Phil ‘Darby’ Allen - Deputy Expedition Leader
Born in North London 1958 the youngest of 4 children.
The Allen family moved to the seaside when aged 4 where he grew up and went to school in Margate, Kent and proceeded to waste 11 perfectly good years at school, leaving at 16 with 1 GCSE in Art.
He joined the Royal Marines in 1975, as the posters looked exciting.
The first 15 years were spent in Commando Units travelling around the world. During which time he was trained in Arctic, desert and the jungle environments, becoming a jungle warfare instructor. After spending several years as part of a Royal Navy Frigate RM detachment and on board numerous RN and RFA ships, there then followed a very rewarding 2 years training Royal Marine recruits at the Commando Training Centre, Lympstone, Devon. He eventually went on to specialise as an Air Defence system operator and controller.
Having spent too many cold nights under bushes, he applied for and completed the Army Helicopter Pilots course in 1991 and spent the next 15 years flying around the other half of the world, again in all theatres, which is much kinder on the knees and back.
He has served with the UN peacekeeping forces, over 2 years operational tours in Northern Ireland and in both Gulf conflicts.
He has always preferred being outdoors and has spent the last several years gaining outdoor pursuit qualifications before leaving the Royal Marines, qualifying as a Summer & Winter Mountain Leader, Single Pitch climbing supervisor and an Alpine Mountain Leader.
He has at present trekked in India, Peru and Nepal and climbed in France, Austria, Norway, Italy, Switzerland and South America. He has so far completed 14 x 4000m Alpine peaks, 4 mountains over 5500m and 2 over 6000m. He has walked and climbed numerous British routes in both summer and winter and trudged over most of Dartmoor over the years.
He currently resides in Devon with Tracy, a very understanding wife of 30+ years. They have 2 grown up children who have now left home and were replaced with a Porsche 911, after going to 5 funerals in 8 months and realising there is no time like the present!
His reason for climbing Everest is simply to raise money the best way he knows how, to help all our wounded Royal Marine, Army, RAF and RN brothers in arms. Any discomfort and pain he may have to endure, will pale into insignificance compared to the physical and mental mountains our injured Service personnel now have to scale in their lives.
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