Sir Claude Aurelius Elliott OBE (27 July 1888 – 21 November 1973) was an English schoolmaster who became head master of Eton College at Windsor in Berkshire, and was later provost at the same school.
[2] As a boy, Elliott enjoyed mountaineering, which interest he practised in Britain, Switzerland, and France, hoping one day to climb the Caucasus and the Himalayas, but he was prevented from pursuing this by a fall in the Lake District in 1912, which broke his kneecap and damaged his hand.
For example, he was the first head master of Eton who was not in holy orders, and neither his preaching in chapel nor his teaching in school were as impressive as those of his charismatic predecessor, Cyril Alington.
Later, in 1940, two bombs did actually fall on Eton, only just missing a library full of studying boys, but this only made him more determined to stand firm.
[2] In 1949, after sixteen years as head master, Elliott was appointed Eton College's provost, a post he held until 1965.
Elliott was president of the Alpine Club from 1950 to 1952. in that capacity, he selected John Hunt to lead the successful 1953 Everest expedition.