Belfry Bulletin Number 075

Belfry Bulletin Vol. 7 No.75

November 1953

1954 Committee Have YOU sent off your committee Nomination Form yet? The final date for the return of these forms is December 1st. If you have mislaid your form a further one may be obtained from Ken Dobbs at 55, Broadfield Road, Bristol. 4. ******************************************* Additions to Club Library.

N.S.S. Newsletters C.R.G. Ditto B.C.C.C. Ditto

No.7 (July) & No. 8 (Aug).

No. 44 May & June.

No.7 July & Aug. J.I.

***************************************** Personal To Ron and Jean Newman (Nee Treble) a second daughter, on Sept. 10th.

Ed’s Note The B.B. ‘personal’ column seems to have gone awry as I can find no reference to the ‘First’. Jerry, Ron and Jean.

Ron Newman and Miss Treble were married on 11th April, 1951, and their first daughter was born on 14th. May 1952. ***************************************** Brickbat On two occasions recently, I have found and immediately removed inscriptions which have apparently been written by members of the Club on cave walls. Such inscriptions as ‘Joe Muggins, B.E.C. Sept, 1953’ are not exactly a creditable advertisement for the individual concerned, or more important, the reputation of the Club as a whole.

J.Waddon. ***************************************** Denial Reports that Pat Brazier has evolved a method of carrying climbing equipment when underground must be denied. The objects seen dangling beneath her helmet when emerging from Swildons Hole recently were not Karabiners, but, in fact, the latest fashion in ladies ear rings!!

J.W. *******************************************

BB75/2

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Lost.

Lost – one cave. Will finder please return to D.A.C. R.D. **************************************** Belfry Notice It was decided at the last committee meeting that the Double Charge system at the Belfry was very successful, but that in future it would be the responsibility of the member to obtain his job from the Hut Warden. A notice to this effect will be posted in the Belfry. **************************************** Anti-Accident Campaign I learn that Sett has learned a new method of Car Avoidance since driving in France. The idea is that if you can lean the bike over enough, you can push it back upright with your shoulder. He gave a very convincing demonstration at the top of Cheddar one Sunday recently.

R.D. *************************************** Caving Report.

On Sat. 26th. Sept. a small party did an ‘Oldmans’ Swildons. The party consisted of three members of Holy Cross Youth Club and was led by your Ed. A fairish drop of water was going down, and after an easy canter down the Long Dry, quite a bit of fun was had in the wet, foam and noise of the Wet Way on return journey. It was notice with dismay that the formations at ‘bod’ level seem to have a thicker coating of dirt than usual, but we were glad to note the exhortation in the Old Grotto and approved heartily of it. Other points of interest were the blockage of the water-rift with foam and the fact that the volume of water down the water chute had excavated a ‘pot’ in the downstream approach passage that very much facilitated our passage.

T.H.S. Ed’s Note I very much regret that I had to put an account of my trip as the first bit of local caving since I have retaken over the editorship. I was prompted to do so for two reasons. Firstly, to show the diffident ones that a very ordinary and elementary trip is worth reporting and to show them how it looks in print, and secondly to prove to those consistent scoffers who regard the Club as 100 p.c. armchair that once in a while someone does go underground.

T.H.S. ***************************************** Where, oh where are those articles for the Xmas Issue? ***************************************** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GENEVA Dear Harry It is not without much regret that I find it necessary to terminate my association with the B.E.C. My work has taken me abroad, and for several years it looks as though I shall be wandering about a bit.

BB75/3 I have found it necessary to retract as many of my connections with home as possible until I can get settled down once more with a permanent address.

Incidentally this last Easter was the first time I had missed Mendip since I first met your Somersetshire folk, and, believe me, I really did miss it.

However, I got myself married not long ago, and that explains a lot of things!

My work is chiefly to do with starting up D.D.T. factories, and although my base is Geneva at the moment, I just got back last week from Jugo-Slavia, and tomorrow I and off to Delhi. So far, all above the earth!!------------------------------ It is difficult for me to say ‘Good-Bye’, so let it be ‘au revoir’, and many thanks for all your past troubles and efforts on my behalf., With best wishes Tony Bamber. ******************************************* Good luck, Tony. May you return to our fold one day. Ed. ******************************************* Hope Bay Graham Land Antarctica Dear Mr. Stanbury.

It seem ages ago since I last met you or even wrote to you. However, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the B.E.C. for all the help that they have given me in the past. Although I have not been a member officially, you have always given me that help when requested. I would therefore be most grateful if you would convey my regards to the members. Also I feel that you may be interested in what I am doing out here.

At present I and engaged with a research expedition to the Antarctic by the Colonial Office, working mainly on Biological and Geological research. This work entails much sledging, using huskie dogs teams wherever we go. So far I have travelled just over six hundred miles, part of this along the Weddell coast. No doubt you heard about our encounter with the Argentines on the radio, therefore I shall not give a repetition.

All being well I shall be returning soon ----Yours sincerely, Max Unwin.

I hope that we can persuade Max to write an account of his travels for us, as such a unique opportunity may never occur again. Ed. ******************************************** In the Club Library there are two volumes of Lyell’s principles of Geology; I find then very useful, chiefly for propping up other library books etc. It may interest members to know that Charles Darwin on his famous voyage in the ‘Beagle’ in 1831 took Vol. 1 of the work to read in his spare time. (Not our copy I fear). Lyell’s theories greatly interested Darwin and started him off on the train of thought which was later to cause such controversy when he first published ‘The Origin of Species’.

John Ifold *******************************************

BB75/4

Welsh Rarebit.

Have you ever wondered what some of these tongue-twisting Welsh names mean? Did you, example, know that Ogof Fynnon Ddu means ‘The Cave of the Black Spring’? I propose to list a few of the more common Welsh words so that cavers will know the worst sooner.

Aber Ach Afon Aran Bach (fach) Bala Bryn (fryn) Cader Caer Can Clogwyn Cors Craig Cwm Dan Dinas Ddu Dwfr Dyffryn Ffordd Ffryd Ffyn Ffynnon Gwy Gogof Llwyd Llyn Ma Mawr Min Moel Mynydd Nant Ogof Plas Pont Pwll Pistyll Sych Tan Uch Uchel Wrthy Y Yr

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mouth of a river. water river high place small, little resurgence or outlet small hill stronghold fort bent, crooked precipice bog rock valley under, beneath, below castle black water vale, valley road stream torrent spring, rising water cave, cavern grey lake place large, big, great side, edge hill mountain brook, stream cave place bridge pool waterfall dry under, below highest high near, close the the K.C.D.

****************************************** Hon. Gen. Sec. R.J. Bagshaw, 56, Ponsford Road, Bristol. 4 Hon. Assist. Sec. K.C. Dobbs, 55, Broadfield Road, Bristol. 4.

BB75/5 Hon. Editor T.H. Stanbury, 48, Novers Park Road, Bristol. 4.