familiarisation, he commanded the Reconnaissance Platoon of the Muscat Regiment, seeing extensive active service in the Dhofar Rebellion. He led several raids deep into rebel-held territory on the Djebel Dhofar and was decorated for bravery by the Sultanate. Combatants Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (with British, Iranian and Jordanian assistance) Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) Strength Sultan of Omans Armed Forces (10000) Firqats irregular groups (1800) Iranian army...

Adventurer

Since the 1960s Fiennes has been an adventurer. He led expeditions up the White Nile on a hovercraft in 1969 and on Norway's Jostedalsbreen Glacier in 1970. Perhaps his most famous trek was the Transglobe Expedition he undertook from 1979 until 1982. Fiennes, Oliver Shepard and Charles Burton journeyed around the world on its polar axis using surface transport only, covering 52,000 miles and becoming the first people to have visited both poles by land. [1] The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. ... Briksdalsbreen is one of the more popular parts of Jostedalsbreen Jostedalsbreen or Jostedal Glacier, is the biggest glacier in continental Europe. ... In 1979, adventurers Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton set out to make the first circumpolar navigation, to go travel the world vertically traversing both of the poles. ... Charles E. Burton (1846 – June 9, 1882) was an Irish astronomer. ...

In 1992 Fiennes led an expedition that discovered the lost city of Ubar in Oman. The following year he joined nutrition specialist Mike Stroud in an attempt to become the first to cross Antarctica unaided. Having crossed the continent in 90 days, they were forced to call for a pick-up on the Ross Ice Shelf, frostbitten and starving, on day 95. A further attempt in 1996 to walk to the South Pole solo, in aid of Breast Cancer charity, unfortunately also ended in failure and he had to be rescued from the operation by his crew. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Iram of the Pillars. ... Dr Mike Stroud (born 17 April 1955) is an expert on human health under extreme conditions. ...

In 2000, he attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole. The expedition failed when his sleds fell through weak ice and Fiennes was forced to pull them out by hand. He sustained severe frostbite to the tips of all the fingers on his left hand, forcing him to abandon the attempt. On returning home, his surgeon insisted the necrotic fingertips be retained for several months (to allow regrowth of the remaining healthy tissue) before amputation. Impatient at the pain the dying fingertips caused, Fiennes removed them himself (in his garden shed) with a fretsaw.^[1] This article is about a medical condition. ... Necrosis (in Greek Νεκρός = Dead) is the name given to unprogrammed death of cells/living tissue (compare with apoptosis - programmed cell death). ... Partial hand amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ...

Despite suffering from a heart attack and undergoing a double heart bypass operation just four months before, Fiennes joined Stroud again in 2003 to carry out the extraordinary feat of completing seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. Their route: Heart attack redirects here. ... Modern day marathon runners The word marathon refers to a long-distance road running event of 42. ...

26th October - Race 1: Patagonia, South America

27th October - Race 2: Falkland Islands, "Antarctica"

28th October - Race 3: Sydney, Australia

29th October - Race 4: Singapore, Asia

30th October - Race 5: London, Europe

31st October - Race 6: Cairo, Africa

1st November - Race 7: New York, North America

Originally Fiennes had planned to run the first marathon on King George Island, Antarctica. The second marathon would then have taken place in Santiago, Chile. However, bad weather and aeroplane engine trouble caused him to change his plans, running the South American segment in southern Patagonia first and then hopping to the Falklands as a substitute for the Antarctic leg. Patagonia, as most commonly defined (in orange). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article is about the state. ... North American redirects here. ... Location of King George Island Map of King George Island King George Island (Argentina: Isla 25 de Mayo, Chile: Isla Rey Jorge, Russian historical name - Vaterlo (Waterloo)) is the largest of the South Shetland Islands, situated at , 120 kilometers off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ...

Speaking after the event, Fiennes said the Singapore marathon had been by far the most difficult because of high humidity and pollution. He also said his cardiac surgeon had approved the marathons, providing his heart-rate did not exceed a 130 beats per minute; Fiennes later confessed to having forgotten to pack his heart-rate monitor, and as such does not know how fast his heart was beating.

Fiennes reached 28,500ft in a 2005 attempt to climb Everest. He has joined the Victoria Falls Expedition, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of David Livingstone's discovery of Victoria Falls (this expedition started on 2 November, and originally took David Livingstone four years). David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in central Africa. ... The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that thunders) is a waterfall situated in southern Africa between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. ... David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in central Africa. ...

In March 2007, despite a morbid, lifelong fear of heights, Fiennes undertook a personal challenge to climb the Eiger by its much-feared North Face, with sponsorship totalling £1.5 million to be paid to the Marie Curie Cancer Care Delivering Choice Programme. For other uses, see Eiger (disambiguation). ... Marie Curie Cancer Care is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that provides hands on nursing care, free of charge, to give terminally ill people the choice to be cared for and die at home. ...

On May 24, 2008, Fiennes had to abandon an attempt to be the oldest Briton to climb Mount Everest, being forced to turn back from exhaustion after reaching the final stopping point in a climb for charity. The adventurer, who is receiving treatment for prostate cancer, was suffering with heart problems and vertigo, a spokesman reported. is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Everest redirects here. ... Vertigo, a specific type of dizziness, is a major symptom of a balance disorder. ...

Author

Fiennes's career as an author has developed alongside that of an explorer. He is the author of 13 books in fiction and non-fiction. In 2003 he published a biography of Captain Robert Scott which attempted to provide a robust defence of Scott's achievements and reputation which had been strongly questioned by biographers such as Roland Huntford. Although others have made comparisons between Fiennes and Scott, Fiennes says he identifies more with Captain Oates, another member of Scott's doomed Antarctic team. Captain Robert Falcon Scott RN (June 6, 1868 - March 29, 1912) was a British Naval officer and Antarctic explorer. ... Roland Huntford is acknowledged as the pre-eminent author of Polar biographies. ... Lawrence Edward Grace Oates (March 17, 1880_March 17, 1912) was a British Antarctic explorer. ...

His works include:

• Where Soldiers Fear to Tread (1975), ISBN 0-3401-4754-7, account of service in the Dhofar Rebellion.
• To The Ends of the Earth (1983) ISBN 0-340-25277-4, account of the Transglobe Expedition.
• Living Dangerously (1987) ISBN 0-7515-0434-3, autobiography.
• The Feathermen (1992) ISBN 0-7475-1049-0
• Atlantis of the Sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar (1992) ISBN 0-451-17577-8
• Mind Over Matter: The Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent (1993) ISBN 0-385-31216-4
• The Sett (1996) ISBN 0-434-00267-4, fiction
• Beyond the Limits (2000) ISBN 0-316-85458-1
• Captain Scott (2003) ISBN 0-340-82699-1, account of Robert Falcon Scott's south polar expeditions.
• The Secret Hunters (2001) ISBN 0-316-85869-2, http://www.crevassefilms.com/
• Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know (2007) ISBN 0-340-95168-2, The Autobiography

Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (with British, Iranian and Jordanian assistance) Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO) Strength Sultan of Omans Armed Forces (10000) Firqats irregular groups (1800) Iranian army... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... In 1979, adventurers Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton set out to make the first circumpolar navigation, to go travel the world vertically traversing both of the poles. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Scott of the Antarctic redirects here. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Politician

Fiennes stood for the Countryside Party in the 2004 European elections in the South West England region — fourth on their list of six. The party received only 30,824 votes — insufficient for any of their candidates to be elected. The Countryside Party is a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom. ... The European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the European Parliament election, 2004. ... The constituency (first used 2004) within England; Gibraltar is in the inset. ...

He is also a member of the libertarian pressure group The Freedom Association. See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ... The Freedom Association is a right-wing British pressure group. ...

Awards and Recognition

In 1970, while serving with the Omani Army, Fiennes received the Sultan's Bravery Medal. In 1983 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Loughborough University, and later received the Royal Geographical Society's Founders Medal. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree at the University of Abertay Dundee. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Loughborough University is located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. ... The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 with the name Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical science, under the patronage of King William IV. It absorbed the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa (founded by Sir Joseph... The University of Abertay Dundee, usually known simply as Abertay University, is a university in Dundee, Scotland. ...

Fiennes was appointed OBE in 1993 "for human endeavour and for charitable services" — his expeditions have raised £5 million for good causes. In 1995 he was awarded the Polar Medal with bar, having visited both poles. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, which was originally instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal to reward earlier explorers attempting to discover the Northwest Passage. ...

In a 2007 Top Gear special, the presenters travelled to the Magnetic North Pole in a Toyota Hilux. Sir Ranulph was called in to speak with the presenters after their constant joking and horseplay during their cold weather training. As a former guest on the show who was familiar with their penchant for tomfoolery, Fiennes bluntly informed them of the grave dangers of polar expeditions, showing pictures of his own frostbite injuries and presenting what remained of his left hand. Sir Ranulph was given recognition by having his name placed before every surname in the closing credits: "Sir Ranulph Clarkson, Sir Ranulph Hammond, Sir Ranulph May"....^[2] Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... This is about the geographic meaning of North Pole. ... The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ...

Personal life

Fiennes married his childhood sweetheart Virginia Pepper ("Ginny") on September 9, 1970. The couple moved to a country farm estate in Exford, on Exmoor, Devon where while he raised cattle and sheep, Ginny built up her herd of rare-breed Angus cattle while Sir Ranulph was on his expeditions. She supported him so greatly, that she was the first woman to receive the Polar Medal. The two remained married until her death from stomach cancer in February 2004.^[3] is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Exmoor is a National Park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of South West England. ... For other uses, see Devon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Black Angus breed. ... The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, which was originally instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal to reward earlier explorers attempting to discover the Northwest Passage. ... Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus and the small intestine. ...

He embarked on a lecture tour, where in Cheshire he met divorcee horsewoman Louise Millington (born Bath, Somerset circa 1967), whom he married in a ceremony at St Boniface's Church, Bunbury one year and three weeks after Ginny's death. The couple welcomed a daughter Elizabeth in April 2006. For other uses, see Cheshire (disambiguation). ... Bunbury is a placename in more than one country: Bunbury, Western Australia, the third largest city in the state. ...

References

This article is about the current format of the BBC television programme. ... This article is about the current format of the BBC television programme. ...

External links

• Sir Ranulph Fiennes' motivational speaker profile
• Foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes of the book Fragile Earth
• Ranulph Fiennes at the Internet Movie Database
• Foreword to 'Beyond the Setting Sun- 6000 miles on foot for hospice' by Colin Skinner
• Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Interview by Liz Scarff for bmi Voyager Magazine October 2007, discussing Sir Ranulph's climb of the Eiger
• Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his life of adventure - Interview by Jim Blackburn for Wanderlust magazine June 2004, discussing Sir Ranulph's life to date