Charles R. Burton
Charles Robert Burton (13 December 1942 – 15 July 2002), known as Charlie Burton, was an English explorer and British Army soldier. He is best known for taking part in the Transglobe Expedition, the first journey to circumnavigate the globe from pole to pole. He worked as cook, radio operator, and mechanic, and was the only member of the team to accompany expedition leader Ranulph Fiennes on the entire journey.
Burton was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He studied at Millfield in Somerset, where he excelled in sports. From 1961 to 1967 he served in the British Army with the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Special Air Service, traveling to the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Malta, and Germany.
After leaving the Army, he did various security jobs. While bartending at The Admiral Codrington pub in Chelsea in 1975, he met Fiennes and spent about four years helping to plan and raise money for the Transglobe Expedition. The expedition ran from 1979 to 1982.
Afterward, Burton returned to security work. About ten years later he helped organize another expedition with Fiennes but did not take part.
Burton married Thelma "Twink" Petts in April 1981 in Sydney, Australia, during the Transglobe Expedition.
He died of a heart attack on 15 July 2002 at his family home in Framfield, Sussex.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:07 (CET).