Arthur H. J. King

Arthur H J King, who has died aged 84, has been described as a mechanic-turned-explorer and Yorkshire hill farmer who dedicated much of his life to planting trees.
The explorer tag was earned after occasional attacks of wanderlust when he was a young man in the 1930s.
In July 1938 he left his home town Harrogate on a 5,000-mile cycling trip that took him to the Arctic Circle via Berlin, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Belgium.
He bought a bike for 30 shillings, loaded up and left his home in Dragon Road for Grimsby. A tramp steamer took him to Hamburg. There he mounted his bike again and with a load of 20 stones, including the cycle, his packs and his own weight, pedalled off.
To save about two ounces in weight he left his tent pole behind, but for some inexplicable reason was lugging a stone of potatoes about.
On his return Mr King wrote a book, A Wheel to the Arctic (published in 1940), about the cycle ride.
After his travels he met his wife-to-be, Imogen. The two were married in London in 1943. The pair then moved to a windswept hill farm at Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge.
It was not until after the mid-1950s that electricity was brought to the farm. His hobby of planting trees was enjoyed into his 84th years.
Son Ian King told the Yorkshire Post : “This man wore five inches of steel off his spade planting trees for our planet then started on another spade and did the same again and again. I know, I have seen his spades.”
Mr King said his father was a greatly respected guardian of the countryside who enjoyed only one holiday in 52 years. About 10,000 trees had been planted across 10 plantations, he said.
“He was a conservationist before environmental issues were raised and I wish to pay tribute to a Yorkshireman who quietly pursued his goal and has made our world a better place.”
Mr King is survived by his wife an eight children .

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