Any views expressed by any contributor to the Belfry
Bulletin, including those of officers of the club, do not necessarily coincide
with those of the editor or the committee of the Bristol Exploration Club,
unless stated as being the view of the committee or editor.

Mendip Rescue Organisation

In case of emergency telephone WELLS 73481.BRISTOL
EXPLORATION CLUB

Club Headquarters

‘The Belfry’,

Wells
Rd., Priddy, Wells, Somerset. Tele:  WELLS 72126

Club Committee

Chairman:         S.J.
Collins
Minutes Sec:     D. Turner
Members:          R. Bagshaw; D.J. Irwin;
N. Jago; T.E. Large; A.R. Thomas; R. Orr; R. Hobbs.

Officers Of The Club

Hon. Secretary: A.R.
Thomas, Allen’s House,

Nine
Barrows Lane, Priddy, Wells,

Somerset. Tel: PRIDDY 269.
Hon. Treasurer:  R.J. Bagshaw,

699 Wells Road,
Knowle,

Bristol
4.  Tel: WHITCHURCH. 5626.
Caving Sec:       T.E. Large,

39 Seymour Ave,
Bishopston,

Bristol.
Climbing Sec:    N. Jago, 2 Broughton
House,

Somerset St.,
Redcliffe,

Bristol
1.
Hut Warden:      R. Orr.  ‘The Belfry’, as above.
Hut Engineer:    R. Hobbs, Rose Cottage,
West End, Nailsea,

Bristol.
Tele

BRISTOL
77368
Tacklemaster:    D. Turner.  Address to follow.
B.B. Editor:       S.J. Collins, Lavender
Cottage, Bishop Sutton, Nr. Bristol.
Librarian:           D.J. Irwin, Townsend
Cottage, Priddy, Wells,

Somerset.
Publications:     D.J. Irwin.  Address as above
B.B. Post:         Mrs. K. Mansfield, Tiny
Kott, Little
London, Oakhill,
Bath,

Somerset.

A.G.M. and DINNER!

Seven stars opens at 10.30 a.m.  A.G.M. at 2.30 pm.  Dinner at the Cave Man Restaurant, Cheddar 7
for 7.30 pm. Price £1.10 (22/-) EACH. Send your money to BOB BAGSHAW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  SOME FREE BEER at the dinner.  O.C.L.’s UNIQUE PUNCH & JUDY SHOW.  CAVING EXHIBITION FILM, ETC. ETC.

MAKE A DAY (AND A
NIGHT ) OF IT.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH

 

Editorial

The Voting Season

Whatever other clubs mayor may not do, our club is run by
the simple expedient of electing a number of people who we then collectively
charge with the responsibility of running it on our behalf for the next
year.  The Annual Reports of many of the
officers they elect are in this B.B.  In
addition some space has been devoted to a description of the candidates for the
1972-1973 Committee.  This is perhaps of
more importance than usual owing to the large number who are putting themselves
forward for election this year.

There may be some members who might feel inclined to moan at
the amount of space taken up in the B.B. by this form of club business at this
time of the year, but it must be remembered that many of our members who cannot
visit Mendip regularly will need all this information in order to make up their
minds on how the various people have done and who might be considered as
possible alternatives.

A.G.M. and Dinner

Readers will find reminders liberally spread all over the
pages of this B.B. It should be unnecessary to remind any member of the
importance of attending the A.G.M. if at all possible – to some extent, the
same applies to the dinner as it is our main social ‘get-together’ of the
year.  All the information you need will
be found in this B. B.

Comment

Many members might regard the Club Officers’ Reports as
being sub-judice until the A.G.M. has had a chance to discuss them – and by
this token, any form of editorial comment might be regarded as a form of
partisanship.  It is thus necessary to
tread very warily and to reserve any form of opionated comment for next month’s
B.B.  What would appear to be fair
comment, however, is to note that on the face of things at least, two of our
most pressing problems appear to be well on the way to acceptable solutions.  The club library is at last housed in the
Belfry, where it was always intended that it should be housed.  It has been catalogued and valued (we
understand that its value is in the region of £600 – a fact which should make
members sit up and take notice!) all the periodicals have been bound and
efforts are being made to replace all missing issues.  As, perhaps, a natural result of its
availability and all the effort which has been put into it, borrowings are up
and it looks as if we now have a library in full going order.

As many people know, much time has been spent this year by
the committee on looking into the Belfry generally.  The issue here may be slightly more
contentious, but at any rate the financial position looks sound, with the bed
nights only some 13% away from the all-time record.  The state of the Belfry recently has been the
subject of much favourable comment and perhaps the depth and scope of the
committee enquiry did, in fact, produce some results.

As against this, the Hon. Secretary’s Report opens on a less
optimistic note, which he promises to enlarge upon at the A.G.M. itself.  As stated earlier, we must not attempt to
speculate on what these remarks will be, but merely note that this A.G.M. could
be one of lively interest, and urge as many members as possible to attend.

Lucky Thirteen

In these days, when so many people complain that nobody
seems to take any interest in running things like our club, we are in a
fortunate position in having so many members willing to serve on the committee
if elected.  We hope that all members
will appreciate their public spirit.

 “Alfie”

*****************************************

The editor would like to thank those who have sent in
articles or which there has been no room this month owing to the space taken up
by club business at this time of the year.

 

Equipment for Cave Photography

This article, by ALAN COASE, is
from a paper delivered by him to the C.R.G. We are particularly pleased to be allowed to reprint this in the B.B.,
since it follows the tradition set by his brother Don on cave photography.

Portability, reliability, versatility.  The cave photographer may argue at length
about his specific requirements in equipment, but undoubtedly these qualities
would be amongst the most important he would assess.  Clearly the object of is photography, his
financial resources and the nature of the caves with which he is most concerned
also playa major part.

The writer has increasingly found that his cave photography
ends to divide into two distinct forms. On the one hand there are the comparatively casual photographs taken
during the course of other caving activities whilst on the other there are
those obtained as a direct result of an essentially photographic trip.  In discussing the range of equipment
available for such diverse ends, it is hoped that the range of equipment reviewed
may assist others in their selection.

As specialised fields (for example, close-up techniques) are
being discussed by other speakers, little or no emphasis will be placed upon
equipment solely relevant to them.  The
paper will be principally concerned with the carriage and protection of
equipment; cameras and lenses; camera supports; flash equipment; films, and
miscellaneous aids.

Transport And Protection

The essential requirements for carrying equipment
underground are that the cases should be reasonably lightweight and portable,
strong and completely waterproof. Fortunately, various military authorities have had similar needs and in
the form of surplus ammunition boxes, a nearly ideal case is available at a relatively
low cost.  Such boxes come in two sizes
and have a very simple and efficient rubber seal.

The two sizes fit well with the two categories of
photo¬graphy outlined above; for the smaller one is easy to carry and will
comfortably accept a small amount of first aid kit, food and lighting spares as
well as a small camera and flashgun.  The
larger case is sufficient for a more complex outfit including perhaps a single
lens reflex, an alternative lens, one or more flashguns and bulbs and even a
compact folding tripod.  The boxes can be
lined with foam rubber or neoprene to cushion the equipment, or even full
customised so that every item has its specific place.  The inside of the lid can also be utilised
for a few technical details. viz.  Guide
numbers for a particular flash/film combination.

Although other cases do exist on the market, few of them
seem very suitable. One that does merit attention however is the Rollei Matal
ever ready case.  This extremely
ingenious, comparatively lightweight case has been design with fairly tough
treatment in mind and, used in conjunction with an ammunition box for extreme
conditions, might prove very effective. However, its new price is very high.

A number of underwater cases do exist for some popular
cameras, but generally cost and bulk rule these out.  A number of do-it-yourself ideas for plastic
underwater cases have been outlined recently in photographic and sub aqua
journals.   These have primarily been
designed for underwater work, but they could equally well be used for our
purpose if flash synchronisation is maintained.

An easier and quite useful aid is the construction of a
neoprene “wet suit” cum ever ready case for the camera.  The object is not; of course, complete
waterproofing, but to provide a shock proof layer and to minimise damage from
muddy hands.  The one-piece case is
tailored to fit as tightly as possible with apertures left wherever necessary
for viewfinder, speed dial etc.  A
further modification is to fit the lens barrel focussing ring with a neoprene
skin on which the focussing distances are clearly marked in paint.

Camera Supports

The main form of support is, of course, the tripod which is
really essential for the more complex aspects of underground photography.  The chief problem is of reconciling the need
for absolute rigidity with portability. Generally speaking the really compact tripods with brass spring catches
and folding tubular legs are neither very stable nor very enduring.  At the other extreme the really rigid studio
tripod is far too cumbersome for all but the easiest caves.  Fortunately it large number of tripods do lie
between these extremes.  Some of them are
nearly ideal for our purposes. Simplicity of construction is a major virtue especially in the locking
mechanism on the legs. Some rely on a twist lock mechanism based on nylon
threads, but cave grit soon reduces these to impotence.  Far better are the clamp or wheel locking
devises which arc usually employed on U-section legs which are easily
accessible for maintenance or cleaning. The Linhof range particularly fits the bill here and their Lightweight
Professional is ideal for serious cave photography; being stable, tough and yet
relatively light in weight.  Its
stability is increased by the umbrella strut construction linking the legs to
the centre column.  While expensive at
list price, Linhofs do appear to be relatively common second hand.

Compact and ingenious camera clamps are readily available
but the principal disadvantage with these is that one cannot always find
suitable clamping positions in a cave.

Pistol grips and/or flash brackets have considerable virtues
where they permit the flash to be used away from the camera and a built-in
cable release further reduces the handling of the camera.  However, they seem best suited to ‘trip’
photography which by their very bulk they may complicate.

Flash Equipment

Discussion is effectively limited to the question of bulb
and electronic equipment, there being no reference to flashpowder, magnesium
ribbon or other lighting forms, although it is of course possible to obtain cave
photographs by using candles, carbide lamps, portable gas lamps etc. as light
sources.

The relative values of bulbs and electronic flash equipment
are frequently discussed in the photographic press.  Often it is economics that determine the
answer reached but in cave photography, where lighting techniques are of major
importance, other factors such as light output, size, weight and safety also
require consideration.

In terms of light output, flash outfits are generally far
more powerful than electronic units.  To
approach the same power output the latter are at present very large and bulky
but time is an important factor here for, while miniaturisation is occurring
with both groups, the greatest potential lies with the electronic units, which
are far smaller than the corresponding units of a few years ago.

An increasing degree of ‘automation’ is also being developed
in electronic units where ‘sensors’ are beginning to take some of the guesswork
out of guide numbers.  Similar units are
readily available in the form of ‘slave guns’ which instantaneously trigger off
second bulb or electronic guns.  An
ingenious bulb unit incorporating such a device is the “Bo-Flash”,
marketed by Bowens Ltd., at about ten guineas. The gun allows bulbs up to PF 100 in size to be fixed independently of
an operator and may be attached to a second tripod or suitable rock by built-in
clamp.

An equally interesting electronic unit is the German Unmat
6000 which, at about £30, combines the function of a normal electronic unit
with a reasonable output, with that of a slave unit which can be fired off from
another flashgun without connecting cords etc.

The economic factor is rather brought to the fore by these
two guns, for the bulb unit costs only about one third of the electronic and,
even with the smallest bulbs available is more powerful.  However, when running costs are considered
the equation takes on a different form. The cheapest flash bulbs are about 4p each and of course can only be
used once, whereas the electronic flash merely requires charging and
maintenance, which with a reliable make should be minimal.  (For example, my Metz 163 has had fairly full
use for over three years and has needed no replacement parts.   This may be in part attributable to the
neoprene ‘wet suit’ in which it too is closeted for its underground
visits.)  Thus, if only a few flash shots
per year are envisaged, bulb flash scores all round, but if the number is
larger then electronic outfits merit consideration.  In my own case, I find a combination of the
two very worthwhile, though it may be as well to point out some of the other
advantages of electronic units.

The duration of the flash is very short – thus freezing
action, water etc. very effectively, even with a focal plane shutter where
flash synchronisation speeds may be comparat¬ively slow.  The colour temperature is normally higher
than that of a bulb, giving a more correct colour rendering.  Electronic guns almost always have an open
flash button (comparatively rare on bulb flash) and this is invaluable if a
chamber is to be ‘painted’ with several shots or where shots entirely off the
camera are required.  With the exception
of the really powerful guns like the Metz 502 and the Braun F7OO/8OO range,
most units take up the space otherwise occupied by two or three packets of
bulbs or one P.F.100!

A wide variety of bulb flashguns exist.  The most compact, apart from the specialised
cube guns, have folding reflect¬ors and are usually limited to cap less bulbs
in A.G.1B, P.F.1B and P.F.5B/6B sizes. These cover most needs, but where large chambers exist P.F.60’s or
P.F.100’s might be regarded as essential. Comparatively few guns handle these apart from the Bo-Flash already
mentioned.  The Leitz gun with a folding
reflector is a particularly useful model that does accept all bulbs, but this
lacks a built-in firing button, which is a disadvantage.  The Kobold B. C. guns do have this provision,
plus the ability to link two or three supplementary guns but they suffer the
disadvantage of having quite large fixed bowl reflectors.

Of the smaller bulb guns, I have found the folding Japanese
guns made by National to be excellent value, though the most suitable model,
the Hyper B2, with built-in test bulb and open flash button, which sold for
under £2 has now been discontinued and its replacement has not got the self
firing device.  However, a number of B2’s
are still available and its replacement (the PB 3S) is otherwise an excellent
gun.  Other guns do exist at a slightly
higher price with this facility, which is invaluable for multi flash
pictures.  However, by means of a two or
three way adaptors several small guns can be synchronised.

The comparatively recent introduction of the flashcube is
also of interest.  Many small cartridge
cameras now have a built-in rotating cube socket and some guns can be obtained
which rotate automatically and so set up the next bulb for virtually instant
use.

To sum up effectively on this subject is difficult without
being subjective, but basically it would seem that the casual photographer
would be very effectively served by a small bulb flashgun; while the more
involved demands of recording photography for publication etc. might be better
met by a combination of bulb and electronic. Certainly if electronic guns are miniaturised still further, it may well
be that future enthusiasts will turn to these.

Editor’s Note:

The remainder of this interesting
paper deals with choice of film, cameras, lenses and miscellaneous
equipment.  It will, we trust, be
published in the next B.B.

Members may also be interested to note that Alan Coase has a
number of filmstrips for sale on CAVING AND POTHOLING TECHNIQUES (DW-154),
CAVES: ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT AND FORMATION (DW-153) and LIMESTONE LANDFORMS
(DW-152 and 152E).

The double frame version, suitable for mounting as
individual slides are at X.  £2.50 each
with notes from DIANA WYLLIE LTD., 3,PARK ROAD, BAKER STREET, LONDON N.W.

 

Meet the Candidates

This year, there are thirteen candidates for the nine places
on the committee.  All candidates were invited
to provide a fifty word summary on any aspect of their past work or future
aspirations.  Some candidates took
advantage of this offer, while others declined. The scheme which has therefore been adopted is to print the summaries –
where they were received – in INVERTED COMMAS. In all other cases, a short record of past offices and major work on
behalf of the club has been given instead. Posts held outside then club (e.g. M.R.O., Mendip Cave Registry etc.)
have been ignored.

Candidates follow in alphabetical order:-

BOB BAGSHAW

Hon. Secretary 1951-1967.  Hon. Treasurer 1951 to present day.

ROY BENNETT

Tackle Officer 1953-1955.  Caving Secretary 1959.  Climbing Secretary 1964-1966. Caving
Secretary 1966-1967.

ALFIE COLLINS

Asst. Caving Secretary 1953-1955.  Caving secretary 1955-1957.  Hut warden 1955-1959.  Editor B.B. 1957-1968 and 1970 to present
day.  Committee Chairman 1964-1967 and
1970 to present day.  Long Term Planning
Sec. 1966-1968.  New Belfry Co-ordinator
1968-1969.

PETE FRANKLIN

“I joined the B.E.C. in 1959 and
always enjoyed the freedom and comradeship that it offered.  Because of pressure of work I gave up the job
of Hut Warden that I occupied in 1970 and 1971, but I am now free to help and
willing to serve in any capacity on the new committee if elected.”

RODNEY HOBBS

Belfry Engineer 1972.

DAVE IRWIN

Caving Secretary 1965-1966.  Committee Chairman 1967-1969.  Editor B.B. 1968-1970.  Publications Editor 1968 to present day.  Hon. Librarian 1972.  Largely responsible for the Cuthbert’s Survey.

NIGEL JAGO

Climbing Secretary 1971-1972.

TIM LARGE

Caving Secretary 1970-present
day.

JOCK ORR

“I wish to serve on the 1972-73
committee and continue as Hut Warden if elected because, although am impressed
with the way the new Belfry is shaping up, I believe there is still room for
improvement and I am interested in assisting with the administration of the
club.”

MIKE PALMER

Asst.Caving Secretary
1963-1965.  Has been responsible for the
B.E.C.’s side of the Caving Exhibition at the Bristol Museum.

NIGEL TAYLOR

“It’s about time young members
took their share of club responsibility and if I were elected to the committee
I believe I would pick up valuable experience by serving  as a club officer – particularly from the
older members.  I would like to serve in
the capacity of Assistant Hut Warden.”

ALAN THOMAS

“What!  Only fifty words to tell you what an asset I
am to the B.E.C.?  That’s fifteen of them
gone already. Oops, There I go again.  Well,
never mind.  If they don’t want me to
continue as Hon. Sec. they will vote someone else.”

DAVE TURNER

Minutes Secretary 1970 – present
day.  Tacklemaster 1972.

Well, that’s it – the rest is up to you!

 

Dates for your Diary

Club Trips

October 14^TH

G.B.  Leader C. Howel.  Chris would like to limit the party to about
SIX as he proposes to do some photography

Meet at the Belfry 10.30 am.

November 25^TH

Coral Cave, Loxton Cave and the
caves of Compton Bishop.

Leader. C. Howell.  Meet at Belfry 10.30 am.

Friday Night Trips

October 25^th       Cuthbert’s          7.30
pm

October 25^th       South wales       Arrive at S.W.C.C. 9.30
pm.

November 25^th    East twin            7.30 pm. with wet suit

November 25^th    Priddy Green Sink & Swildons    7.30 pm.

December 25^th   Singing River Mine Shipham        3 pm.

December 25^th   . Velvet bottom.

These trips, which are also published in the Wessex Journal,
have been sent in by Mike Palmer, who says that younger members are
particularly welcome on them.  Prior
notice is required for the South Wales trip in order to arrange transport, and
the trip win not be suitable for novices.

Hon Treasurer’s Report

This report should be read in
conjunction with the financial statement published on the next page.

Although the accounts show a surplus of over £70 for the
year, there are several items of expenditure still out¬-standing.  These relate to the Belfry and to
Publications, which are the two largest items in the club’s financial activities.  No doubt Dave Irwin will give more
information on publications, but I must stress that the accounts show cash
received and paid and do not take into consideration any stocks held.

The apparent profit on the telephone was due to the £21-70
recoverable from the M.R.O. as mentioned in my last report.

The comparatively low price of this year’s Annual Dinner is
being subsidised by the surplus from last year, when we did not pay the full
cost.

Although I have been able to convince the Inspector of Tax
that our Belfry income is not liable to income tax, the interest on our bank
accounts and the National Development Bonds is still liable for tax.  The Ian Dear Memorial Fund is therefore being
switched to a building society account and the National Savings Bank account
and the deposit account will probably be closed later this year.

Finally, I am giving the club one year’s notice to find a
new Treasurer, as I shall not be standing for the committee next year – even if
I am elected this year.

R.J.Bagshaw, Hon.
Treasurer.

*****************************************

DON’T FORGET THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 2.30 PM AT THE
SEVEN STARS, THOMAS STREET, BRISTOL (Just at the back of Robinson Building by
Bristol Bridge). SATURDAY, OCT. 7TH.

 

Financial Statement for the Year to the thirty first of July 1972

SUBSCRIPTIONS BELFRY   CLUB TIES: CARBIDE, &c   N.S.B. TACKLE   INTEREST ANNUAL DINNER   DONATIONS, ETC TELEPHONE	Receipts Less Expenditure Sales Sales Less Sales Interest Fees Less Expenditure Deposit Account Receipts Less Cost   Contributions Less Charges	£ 368.12 £ 298.85 £     0.87 £   38.80 £   31.46   £     8.88 £     6.00   £ 139.10 £ 126.00   £   65.22 £   54.24	£ 223.78     £  10.27   £    7.34 £    3.33   £    2.88 £    4.47   £  13.10 £  17.04   £   10.98
			£ 363.09

 

POSTAGES AND STATIONERY PUBLICATIONS	Stationery & Printing B.B. Postage	£  287.20 £   74.81	£  20.48
	Less sales	£  362.01 £  168.66	£  193.35
LIBRARY			£      7.35
CAR BADGES	Purchases Less Sales	£   14.48 £   11.00	£    3.48
PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURNCE. INCOME TAX DONATIONS TO M.R.O. COUNCIL SOUTHERN C. C. CAVE RESEARCH GROUP CHARTERHOUSE  C.C. SUNDRIES	(2 years)   (2 years)		£   30.00 £     9.83 £   10.00 £     3.00 £     3.00 £     8.50 £     1.67
SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR			£ 290.66 £   72.43
			£ 363.09
GENERAL ACCUMULATED ADD SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR	FUNDS @  31.7.71		£ 232.25 £   72.43
GENERAL ACCUMULATED I.D.M.F. accumulated income to	FUNDS @  31.7.72 15.1.72		£ 304.68 £   42.84
			£ 347.52
National Savings Bank Account Lloyds Bank Ltd Current Account Lloyds Bank Ltd Deposit Account Cash in hand			£   99.14 £ 155.81 £   63.45 £   29.12
TOTAL CUB MONIES @ 31.7.72			£ 347.52

 

IAN DEAR MEMORIAL FUND

Accumulated income to15.1.71 Interest on £310 to 15.1.72			£   39.40 £   17.04
Accumulated Income @ 15.1.71			£   56.44
Less Income Tax (2 years)			£   13.60
Accumulated income to 15.1.72			£   42.84

 

 

Hut Engineer’s Report

Rodney Hobbs took over as Hut Engineer during 1972, and his
report covers the period during which he has been Hut Engineer.

Since I became Hut Engineer there have been several
improvements to the Belfry.  The Men’s
room has been altered to allow more room for moving about; plans have been
drawn up for altering the Women’s room – but these have not yet been put in
hand.

A new water main was laid to the Belfry and toilets, the
Belfry has been redecorated – thanks to the willing members with paint brushes
and other jobs done have included a new door for the carbide store; repairs to
the doors and roof of the toilets and the re-puttying of the Belfry windows.

Heating should be better this winter, as two storage heaters
are in the process of being installed in the two dormitories.

There is still quite a lot of work to be done, will get done
as soon as time and money allow. Let us all work together on the Belfry and try
to make it the best club headquarters on Mendip.

Rodney Hobbs,
Hon. Hut Engineer.

Climbing Report

Another of the Annual Club
Officers’ Reports.  For 1971 – 1972.

After the ups and downs of the A.G.M. weekend, climbing got
off the ground, so to speak, with some good routes done locally at Cheddar and
the Avon Gorge which continued throughout the year.

At Portishead, a quarry has been given the B.E.C. approval,
with six new routes of varying grades.

Holidays were spent on English soil in Cornwall, North Wales
and the Lakes – where classic routes were climbed.  Members of this small group have also been
camping on the odd occasion.

This summer, only a small number have been climbing in the
evenings, but weekends have seen a lot of varying interests of which climbing
has accounted for a lot of leisure time with good attendances.

This small section of the club has lost a few members, which
is a shame.  I would like to see more new
faces in the coming year – of any age. Perhaps we should promote our club in the area a lot more, because,
after all, the more active and interested the members; the more active,
interesting and solvent a good club can become.

I hope and look forward to a better year in 1972-73 that
will put the B.E.C. up another rung in the ladder.

Nigel Jago.,
Hon. Climbing Secretary.

Change of Address.

R.CROSS, 11 St. Abbs Drive,
Odsal,Bradford, Yorkshire.

 

Hut Warden’s Report

This report covers the period 6th August 1971 to the end of
the club financial year 31st of July 1972. The table shown below reveals that bed-nights totalled 1,598.

BELFRY USAGE	BED-NIGHTS	% TOTAL	FEES % TOTAL
Male Club Members Female Club Members Male Visitors Female Visitors	873 129 511 85	54.6 8.1 32.0 5.3	£130.95 £19.35 £127.75 £21.25	73.7 6.5 42.7 7.1
TOTALS	1,598  =  100%		£299.30 = 100%

Recalling the discussion about the Belfry being inundated
with visitors on the one hand; and on the other hand that visitors were
necessary to the good financial health of the club and should be made
welcome.  It is interesting to note that
club members contributed 62.7% of the Belfry usage and visitors 37.3%.  The table also reveals that the visitors
contributed 49.8% of the total amount of fees received.  Not a bad return for an outlay of
approximately one third of the Belfry usage. As for the ‘inundation’ theory, there have been four instances of
overcrowding: –

Nov. 12/14 Nov. 19/21 Feb. 18/20 April 31/May 3

41 Visitor’s Bed-nights 53 Visitor’s Bed-nights 26 Visitor’s Bed-nights 40 Visitor’s Bed-nights

10 Member’s Bed-nights   9 Member’s Bed-nights 34 Member’s Bed-nights 30 Member’s Bed-nights

The remaining weekends being well within comfortable limits.

Bed Nights League

There was a tradition in the old wooden Belfry that the Hut
Warden awarded order of priority of choice of personal lockers according to
member’s position on the Bed-night league. So there was keen competition to get in as many bed-nights as
possible.  Since there is a scheme afoot
to install lockers again, the following people of the 73 club members who in an
appearance at the Belfry lead the field this year: –

Jock Orr 229;  Frank Jones 72; Tony Tucker 53; Graham
Phippen 48; Sue Gazzard 41; Nigel Taylor 37; Dave Irwin, Bob Cross, Tim and
Maggie Large 35.

Those wishing to check the bed-night figures will find them
pinned up on the Belfry notice board.

Notes on Income and Expenditure

In addition to Hut Fees received; day fees, camping, tackle
fees, the conscience box, publications, ties and badges, keys, spares and
carbide brought in £147.48.

Publications sold at the Belfry accounted for a slice of
£54.93 of that amount.  Tackle Fees were
disappointing at £7.36.  Camping earned
£13.18.  The turnover of spares and
carbide was £39.93.  With spares and
carbide still in stock, this line appears to be profitable.  (Editor’s note: Camping fees should read
£7.56 – my mistake above).

Money spent at the Belfry included £4.47 for tools and £38.5
on materials for maintenance and minor, improvements.  In respect of the heavy cost of coke last
winter, further purchases of fuel up to the weekend of 5/7 amounted to
£4.10.  Owing to the weather, fires were
lit on the weekend of October 8/10 and continued through to May 19/21.  During this period 1,064 bed-nights were
totted up.  No doubt the pending
installation of storage heaters will substantially reduce the forthcoming
winter fuel costs and alleviate the high incidence of bronchitis experienced
last winter.

According to the records, the consumption of Glogas amounted
to 15 cylinders and cost £23.13 or 1½ new pence per bed-night, which seems to
me to be an astonishingly reasonable amount. (Editor’s Note: Bryan Ellis, when Hut Warden of the Shepton, used to
reckon on 100 bed-nights per gas cylinder for an efficiently run hut.  These figures are better than this.)

Remarks

Generally, the conduct of Club Members and visitors staying
at, or dropping into the Belfry is both responsible and social.  But there is still a regrettable tendency to
take it all for granted and to expect everything to be laid on without making
any contribution in the way of work. This attitude is especially noticeable amongst the recently joined
members, and is quite understandable when it is realised that perhaps their
only fault is a sheer lack of information on what the club is all about.  Where are the copies of the Constitution and
Club Rules that every new member is supposed to have?

The newcomer’s view is that here is ten thousand pounds
worth of club property apparently sprung up out of the ground for his benefit
and all he has to do is to make him¬self known and pay his subscription to get
in – and because the place looks fairly tidy, he jumps to the conclusion that
it is all finished and complete.

There is no suggestion intended that past efforts and
achievements have everlastingly to be drummed into the consciences of our more
recently joined members, but the fact remains that the newer members and those
in the future must be educated into an appreciation that the maintenance;
repair and improvement of the club premises is as much up to them as to anybody
else and that to stay at the club not only requires the contribution of a very
nominal hut fee, but also a contribution of willingness to perform some
voluntary or allotted task.

Just pause to think what sort of state the place would be in
if it had not been for the attentive efforts of the few who take an interest in
keeping the present tidy condition of the Belfry and see to the odd jobs.  I think that the more senior cub members who
have pride in what has been achieved should be responsible in making it quite
clear that they expect new cub members to continue this standard.

It would be unfair to emphasise that there is room for some
improvement within the more junior segment of the club, when here is also an
area of criticism affecting another aspect of club activity.  I refer to the members who use the Belfry
during the week or the weekend on a day basis, or who pop in on a Saturday
night or Sunday afternoon.  A cross
section of this group ranges from new to long established members.  Some have contributed cash, time and effort
over the past years and all, of course, are entitled to use the Belfry just as
everybody else is – but at the risk of offending (which is not my intention)
and to put it as tactfully as I can, a proportion of this group studiously
avoids the conscience box, or chooses to forget payment of a day fee to club
funds.

The latest example of this parsimony, for that’s all it is,
was at Keith Glossop’ s barrel on the 26th August.  There was exactly 40 new pence in the box
before the barrel and 44½ new pence afterwards.

Shame!  I have seen
appreciative new members put cash in the box over and above their hut
fees.  I have observed senior members
drop a 50p coin into the box in passing by. But to watch the performance of members who drink their beer and leave
with their hands in their pockets and a hearty word of farewell saying what a
great evening it has been is positively embarrassing.  Come along now, gentlemen.  You don’t need me to remind you that you can
do better than that.  It’s no disgrace to
drop a two pence piece in the box.

Recommendations

The 1972 committee has sanctioned the installation of two
storage heaters to keep heat in the building during the winter months.  This is a most acceptable improvement which
will encourage more people to stay at the Belfry and thus lead to an increase
in bed-nights and hut fees received by the club.  What I would like to point out is that the
heater installation was initiated by a small group of club members getting
together and thrashing out a practical proposition to put to the committee for
consideration.

May I suggest that it is up to members who use the Belfry
and are aware of the various shortcomings, to approach the committee with
schemes for improvement?  For instance,
there is the well-known problem of the down draughting chimney.  Or how about the new staircase to the
attic?  The attic floor? The Tackle store
roof?  The much talked about improvements
to the Women’s Room?  Steps at the end
door to the Belfry?  And so on.

To conclude this report, I think that the new Belfry is a
great improvement on the old one, but the modus operandi of caving is
undergoing a noticeable change and a fair number of local people with transport
use the Belfry merely as a base for changing and then depart for home
afterwards.  From the bed-night figures,
the number of people staying at the Belfry may appear satisfactory, but the
building could certainly accommodate an increase on those numbers at the
weekend.

There are indications that the club is in the process of
acquiring a new grade of caver who are investing the Belfry with their own
traditions.  One of the unique hallmarks
of this new breed is that you need not do your caving from a sum.  The Belfry is treated with far more respect
and consideration than it ever had, and according to visitor’s comments; it is
a credit to the B.E.C.

Every now and again, I hear from people who complain that
this new Belfry lacks the “atmosphere” of the old wooden Belfry.  I prefer to believe that our new Belfry is
beginning to develop character rather than “atmosphere”.

Jock Orr
Hon. Hut Warden.

 

Hon Librarian’s Report

On the resignation of Dave Searle as club Librarian I took
over the task of installing the library at the Belfry.  Up to March this year the library had,
through the kind offices of Dave Searle, been kept at Dolphin Cottage.  To enable the library to be installed at the
Belfry, ‘Jok’ Orr assembled a. number of cabinets in the library room in
readiness for the transfer from Dolphin Cottage.  The books and periodicals were in a chaotic
state when they arrived at the Belfry and no one person knew what was contained
in the collection.

The first task was to sort and catalogue the entire
collection before it could be used by members. Through the grateful help of Kay Mansfield the publications were sorted
and bound.  The binding – tough not
elegant – is certainly strong enough for normal handling and reference
purposes.  Each item in the collection
was then catalogued on cards and finally placed at the Belfry for member’s
use.  Where complete volumes of
periodicals existed, these were bound and the incomplete sets placed in
temporary folders.  Members are requested
not to remove these loose items from their folders.  When, in future, t¬he missing items are
replaced or new issues make a complete volume, these will be permanently
bound.  The books have been catalogued
and grouped into subject matter.

In order to ensure that the rarer items in the collection
are safeguarded I have, with the committee’s approval, taken steps to prevent
these from being taken from the library room. These books are easily identifiable as there are red crosses along the
top of the catalogue card.

During sorting and cataloguing, several duplicate items were
found and these, plus most of the B.B. duplicates, are being exchanged or sold
to enable further purchases for the library to be made.  Any member having ideas for new items to be
added to the collection should please contact me.  On this subject one should bear in mind a
committee decision of some 8 years ago that general books on caving or climbing
that are easily obtainable from public libraries will not be included in the
collection – unless donated to the club!

To enable volumes of club publications to be completed, I
have contacted each club library’s on the exchange list requesting all the
missing copies and offering missing B.B.’s in return.  The result so far has been extremely
encouraging.  Quite apart from new
publications, some 70 to 80 new items have been added to the collection this
way.  They include Red Rose; Chelsea
S.S.; and various other clubs.  This
policy will be continuing.  If members
have publications that are not in the club library, perhaps they would consider
giving them to the collection.  We are
particularly weak on the following clubs:- C.D.G.; Cerberus S.S.; Cotham;
U.L.S.A.; British Caver Nos 1-14; early U.B.S.S. Proceedings; Pengelly; Early
W.C.C. ( Nos 1-40 ) and N.S.S.

It is easily within our grasp to expand the library in all
directions.  Members are now oriented to
other caving regions and foreign countries and to this end I am endeavouring to
enlarge the number of exchanges to include clubs throughout all countries in
Europe and general cover from all major regions throughout the world.  European overage includes publications from
Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Austria. We want contacts in France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden etc.

Since the library has come into general use, members have
been borrowing items at a good rate and borrowing in the last few months
(March  – August) than here has been in
the last five years.  I hope that this
will be kept up.

Duing the next few months, there will be published in the
B.B. a pull-out supplement containing a catalogue of the entire
collection.  Finally, I would like to
make a special mention of the work done by Kay Mansfield in binding the
complete volumes and to Ray Mansfield for valuing the collection for insurance
purposes.  The value is high enough to
make members sit up and make sure the library collection is not abused.

D.J. Irwin,  Hon. Librarian.

 

Hon Sec’s Report

It is with regret that I must report that 1971-72 has not
been a good year for the club.  Never has
the task of the committee been a more thankless one, nor one more fraught with
difficulty.

Never has our public image, as projected to other clubs,
been worse. To begin at the beginning – there was such dissatisfaction among
members over the catering arrangements of last year’s dinner that we were
forced to enter into protracted correspondence, involving solicitors as well,
with the management in order to get a reduction in the bill which the refund is
to be ploughed back into this year’s dinner.

Our neighbour this year has been the cause of more trouble
than usual.  I will give details at the
A.G.M. if asked. I optimistically said at last year’s A.G.M. that it would not
be beyond the capabilities of the new committee to settle our differences in
this respect.  It has still not been done
and I wish the 1972-73 Committee the best of luck – they need it!

The lease of land from the paper mill is still not completed
though there is a little more hope in that direction recently.  Considerable changes are taking place in the
paper trade and we must watch our interests most carefully.

Relations with other clubs have been good.  Our representation on M.R.O.; The Council of
Southern Caving Clubs; the Council of Cambrian Caving Clubs; the National Council
and the Charterhouse Caving Committee have all been satisfactory.

The long-awaited exhibition of Caves and Caving in the City
Museum has come to fruition.  It is well
worth a visit by every caver in the district. I do not feel that there is sufficient acknowledgment of the club’s
initiative and work.  Grateful thanks are
due to Mike Palmer and the Bennett’s who were responsible for the B.E.C.’s side
of things.

I should like to express thanks publicly to Barry Wilton for
all that he has done in the past year. His technical help on printing matters has been invaluable and helped
very considerably to improve our club image.

Committee meetings have been well a tended and there have
been few changes in the year.  Dave Irwin
resigned as Hut Warden early in the year and became Hon. Librarian.  Jock Orr was co-opted as Hut Warden.  The hiatus created by the resignation of
Norman Petty last year as Tacklemaster is still felt.  Dave Turner has very recently taken over and
is doing his best to get things together again. We badly need another ‘ladder maker extraordinary’ but alas! they are
born and not made.

The library has made tremendous strides.  Dave Irwin is to be congratulated, and I hope
that present and future generations of the B.E.C. will always treat the library
with the respect it deserves.

The Belfry has never been cleaner, tidier or more
efficiently run than at present.  The
Belfry Engineer and Hut Warden between them have faced up manfully to the
considerable problems of maintaining our new B. B. in pristine condition.

Bob Bagshaw has given us a year’s notice of his impending
resignation as Hon. Treasurer.  He, like
Norman, will be difficult to replace.

It may be felt that what has been reported so far is not in
line with my opening remarks.  A detailed
discussion of the factors which gave rise to them would, I feel, be more
appropriate at the A.G.M. itself, rather than in this printed report and I will
amplify such points on that occasion.

Alan Thomas.
Hon Secretary.

 

Monthly Crossword – Number 26.

Across:

1. Small cave dweller. (3)
4. Pitch? Or hall in Hilliers? (3)
6. Common to Mud Hall and traverse Chamber. (5)
7. For any dog in South Wales. (3,2,4)
12. A timely clue in monthly series. (9)
17. Rope material. (5)
18. Found in pub or cave. (3)
19. This down for a drainpipe. (3)

Down:

1. Eastwater step? (4)
2. Operate winch? (4)
3. Dog tooth, perhaps. (4)
4. Short cave dweller. (4)
5. What distinguishes G.B. gorge from Cheddar Gorge (4)
8. End of passage? (3)
9. Found in any etreir (3)
10. Might cause resistance to lightning. (3)
11. This side of 12 down? (3)
13. From Pillar to this perhaps? (4)
14. Precedes water and twin. (4)
15. Three in Swildons and in more senses than one. (4)
16. Pore over this clue for underground aid. (4)

Solution To Last Month’s Crossword