A special plaque has been erected in the Himalayas to commemorate Yorkshire's most famous climber - 30 years after his tragic death there.

Ian Clough, 33, of Baildon was crushed by a massive ice pinnacle after successfully conquering the south face of Annapurna with Britain's most famous climber, Sir Chris Bonington.

The ascent is considered by experts to be a tougher climb than Everest itself.

The brass plaque was placed on a stone at Annapurna base camp, 4,100m above sea level, by one of his former colleagues Kelvin Kent who now lives in Colorado, America.

The gesture has delighted Sir Chris, who led the expedition and who was a friend of Mr Clough's for many years.

He said: "Kelvin was a member of the team and base camp manager in 1970 when we climbed the south face.

"He decided this would be a nice thing to do and commissioned a plaque which I think looks absolutely lovely. It is a very nice touch and I am really pleased.

"The first thing I knew about it was actually when he dropped me a line at Christmas time. It was a lovely idea. Ian was a very good friend of mine and I am absolutely delighted.

"He died right at the end of the expedition which was tragic. An ice cliff collapsed as he passed underneath it."

Clough's wife Niki died of cancer some years ago but Sir Chris said he still kept in contact with his daughter Jenny, who lives in Lancashire.

At the time Sir Chris paid a brief tribute to him in a simple burial service and the only American member of the team, Tom Front, said a prayer.

An inscription 'Ian Clough, killed May 30, 1970' was cut in the rock at the cliff bottom by the sherpas as well as an inscription in Tibetan.

At the end of last year a local doctor Morris Brown, of Cliffstone Drive, East Morton, photographed the plaque as he and his wife Liz enjoyed a trek in the Himalayan mountains in Nepal.

While he was there his interest was triggered by reading a book by Sir Chris, Annapurna: South Face.

He said: "Mr Clough was one of the greatest climbers that Yorkshire has ever produced and prior to his untimely death, ran a climbing school in Glen Coe in Scotland.

"This memorial which has now been permanently placed at Annapurna base camp is a fitting tribute to one of Yorkshire's greatest sons who was killed at the early age of 33 while climbing the mountains that he loved so much.

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