Welcome to the fourth of our new
monthly newsletters! The readership is growing all the time, and we now
have a circulation of 180 people, with an open rate of 64.4%, which
translates as 114 people fully opened the link. What the stats doesn't
record is now many people (like me) simply read in preview mode. We've
had lots of encouragement to keep this going, so if you have any content
for future newsletters, please let me know.
There's no need to write reams. Short pieces (complete with photos if
possible) are great. Longer articles can go in a full newsletter later
in the year. And don't forget to send us some Memories
for the 100 Memories project. The Centenary weekend will provide lots
of material for the future, and please do share your photos and memories
of this, too.
Back issues of this newsletter can be found here.
Back issues of this newsletter can be found here.
Linda Wilson
Arthur ApSimon
19 October 1927 - 21 April 2019
It's with huge sadness that we
report the death of Arthur ApSimon, UBSS President from 1996 - 2010, in a
nursing home in Bath on 21 April 2019. Linda Wilson talks about her
last visit to Arthur.19 October 1927 - 21 April 2019
With Arthur's death, I and many others in the society have lost a very dear friend. I've known Arthur for 40 years and others have known him far longer. Arthur was unable to join us for the centenary celebrations in March as he was in hospital with a chest infection but he was very much with us in spirit.
Graham and I saw Arthur in hospital in Winchester in early April. He was very frail, but was able to talk to us about some of his memories of UBSS for our oral history project, and although it certainly wasn't a conventional interview, it's great that he was able to be part of this. My notes will be supplemented by material gathered by Arthur's son Trevor, who kindly facilitated our visit.
Arthur certainly hadn't lost his trademark sense of humour or his critical faculties, which emerged strongly when he explained to me why he had a problem with Herbert 'Porthos' Taylor's recording methods at T5 round barrow near the Hut. He told us that Porthos failed to make section drawings on site, which is useful to know in the context of our current project to get the site published. He also told us about the importance of this type of barrow to an understanding of Bronze Age Society. It was a visit I'll always treasure, despite the underlying sadness of knowing that might have been the last time we would see him.
Arthur was discharged from hospital to a nursing home in Bath where he later died. He is survived by his children Trevor, David, Meirwen and Gwyneth. I'll supply details of the funeral arrangements as soon as these are known.
A full obituary will appear in the forthcoming issue of Proceedings.
We would like to gather as many stories concerning Arthur as possible as part of our project to record the history of the society through interviews with and information about our members, so I would be very grateful to hear from as many of you as possible with your memories of Arthur. These can be emailed to me, together with any photos you have of him and I will collate the material.
Linda
TALK - TUESDAY 30th APRIL - MAMMOTH AND JEWEL CAVES
Come along to the Stables for a caving talk and some socialising!
On Tuesday 30th April, Daniel Heins will be giving a talk on Mammoth and Jewel caves in America as the second of our series of talks on caves around the world.
Mammoth cave is currently the largest surveyed cave in the world!
It would be great to see as many of you there as possible! There will be free beer etc. provided so if you could click going on the Facebook event that would be great for numbers!
We’ll open up the Stables from 8pm for everyone with the talk starting soon after!
If you don't know where the Stables is, find 21 Woodlands Road, follow the access round the back to the car park following signs to the Prayer Rooms, then you'll see the covered bike shed. The Stables is the building to the left of that.
Come along to the Stables for a caving talk and some socialising!
On Tuesday 30th April, Daniel Heins will be giving a talk on Mammoth and Jewel caves in America as the second of our series of talks on caves around the world.
Mammoth cave is currently the largest surveyed cave in the world!
It would be great to see as many of you there as possible! There will be free beer etc. provided so if you could click going on the Facebook event that would be great for numbers!
We’ll open up the Stables from 8pm for everyone with the talk starting soon after!
If you don't know where the Stables is, find 21 Woodlands Road, follow the access round the back to the car park following signs to the Prayer Rooms, then you'll see the covered bike shed. The Stables is the building to the left of that.
THE TRATMAN SCHOLARSHIP
Clevosaurus hudsoni, one of the most common species occurring in the Triassic deposits of Cromhall Quarry, which form part of the Bristol archipelago.
Sofia Chambi-Trowell, a recent graduate from the University of Bristol’s MSci course in Palaeontology, has been awarded the prestigious Tratman scholarship and will be starting her PhD at the University of Bristol this year, and continuing her work from the final year of her masters project.
Her PhD, “The origin of modern ecosystems: dietary partitioning among the first mammals and reptiles in the Triassic-Jurassic Bristol archipelago”, will focus on fossil fissure fauna from Carboniferous cave infill systems from the Bristol archipelago. The project will seek to understand ecological and dietary partitioning amongst the microvertebrates from this region during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, through the use of modern techniques in palaeontology including CT-scanning, which additionally allows for the reconstruction of skulls and musculature, and finite element analysis, which can assess the regions of greatest stress and strain in a given structure.
The Tratman scholarship is available every few years to a student studying within the Bristol region, on a project within archaeology, earth sciences or geography. This bequest was left by Edgar Kingsley Tratman, a key figure in the Society for nearly 60 years. Although Tratman (more affectionately known as Trat) was by profession an influential and renowned dentist, he was interested in spelaeology throughout his life, publishing around 200 papers on his findings while caving, including papers on human teeth, cave paintings, amber and flints, amongst other finds in the cave systems in the south-west of England, particularly around Bristol.
Clevosaurus hudsoni, one of the most common species occurring in the Triassic deposits of Cromhall Quarry, which form part of the Bristol archipelago.
Sofia Chambi-Trowell, a recent graduate from the University of Bristol’s MSci course in Palaeontology, has been awarded the prestigious Tratman scholarship and will be starting her PhD at the University of Bristol this year, and continuing her work from the final year of her masters project.
Her PhD, “The origin of modern ecosystems: dietary partitioning among the first mammals and reptiles in the Triassic-Jurassic Bristol archipelago”, will focus on fossil fissure fauna from Carboniferous cave infill systems from the Bristol archipelago. The project will seek to understand ecological and dietary partitioning amongst the microvertebrates from this region during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, through the use of modern techniques in palaeontology including CT-scanning, which additionally allows for the reconstruction of skulls and musculature, and finite element analysis, which can assess the regions of greatest stress and strain in a given structure.
The Tratman scholarship is available every few years to a student studying within the Bristol region, on a project within archaeology, earth sciences or geography. This bequest was left by Edgar Kingsley Tratman, a key figure in the Society for nearly 60 years. Although Tratman (more affectionately known as Trat) was by profession an influential and renowned dentist, he was interested in spelaeology throughout his life, publishing around 200 papers on his findings while caving, including papers on human teeth, cave paintings, amber and flints, amongst other finds in the cave systems in the south-west of England, particularly around Bristol.
TRAVELS BENEATH THE EARTH - PROJECT UPDATE
History student and UBSS member Nick Stromberg reports on the first month of our oral history project...
We’ve had an exciting month gearing up to start our oral history project. We had an interesting and productive meeting with Linda, Graham and Andy at the beginning of April to finalise our strategy for tackling the project.
We discussed what we wanted to get out of our interviews and, ultimately, what the final outputs of our project should be. How could we most effectively engage the caving community and the wider public with our research? Lena and I have spent the last couple of weeks beginning to set up our first interviews with UBSS members. We have now organised the first two, which will take place in early May. We will aim to complete up to 20 before the end of July.
Next month, the really interesting work will start: conducting and transcribing interviews!
History student and UBSS member Nick Stromberg reports on the first month of our oral history project...
We’ve had an exciting month gearing up to start our oral history project. We had an interesting and productive meeting with Linda, Graham and Andy at the beginning of April to finalise our strategy for tackling the project.
We discussed what we wanted to get out of our interviews and, ultimately, what the final outputs of our project should be. How could we most effectively engage the caving community and the wider public with our research? Lena and I have spent the last couple of weeks beginning to set up our first interviews with UBSS members. We have now organised the first two, which will take place in early May. We will aim to complete up to 20 before the end of July.
Next month, the really interesting work will start: conducting and transcribing interviews!
DISPATCHES FROM MULU
Internet access in Mulu seems be fairly dire, but in a message on Facebook, Elaine Oliver gives a quick glimpse into camp life.
Just out of a three day camp finding exciting borehole, away for more camping tomorrow if the rain stops to let us get there... River currently too high /dangerous!
I've also been pushing some rather mendippy passages (helmet off squeezes) in Racer Cave and Cave of the Winds..
No, this photo wasn't taken in the Hut on the centenary weekend! It's actually in Clearwater cave.
Internet access in Mulu seems be fairly dire, but in a message on Facebook, Elaine Oliver gives a quick glimpse into camp life.
Just out of a three day camp finding exciting borehole, away for more camping tomorrow if the rain stops to let us get there... River currently too high /dangerous!
I've also been pushing some rather mendippy passages (helmet off squeezes) in Racer Cave and Cave of the Winds..
No, this photo wasn't taken in the Hut on the centenary weekend! It's actually in Clearwater cave.
CAVING IN AUSTRIA - A TALK
What the well-dressed caver is wearing, Elaine Oliver in the Stables.
To prove that there are caves worth
doing away from Mendip, the Prezz got appropriately kitted up and
taught everyone how to play shots bingo....Not only did the President – appropriately clad in Austrian National Dress – give us a detailed run down on the Cambridge University (and others, including much UBSS participation) annual expeditions to the Totes Gebirge plateau in Austria, but she combined it with a game of shots bingo, in which points were scored for mentions of appropriate Austrian and caving terms.
This was slightly disrupted by serious (but failed) attempts at cheating, mainly by Dickon, but by the end the audience had received a comprehensive account of the work that has taken place in that part of Austria over the last few decades, an understanding of the fact that even fairly inexperienced cavers can walk into virgin passage and on top of all that there was a lot of schnapps and stroh rum!
This excellent introduction to expedition caving was followed by an enjoyable evening in which our newest committee member, Jenny Turner got almost inextricably stuck in a library chair. Naturally that passes for normal amongst a bunch of cavers.
TRIP REPORT - PIERRE'S POT, BURRINGTON
From left to right: Henry Morgan, Si Hadfield, Dickon Morris.
Digging or diving?
Henry Morgan looked at the alternatives in a pre-dinner trip down
Pierre's Pot in Burrington with Dickon Morris and Si Hadfield.
Post AGM, Dickon (having managed to skive the meeting), Si and
myself headed out to the coombe to get underground before we were let
loose on the vast quantities of Butcombe!
Dickon, clearly fed up of mud, had run out of patience digging, and so had decided to start diving as opposed to digging to bypass the Pierre’s sump. This meant he was on the lookout for a victim to attempt to persuade to dig, and so I agreed to go with him on a recce.
We were underground swiftly, Si having managed to slide into his fermenting furry, and set off for the dig. It was slightly disturbing to find a boulder the size of a large chair had fallen from the roof in the slot bypass, in the past month since Dickon had last been through and, having navigated a couple of now slightly awkward boulders, we got to the streamway.
Having agreed with myself that the sump didn’t look inviting, I followed Dickon up through a tiny tube to his dig. I must say that I’m not yet convinced, popping my head out into the small passage full of concreted dams of mud, and then following the dig along a tube half full of water. The dig is now heading upwards into a slightly drier area, however I think I can conclude that I’ll stick to exploring some new parts of Mendip to me first, before I see the need to wallow like a hippo down Pierre’s!
SNIPPETS FROM THE CENTENARY WEEKEND
8th - 10th MARCH 2019
8th - 10th MARCH 2019
The field trip to Aveline's Hole after the AGM was well-attended, as was afternoon tea at the Hut. Here are a few photos from those parts of the weekend.
David Mead outside Aveline's Hole
What the well dressed caver is wearing! Janine Alexander, Lisa Smith and
Elaine Oliver in the Hut
Elaine Oliver in the Hut
Hilary Jones, Hugo Pile and Tim Parrish
A PIECE FROM THE PREZZ
Elaine posing in the Orca Suit.
UBSS
President Elaine Oliver proves that accepting the Top Job hasn't
condemned her to life in a armchair, and describes a recent trip down
Swildon's Hole...
“Got any plans this weekend?”
As it happened, I had a free Saturday afternoon for once, and Aveline’s aside, I hadn’t been underground since becoming President of this venerable club – so a plan to investigate some of the more aqueous corners of Swildon’s Hole with Simon Hadfield was hatched. I located my neoprene and headed off in search of Si, and subsequently, Priddy.
The usual kitting up faff ensued and we assisted each other into slightly-too-tight wetsuits before realising, somewhat breathless from the effort, that we’d left the ladder in Si’s garden. Happily, I still had David Savage’s generously donated ladders for the club in my van, so we grabbed a couple of those (not being totally sure of the lengths and not wishing to find ourselves dangling halfway down the 20) and struck out for Swildon’s.
Progress down the familiar Short Dry Way was swift and we reached the 20 to find a ladder already rigged, so we left ours clipped to the bolt further back and descended, not shying away from the waterfall this time to allow the water time to warm up in our neoprene before full immersion in the sumps.
“You look like a shiny whale,” said Si.
I’m sure I should have been offended, but I could see his point.
On
to Sump I (then a duck) and it was time for the dress rehearsal. We
pulled on hoods and spat in masks, then with a few firm pulls on the
line we were both through. Past the Landing – and for me if not for Si,
on to new territory. Arriving at the lead bucket by Sump II, I realised I
hadn’t a clue how much ballast I would need. I selected three hefty
lumps and threaded them onto my belt, then lay down by the rope going
through the sump, but I was still a bit floaty. Two more weights
threaded on – surely that would be enough? We decided I would go through
first and Si would follow, so with a deep breath I was off. The water
was very silty, and I was grateful for Si’s tip of strapping a torch to
my wrist so I could see the line. I was still a bit positively buoyant,
but just a few uneventful seconds later, I bumped my way under the flake
and was standing elatedly in the Great Bell, tugging the line to let Si
know he could come through.
Si surfaces in the Great Bell.
The
space between Sump II and Sump III was much bigger than I had expected.
Neck deep in St. John’s Bell, it was also a lot colder. I stuck my head
under the water to try and gauge our next move, but when I resurfaced I
could see that Si in his thinner wetsuit was now absolutely freezing.
With the next dive being both deeper and longer, and reasoning that a
hypothermia-related callout would be totally miserable and that the cave
will always be there, we made the reluctant decision to leave Sump III
for another day and exit via the shortest route.
Handy route-finding marker for the directionally challenged.
Moving up the streamway, the Orca Suit (as my attire had been dubbed) was like wearing a giant resistance band – each stretch for a handhold requiring that much more effort, each foot not quite reaching as high as I’d hoped. I felt like a salmon struggling up each climb. Despite progressing at a fair lick, my feet were numb wooden blocks and Si looked even colder than I felt, so I really hoped whoever owned the ladder had remembered to chuck ours down for us and we wouldn’t have to freeclimb out. But rounding the corner to the 20 I saw a cascade of aluminium glinting next to the water – we needn’t have worried, and less than a quarter of an hour saw us into the frosty, clear night, safe in the knowledge that they hadn’t yet called time at the Hunter’s.
Elaine Oliver
FUND RAISING - 100 PLEDGES
Thanks to the amazing generosity of our members and friends we are now already half way to our fund raising target of 100 annual pledges to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund, which on the figures so far (including gift aid) will bring in the region of £2,500 to the fund each year.
If you haven't already made a pledge, it would be great if you could consider doing this, and please help us to get the word out to as many people as possible. If your are interested in doing this, please contact Linda, and she will be delighted to let you have the bank details for the Fund.
And if you have any suggestions for things that you would like to see the Fund doing, let us know! the trustees (Linda Wilson, Clive Owen, Andrew Atkinson, Cat Hulse and - as soon as we get the paperwork done - our president, Elaine Oliver) will be very pleased to hear from you.
Sample pledge slip.
Thanks to the amazing generosity of our members and friends we are now already half way to our fund raising target of 100 annual pledges to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund, which on the figures so far (including gift aid) will bring in the region of £2,500 to the fund each year.
If you haven't already made a pledge, it would be great if you could consider doing this, and please help us to get the word out to as many people as possible. If your are interested in doing this, please contact Linda, and she will be delighted to let you have the bank details for the Fund.
And if you have any suggestions for things that you would like to see the Fund doing, let us know! the trustees (Linda Wilson, Clive Owen, Andrew Atkinson, Cat Hulse and - as soon as we get the paperwork done - our president, Elaine Oliver) will be very pleased to hear from you.
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
One of the traverses above the River Axe. Jan Walker in the blue boiler suit.
As part of the Centenary celebrations, UBSS member Chris Binding kindly offered to organise a trip to some of the parts of Wookey Hole that the visitors don't normally see. Jan Walker talks about the trip...
The Wild Wookey Adventure tour was an amazing experience. Climbing, abseiling, scrambling through tight squeezes, it had everything. We were hooked to safety ropes for the entire tour, so there was never any danger of injury. Wookey provided all of the equipment required (except the wellies), made sure everything fitted, and demonstrated how to use the kit. Chris Binding, who ran the tour, had everything under control at all times. Even those of us who were older and hadn't caved much felt completely confident in his leadership.
We started with a safety show and equipment demo, changed into our boiler suits, then headed for the cave. We scrambled up and over the usual entrance, then worked our way into the cave. Each time we made it through a particularly strenuous area, Chris let us rest as he told us some great snippets of information about the cave. The things that stand out for me are, of course, the most active bits: the abseiling (yes, we dropped down a long way! Twice!); when we worked our way along a wall around an underground lake, standing on metal bolted to the wall and clinging to the ropes; crossing over a moving metal bridge that was hanging from the roof; and the end bit, where we were able to take a ride on a zip-line from the exit high on the cliff down to the ground. I was a bit stiff the next day, but I fully intend to do it again!
From left to right: Ruth Briggs, Alice Whale, Julian Walford, Mike Taverne, James Rossington, Jan Walker and Carol Walford.
If you missed the trip on the centenary weekend, you can still take a walk on the wild side by booking yourself on one of the Wild Wookey trips.
100 MEMORIES - Romance UBSS Style
Did you 'marry in' or 'marry out'? That's a question often asked in context of the club, meaning did you marry/hook up with your partner through it or outside it. Carol Walford 'married in', and tells the story of how very restrained she was when a young, pretty fresher called Julian arrived in Bristol...
I arrived at Bristol in 1968, and promptly joined UBSS having established at Freshers that women were welcome. The two lads manning the UBSS stand were very clear on that point! I never looked back, and in fact still cave occasionally today. A handful of other freshers also stayed the course, and for the rest of the year we caved together, mainly on Mendip but also occasionally in the Dales.
The following year, Julian arrived. When he first appeared in the Speleo Rooms, the second year ladies eyed up the fresh talent and agreed he was “very pretty but a bit young”. So none of us pounced. I carried on caving with my first year friends, and Julian got into cave diving. My first trip with him was probably a bottle carry down to Little Neath River Cave Sump 2.
By the end of Julian’s third year, we had progressed to light-hearted flirting, particularly when alcohol was involved. We finally got together, as they say, on the second Freshers weekend of 1972 – we went to a party, spent the evening dancing together, and have been with each other ever since.
We moved to Leicestershire in the autumn of 1972, and remained there for a couple of years. During this time, we packed in lots of potholing in the Dales with UBSS friends. And occasionally on our own – most notably doing a two person trip to the bottom of Penyghent Pot on ladder with no lifelines.
Then Julian was offered a job at Dounreay in Caithness, where he’d grown up and where his parents still lived. We thought Thurso would be fun place to live for a couple of years (and the nuclear job would look good on his CV). But we didn’t think it would be fair to his parents to live in sin under their noses, as his mother was very much a pillar of the small local community. So we decided the only way it could work would be for us to marry. Romantic or what …?
I was sufficiently romantic to want a proper proposal, and Julian insisted that this could only be done at LNRC Sump 2. So off we went to rural Wales, only to find the Neath River in spate, and Flood Entrance almost under water. So the proposal was made and accepted in caving gear, in the pouring rain, on the river bank opposite the entrance. We married six weeks later (and, no, I wasn’t pregnant).
Carol caving in Fermanagh in 1975.
Did you 'marry in' or 'marry out'? That's a question often asked in context of the club, meaning did you marry/hook up with your partner through it or outside it. Carol Walford 'married in', and tells the story of how very restrained she was when a young, pretty fresher called Julian arrived in Bristol...
I arrived at Bristol in 1968, and promptly joined UBSS having established at Freshers that women were welcome. The two lads manning the UBSS stand were very clear on that point! I never looked back, and in fact still cave occasionally today. A handful of other freshers also stayed the course, and for the rest of the year we caved together, mainly on Mendip but also occasionally in the Dales.
The following year, Julian arrived. When he first appeared in the Speleo Rooms, the second year ladies eyed up the fresh talent and agreed he was “very pretty but a bit young”. So none of us pounced. I carried on caving with my first year friends, and Julian got into cave diving. My first trip with him was probably a bottle carry down to Little Neath River Cave Sump 2.
By the end of Julian’s third year, we had progressed to light-hearted flirting, particularly when alcohol was involved. We finally got together, as they say, on the second Freshers weekend of 1972 – we went to a party, spent the evening dancing together, and have been with each other ever since.
We moved to Leicestershire in the autumn of 1972, and remained there for a couple of years. During this time, we packed in lots of potholing in the Dales with UBSS friends. And occasionally on our own – most notably doing a two person trip to the bottom of Penyghent Pot on ladder with no lifelines.
Then Julian was offered a job at Dounreay in Caithness, where he’d grown up and where his parents still lived. We thought Thurso would be fun place to live for a couple of years (and the nuclear job would look good on his CV). But we didn’t think it would be fair to his parents to live in sin under their noses, as his mother was very much a pillar of the small local community. So we decided the only way it could work would be for us to marry. Romantic or what …?
I was sufficiently romantic to want a proper proposal, and Julian insisted that this could only be done at LNRC Sump 2. So off we went to rural Wales, only to find the Neath River in spate, and Flood Entrance almost under water. So the proposal was made and accepted in caving gear, in the pouring rain, on the river bank opposite the entrance. We married six weeks later (and, no, I wasn’t pregnant).
Carol Walford
THE RAVE IN THE WOODS: 8th - 9th JUNE
On the weekend of 8th and 9th June, our student members are gathering at the Hut for a party weekend along with members of other student clubs and societies to de-stress after exams. There might even be some caving!
The end of exams have arrived, and you need to get away from it all!
All are welcome to join us at our hut in Burrington Combe for our (FREE) huge hut party in the middle of the woods on the edge of the coombe. What's more, we have just finished some huge hut refurbishments! We now have a wood burner, and even hot running water!
INVITE FAR AND WIDE, get your friends to come along, and let's make this a huge event to become a staple in years to come.
The hut can sleep about 30, so bring your sleeping bags, and if you want a good night's sleep you are HIGHLY recommended to bring a tent!
To sign up, visit the Facebook page and let the organisers know you'll be going.
On the weekend of 8th and 9th June, our student members are gathering at the Hut for a party weekend along with members of other student clubs and societies to de-stress after exams. There might even be some caving!
The end of exams have arrived, and you need to get away from it all!
All are welcome to join us at our hut in Burrington Combe for our (FREE) huge hut party in the middle of the woods on the edge of the coombe. What's more, we have just finished some huge hut refurbishments! We now have a wood burner, and even hot running water!
INVITE FAR AND WIDE, get your friends to come along, and let's make this a huge event to become a staple in years to come.
The hut can sleep about 30, so bring your sleeping bags, and if you want a good night's sleep you are HIGHLY recommended to bring a tent!
To sign up, visit the Facebook page and let the organisers know you'll be going.
THE GREAT BIG SUMMER PARTY: 13th - 14th JULY
It's party time again at the UBSS Hut! The aim is to get as many members back as possible for a Great Big Summer Party on the wekend of the 13th - 14th July . So if you missed the Centenary weekend in March, this is your opportunity to come along to meet old friends and make new ones. There will be food, drink, caving, singing and generally slobbing out!
Please spread the invite to as many of your UBSS friends as you can so that we can turn the woods into Tent City again. The aim is to barbecue a load of food, eat cake etc etc. There will be some alcohol provided, but please bring some more to supplement what's on offer. Sleeping space in the Hut will be prioritised for those who don't have tents. If you need transport from Bristol, that can probably be be arranged.
The hope is that we can use this weekend to carry out some interviews for the Oral History Project as well. There will probably be a gathering in the Stables on the Friday evening as well and maybe a meal out somewhere.
If you're interested in this, please let Linda know so she can coordinate the catering and other arrangements.
Our esteemed First Lady, Elliot Smith says come to the party, you know it makes sense!
It's party time again at the UBSS Hut! The aim is to get as many members back as possible for a Great Big Summer Party on the wekend of the 13th - 14th July . So if you missed the Centenary weekend in March, this is your opportunity to come along to meet old friends and make new ones. There will be food, drink, caving, singing and generally slobbing out!
Please spread the invite to as many of your UBSS friends as you can so that we can turn the woods into Tent City again. The aim is to barbecue a load of food, eat cake etc etc. There will be some alcohol provided, but please bring some more to supplement what's on offer. Sleeping space in the Hut will be prioritised for those who don't have tents. If you need transport from Bristol, that can probably be be arranged.
The hope is that we can use this weekend to carry out some interviews for the Oral History Project as well. There will probably be a gathering in the Stables on the Friday evening as well and maybe a meal out somewhere.
If you're interested in this, please let Linda know so she can coordinate the catering and other arrangements.
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL REUNION WEEKEND: 19th - 21st July
For anyone who fancies a double dose of partying, or if you can't make the Big Party Weekend, the university's annual Reunion Weekend is a great time to reconnect with friends and with Bristol.
There's a packed programme of events starting on the Friday evening with a drinks reception at the Holmes, and a chance to look around the Botanic garden. The following day, you can join Linda Wilson for a walking tour of the public at at Royal Fort House, followed by dinner in the Great hall of the Wills Memorial Building. It would be really great if, to celebrate our centenary, we could get a couple of tables of cavers together for this. This will be very special event this year, as our treasurer and editor, Graham Mullan will be receiving the Alumni Association Medal for "long-standing involvement in the work of the Alumni Association and assistance in enhancing the life of the university". This is a very significant honour, so please do join us in celebrating this award!
Full details of the weekend's events can be found on the University website, along with details of how to sign up to the various events. If you do decide to come, please let Linda know so she can arrange for cavers to be seated together wherever possible.
SRT TRAINING/PRACTICE
Cavers dangling on ropes down the central stairwell of the Students' Union Building has been familiar sight for over 40 years. Rosie Daniels, our new training officer, explains how you can learn the ropes...
For the uninitiated single rope technique, SRT, is the method we use to descend and ascend ropes while underground so if you are planning on joining us on any of the more advanced trips or expeditions, including the Cambridge University Caving Club's annual trip to Austria, then this is a must. Alternatively, if you just want to spend an evening hanging about in the union stairwell (pun intended) that is also allowed.
Our sessions are free and held in the SU, and open to novices and newcomers as well as those who have been before, message Rosie Daniels if you want to get involved this term.
UBSS PROCEEDINGS
As the latest edition of Proceedings nears completion, editor Graham Mullan reflects on the past and what the future might hold ...
These thoughts were prompted by the memory that Trat wrote a foreword to the Jubilee issue of Proc. in 1969. A few days ago, I emailed a link to it (as with all our output, it is online) to our new President with the two-word message “No pressure!” Wisely, she seems to have ignored me and scarpered off to Mulu.
In that piece Trat noted that there had been eleven full volumes of Proc. in the first half-century. In the second, there have been sixteen. The volume which is going to press is 28 (1). During the century, there have been two changes in page size, one of the colour of the cover, several of paper type and myriad tweaks to the layout. But it is still wholly recognisable as the same publication.
Is this a good thing? I think so; we have had numerous discussions, especially in recent years, about the nature of a printed, peer-refereed journal and the consensus has been – so far – that our policies are the correct ones. Essentially there are three of these: that all substantial contributions are peer-reviewed; that all the content is available free of charge online one year after publication (green standard open access) and that we do not levy charges on authors to publish with us (treasurer’s note, all available donation and grant income is welcomed).
In many ways, the content of the journal has changed little over the century; we still publish papers on the archaeology, geomorphology and geology of the caves of Mendip. Our scope has widened to include the Wye Valley, cave sites in Wales and, especially a large number of accounts of caves in Co. Clare and other parts of Ireland. We have included work in other areas and reports from expeditions overseas, providing that our members participated, and we still have some contributions on surface archaeology on Mendip. Cave archaeology cannot happen in a landscape vacuum. In all, however, I think that a reader of volume 1 (1) would appreciate the contents of volume 28 (1). Especially as there is a major contribution on Aveline’s Hole which, for us, is where it all began.
So what does the future hold? In the short term, things are looking good, there is already the prospect of several good papers for 28 (2). In the medium term, I guess that the publication will remain healthy. In the long term, who knows? The death of print journals has been declared several times over the last decade or so and yet they haven’t gone away. I’m sure our model will change, it always does, but providing we stick to the tenets of academic rigour, peer review and sustainable open access, I’m sure we can continue to prosper.
Aveline’s Hole ‘Skull A’ as featured in Volume 1 and Volume 28.
As the latest edition of Proceedings nears completion, editor Graham Mullan reflects on the past and what the future might hold ...
These thoughts were prompted by the memory that Trat wrote a foreword to the Jubilee issue of Proc. in 1969. A few days ago, I emailed a link to it (as with all our output, it is online) to our new President with the two-word message “No pressure!” Wisely, she seems to have ignored me and scarpered off to Mulu.
In that piece Trat noted that there had been eleven full volumes of Proc. in the first half-century. In the second, there have been sixteen. The volume which is going to press is 28 (1). During the century, there have been two changes in page size, one of the colour of the cover, several of paper type and myriad tweaks to the layout. But it is still wholly recognisable as the same publication.
Is this a good thing? I think so; we have had numerous discussions, especially in recent years, about the nature of a printed, peer-refereed journal and the consensus has been – so far – that our policies are the correct ones. Essentially there are three of these: that all substantial contributions are peer-reviewed; that all the content is available free of charge online one year after publication (green standard open access) and that we do not levy charges on authors to publish with us (treasurer’s note, all available donation and grant income is welcomed).
In many ways, the content of the journal has changed little over the century; we still publish papers on the archaeology, geomorphology and geology of the caves of Mendip. Our scope has widened to include the Wye Valley, cave sites in Wales and, especially a large number of accounts of caves in Co. Clare and other parts of Ireland. We have included work in other areas and reports from expeditions overseas, providing that our members participated, and we still have some contributions on surface archaeology on Mendip. Cave archaeology cannot happen in a landscape vacuum. In all, however, I think that a reader of volume 1 (1) would appreciate the contents of volume 28 (1). Especially as there is a major contribution on Aveline’s Hole which, for us, is where it all began.
So what does the future hold? In the short term, things are looking good, there is already the prospect of several good papers for 28 (2). In the medium term, I guess that the publication will remain healthy. In the long term, who knows? The death of print journals has been declared several times over the last decade or so and yet they haven’t gone away. I’m sure our model will change, it always does, but providing we stick to the tenets of academic rigour, peer review and sustainable open access, I’m sure we can continue to prosper.
Graham Mullan
2019 CALENDAR
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LOST!
Lost: a long, dark blue party dress with flowers on belonging to Hellie Adams.
Hellie got changed out of her dress at the after dinner party at the Hut and has not seen her dress since. It was not at the Hut when a clean-up party went there a few days later, so someone staying there must have packed the dress away with their own belongings that night or the following morning, Please could everyone recheck their bags from the weekend as Hellie would really like to be reunited with her dress!
If you find the dress, please contact Hellie!
Lost: a long, dark blue party dress with flowers on belonging to Hellie Adams.
Hellie got changed out of her dress at the after dinner party at the Hut and has not seen her dress since. It was not at the Hut when a clean-up party went there a few days later, so someone staying there must have packed the dress away with their own belongings that night or the following morning, Please could everyone recheck their bags from the weekend as Hellie would really like to be reunited with her dress!
If you find the dress, please contact Hellie!
If anyone has any caving related adverts or anything else for a Lost and Found column please send them to me for inclusion in future newsletters. Don't forget to include a photo of the items.
If anyone has any caving related adverts or anything else for a Lost and Found column please send them to me for inclusion in future newsletters. Don't forget to include a photo of the items.
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Linda Wilson
ADVERT
For sale, 2006 Peugeot 407SW (diesel) 145,000 miles
Nice car, very good workhorse for caving etc. Will take four people and caving kit to Ireland etc no problem. Only drawback is a slightly crumped rear bumper, which means that the parking sensors don't work. MOT until October.
Email Graham for further details. The deal would have to be done 3rd week in May, as that's when we'll probably get a replacement through. £400 ono
For sale, 2006 Peugeot 407SW (diesel) 145,000 miles
Nice car, very good workhorse for caving etc. Will take four people and caving kit to Ireland etc no problem. Only drawback is a slightly crumped rear bumper, which means that the parking sensors don't work. MOT until October.
Email Graham for further details. The deal would have to be done 3rd week in May, as that's when we'll probably get a replacement through. £400 ono
Graham and Linda