There, he again met some tribes which he befriended. Despite having arrows fired at him, he managed to befriend a number of peoples, recording much about their way of life before leaving.Ī fourth trip to Bolivia took him deep into the interior of the country. It was here he encountered wild indigenous tribes for the first time. He failed to bring enough food, while he also timed it so poorly that the dry season saw the team abandon their boat within a week.įive of his six peons - unskilled labourers who accompanied expeditions like this - died on the journey.Įxplorer Percy Fawcett was fascinated by maps and exploration (Image: The Fawcett Estate)Īstonishingly, he was invited back a third time by Bolivia in 1910 to map their border with Peru. Given extra responsibility, Fawcett had to organise this expedition entirely by himself. His work was applauded as being thorough and accurate, but he also attracted ridicule for making ludicrous claims such as shooting a giant anaconda measuring 19m (62 feet - more than double the largest ever found) and discovering a new type of animal which was a cross between a dog and a cat.įawcett also claimed the work was boring, but he readily accepted a second assignment in the same country in 1908. The South American country approached the RGS, who assigned the task to the newly-qualified Fawcett. In 1906, the army allowed him to take the RGS' frontier surveying course.īolivia had just sold a large chunk of land to Brazil and wanted its new borders mapped out. He served in the likes of Hong Kong, Malta and Ceylon - now Sri Lanka - before later studying mapmaking and surveying.īritish explorer Percy Fawcett on his horse during an expedition to Brazil (Image: Getty Images) First assignment They married in 1901 and had two boys, Jack and Brian, and a daughter named Joan. Percy joined the artillery in the army in 1886 - the same year he met Nina. Percy Harrison Fawcett was born on Augin Torquay at the Villa Devonia, which was later demolished and is now the site of Shirley Towers on Vane Hill Road.įawcett, who attended Newton Abbot Proprietary College, came from an adventurous family: his father was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), while his brother was a climber and author. Instead, the trio disappeared without trace, creating one of the most intriguing mysteries in the history of exploration. Deep in the Brazilian jungle, at an isolated outpost named Dead Horse Camp, Percy Fawcett scribbled a final letter to his wife, Nina.ĭespite being plagued by insects and subjected to almost unbearable heat, the famous explorer was positive his team - including their eldest son, Jack, and his friend Raleigh Rimell - could push on and find what had obsessed him for years: the lost city of Z.
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