January 1961
Number 155
Page 1
January 1961 – No 155
Vol XV No.1
_______________________________________________________________________________________ Old Age Dept. This is the beginning of Volume Fifteen of the B.B. It makes you realise how time flies when we pause to consider that, with the end of this volume, we shall have edited the B.B. for a third of its total life! This is a long time, and if any readers begin to notice a touch of senility creeping in, we should be obliged if they will tell us. Caving Reports. No, you’re wrong! This is not yet another apology for the fact that everything is getting years out of date. Bryan Ellis, now that Her Majesty has finished with his services, has agreed to produce these in future, and to straighten out the sad state of affairs into which they have fallen. You’ll soon be able to get them S.M.C.C. Occasional Papers. This reminds us that two very good reports have been recently published by the Shepton Mallet Caving Club – One on their caving in Ireland and the other on the caves of North Wales. Both make excellent additions to the caver’s library. If any of our more far flung readers have difficulty in getting then, write in and I will pass over the letters to the S.M.C.C. January Committee Meeting. No new members were elected in January. The committee dealt with arrangements for the now building, more bunks for the Belfry, badges and ties, the water levy, the purchasing of telegraph poles, drainage of our land and assorted other Business. _______________________________________________________________________________________
THE EAST INDIES .......Continued from the Christmas Edition of the B. B. The transformation from west to east was amazing. In Malta there were cars, motorised tugs etc. Here, there were caravans slowly plodding their way along the banks, and sand Dows sedately sailing up and down. There is a road down the side of the canal from Port Said to Suez, but apart from this, there is only sand, palm trees and still more sand. It was still March and at home they had snow but we, once we were acclimatised, soon shifted into shorts and sandals. By now we were working tropical routine, sailing through the Red Sea. Apart from a steaming party, the whole ship had a make and mend every afternoon - and we needed it. I have never had the misfortune to be in the Red Sea in high summer but this was bad enough. Eventually we arrived at Aden, where the off watch had six hours leave while the ship refuelled. It was my first encounter, on shore, with the exotic East - filth and dirt everywhere, foul smells and dilapidated houses. The bazaars are full of imported goods - mainly Japanese but occasionally one gets a glimpse of the true East. Women in purdah, oxen pulling ploughs in the fields, wooden Dows in the harbour, beautifully tooled leatherwork and perfumes that would turn the head of any man. Leaving Aden, still at full speed, we were soon in the flat calm of the Arabian Sea. Entering the Gulf of Aden, we became used to the sight of turtles, sea snakes and sting rays basking on the surface, with here and there the occasional shark. So we passed the gates of hell, into the Persian Gulf. Arriving at Bahrain, we dropped our hook about three miles off shore - it’s very shallow - only to find that, as usual, the disturbance had dissolved at the news of our approach. "Llew" Pritchard.