Sub-editor James Morris, then 28, was sent to cover the Everest expedition with The Times owning the rights to all dispatches from the mountain, but he faced stiff competition from the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph who also had teams in Kathmandu.

After climbing to camp four at 22,000ft Morris sent news of Hillary and Tenzing’s achievement via a coded message, which was sent by runner to an Indian radar station and transmitted to The Times in London.

Next