John Hancock obituary

My brother-in-law, John Hancock, who has died aged 83, was a runner, climber, cyclist, socialist, naturalist and much loved village doctor. His most challenging adventure came in 1987 when he was expedition doctor on a UK attempt to climb Latok 2 in the Karakoram mountains in the Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region. The expedition photos show John relishing every moment. But it overran, and John was obliged to return to his practice, which led him to trek solo for several days back to civilisation. En route, he loved making contact with local people and was glad to hold impromptu clinics in the villages he passed through. Born in Bromley, John was the son of Letitia (nee Thomas), a nurse and midwife, and Alfred Hancock, a public health inspector with Bermondsey, and later Southwark, councils. At 11, John won a scholarship to Dulwich college, where he excelled at boxing. Crucially, he also attended his biology teacher’s wildflower field studies and thus developed a love of native orchids. As a keen scout, he enjoyed climbing Harrison’s Rocks, south of Groombridge in East Sussex. This inspired climbing in much more challenging locations. In the summer of 1961, John was typ