The 1924 expedition was headed by General Charles G. Bruce (pictured). It was in fact a difficult decision as to who would be in the actual climbing party. WW1 had wiped out a whole generation of strong, young men. However, George Mallory who had participated in Bruce's previous attempt in 1922 was part of the mission, as was Howard Somerville, Edward Norton and Bruce. Sandy Irvine was dubbed an "experiment" and a test of a younger generation of mountaineers. Also among the company was Noel E. Odell, who went searching for the missing climbers after their disappearance.