George Patterson 1920-2012.

Sad to hear of the death of the remarkable George Patterson, a Scottish missionary turned adventurer who was in Kangding at the time of the Chinese takeover of Tibet. George went to Tibet as a medical aid missionary on behalf of the Plymouth Brethren. Although he wasn't a qualified doctor, he lived and worked providing medical aid to the Khampa people of Kangding in the era 1947-50. When the Red Army invaded, he rode over the Himalayas on behalf of the Dalai Lama to send an appeal to the western and Indian governments via Sadiyah in India. After Tibet came under Chinese rule he went back to the west but later returned to Asia and made forays into China. He eventually settled back in Scotland, and I was surprised to hear that he was not only alive but  active at the time of the Beijing Olympic Games, protesting on behalf of a free Tibet. He even had his own website. His spirit and adventures were remarkable, but I have to admit that I found his books a bit hard going.