Blast from the Past - Jill Strappini (was Jill Williams)
My brother, Richard, and I were members of the KMC during the late
1950's early 1960's and our whole life revolved round climbing and
walking in Derbyshire, The Lakes, Wales and, occasionally, Scotland.
We were a group of us young people who were supported and advised by
Bowdon and Milly Black, the Wrights and some other, very experienced,
climbers and walkers. Our special mentor, though, was Len Stubbs.
Derbyshire weekends always ended up at Len's house with a big fry-up
and lots of chat about the weekend just past and plans for the
future. Not many of us had transport and we hitch-hiked, caught buses
or bummed lifts from the more affluent club members. Some of the
guys had motorbikes and would turn up at the meets virtually frozen
in position after a freezing cold ride!
During that time, the club hut was at Coniston and we often hitched
from Manchester to Coniston on a Friday night to spend the weekend,
hitching back late Sunday or sometimes even on Monday morning.
Some of our friends were the Swann family - Dave, Wendy, Hazel and
Jennifer as well as Tim Mepham, Melvyn Salt, Sylvia and Ian McCallum
and lots of Bobs, Jims, Dudleys, etc., whose surnames I can't
remember.
I know that most of them are scattered round the globe in Canada, New
Zealand and South Africa.
There was a celebration dinner at a restaurant in Stretford - must
have been an anniversary - and John Hunt was there in his capacity of
Chairman. It was close enough to the conquest of Everest for us to be
in awe of him.
I look back on that period of my life as a wonderful time. Our love
of the hills and valleys was enhanced by spending so much time in
them and learning how to conduct ourselves safely in all sorts of
weather conditions.
Here in South Africa, we belong to a very active hiking club. Because
of the distances involved in getting to our hikes, most of the ones
we do take several days and vary from beach walks to bushveld to
mountains. We have done The Otter Trail along the Tsitsikama coast,
the Wildcoast Meander in the Eastern Cape, a wonderful 3 days hike in
the mountains of Swaziland and in August this year we are doing a 5
day beach walk along the coast of Mozambique.
We are hoping to do some walking in the Yorkshire Dales next year and
also revisit some of our favourite places in The Lakes.
I was thrilled to find the club so active and thriving and I am
looking forward to checking out the newsletters to see what you guys
do these days.
[If there are any other past members out there reading this, do please
write in and let people know how you are doing. Ed.]
EARLY KMC YEARS - David Swann
On April 3rd 1960 typically spring wet cold weather I went on a KMC
Meet ambitiously called 'The Longest Ridge in Europe.' The route
began in Glossop and went over Bleaklow, down to Yorkshire Bridge and
from there returned to Hayfield by way of Win Hill and Kinder. The
brief entry in my diary indicated "Enjoyed a good day's map and
compass work. Members of our small group included D. Seddon, Millie
Black and Dorothy Wright".
At the time I didn't realise it was to be my last outing with the
KMC. During this walk Millie Black explained she wouldn't mind
travelling overseas but could never imagine living away from the
hills of England. Her remark was because we were discussing my
expected departure for New Zealand two weeks later.
My plan was to work there for a couple of years, explore the Southern
Alps then move on to British Columbia before returning to England. I
had no idea at the time it would be many years before I would make a
return visit to England.
I am sure my KMC adventures between 1951 and 1960 set the stage for
my subsequent wandering, living and working in many countries
including the South Pacific, East, West and Southern Africa and also
many countries in South East Asia.
Over the years I have been able to keep in touch with a few of my KMC
friends and have enjoyed the hospitality offered by Derek and Pat
Seddon during my infrequent visits. Recently I came across an old
diary that provided details of every weekend I spent enjoying the
hills with the KMC. I trust the following reminiscences will be of
interest to newsletter readers.
1951
I first met Plum and his wife Robbie on Nov 29th 1951 at a slide show
evening organised by the Stockport Y.H.A. Plum Worral was the guest
speaker giving an illustrated talk with his own slides called.
'Climbing in the Alps' after the show I chatted with him explaining
that I was keen to join the KMC. He was very encouraging and invited
me to his house the following Friday evening. Although Plum couldn't
have been more than fifteen years my senior at the time I considered
him a veritable wise old man of hills. There is no doubt both Plum
and Len Stubbs became mentors for many of the new members like myself
who joined the club in the early fifties.
I arrived uncertain and somewhat overawed listening to the various
conversations, plans for future club activities, and accounts of
recent climbing adventures. Over the next few years Friday evening
meetings at Plum's had a huge impact. I became aware of the member's
incredible ethic of determination to complete long overnight walks in
wretched weather, attempting ever harder rock climbs, skiing on the
snow drifts of Bleaklow or just about anything connected with the
hills. Above all there was always good company, fun and enjoyment.
My first K.M.C meet was to Bull Clough Cabins the following weekend
in wild and windy December weather. We took the bus to Woodhead and
it was with concern I watched the bus disappear into the cloying mist
before climbing over a stone wall at the side of the road. Blindly I
followed the rest of the gang over Bleaklow knowing only we were
going to Bull Clough Cabins.
On arrival we scouted around for firewood and after collecting heaps
of bracken to spread on the cabin floor a fire was lit and we
prepared to settle down for the night. Robbie's little dog, Rover,
attempted to snuggle down in front of the fire before Bowden Black
remarked. "Robbie if your bloody dog thinks it can stay there it's in
for a big surprise." Apart from Plum, Robbie, a couple who never went
anywhere or did anything without each other, I think Bowden Black,
Maurice Buckley, George Bosom, Fred Chorlton and Don Bellamy were
present.
On the Sunday, we walked to Judd's Tree by the Derwent reservoir,
then back over Bleaklow to the Woodhead Road. Visibility was almost
nil when Fred and I were struck violently from behind. Initially I
thought someone was playing a trick, before realising we had been hit
by a motor bike which clipped us with the handlebars as it passed
through the narrow gap between us. The rider was catapulted off and I
watched in amazement as the bike cartwheeled ahead of us amid the
squeal of protesting metal and arcing yellow stars.
We had been hit by the lead motor cyclist who had been unable to see
us as we plodded along the dark mist covered road. We gathered around
the fallen motor bike and rider lying groaning on the road as the
following truck appeared out of the mist.
[A latter day Rob Allen perhaps. Ed.]
A small group of territorial soldiers returning from a weekend
exercise clambered down from the rear of their truck wanting to know
what had happened and if anyone was injured. After a few moments of
explanation we helped lift the damaged motorbike up onto the army
truck. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt and Bowden was able to
negotiate a lift to the their barracks in Ardwick.
Early February 1952 I went on my second club meet to Chrome Hill.
Plum had lent me a pair a pair of his disused ex-army maple skis he
had shortened and fitted with rubber bindings cut from an old tyre
inner tube.
In 1952 getting onto a bus with skis was a very chancy business and
depended how you could outwit the conductor. Skiing in the Peak
District was still very unusual (it would be now too!) and the rarity
of a group trying to board a bus with skis always constituted a
problem. Sometimes curiosity helped the conductor overcome
regulations; however, it was not uncommon to be told "You can't get
on here with them things!" We travelled that weekend by North Western
bus from Stockport to Buxton before walking on to Chrome Hill, to
spend the night in a barn in Earl Stendale.
I was so delighted with my first skiing experience I immediately sent
away for my first pair of skis. At that time most of the K.M.C.
members who were keen on skiing obtained their skis from a mail order
company in Aberdeen called Campbell's Rubber Co. The cost was
twenty-five shillings a pair. Bindings of two types were extra,
B.J's consisting of a toe mount and leather straps that fitted round
the heel of a boot, or the more expensive Khandahar bindings
considered much superior with a forward lever which tensioned a
flexible metal cable around the heel of a boot.
All the ski equipment on sale by Cambells was ex-army intended for
the invasion of Norway that never materialised. According to Don
Bellamy, sheep farmers in Scotland had purchased thousands of the ex
army skis at a great discount and were using them to make temporary
sheep pens. Had the KMC found this fabled source I am sure there
would have been a lot of stray sheep.
Aware that the Club Easter meet was to the Cairngorms I determined to
go and set about edging my skis having been warned the exposed wooden
edges of the skis would wear away very quickly and it was necessary
to fit metal edges. I couldn't afford the metal edge sets offered by
Campbell's Rubber Co and hit on the ingenious idea of making edges
using a small toy press which could punch holes in strips of metal.
Punching the holes, countersinking and then rebating the ski edge
was a time consuming job. When out on the snow slopes I had to take
spare screws and a screwdriver to do hasty repairs as the metal
strips had a habit of peeling off when turning on icy snow.
Making your own equipment was quite common at the time, partially
because there was little available, but more importantly any mountain
equipment available was expensive. Don Bellamy, the master of
adaptation, always had clues how best adapt ex-army equipment in
common use by many members.
EASTER 1952: April 10th
I arrived in Aytown St. Manchester to find a huge pile of equipment
on the pavement. While waiting for the bus the club had charted to
arrive more and more members showed up. It soon became obvious there
was not enough room on the bus for everyone and their with camping
gear, skis, ropes and ice axes. Negotiations flowed back and forth
between the driver and the meet leader. Fortunately Len Stubbs came
to the rescue by offering to take all the gear on his lorry and
resolved a difficult situation.
On arrival in Aviemore I discovered I was faced with a long walk to
the edge of Glenmore Forest where we planned to camp. A few hardy
souls continued on to set up camp at the snow line. Cairngorm skiing
(no ski lifts at that time) was in Corrie Cas, and Corrie Na Ciste.
Most club members were up at first light to carry their skis to the
top of Cairngorm before skiing. Then it was up again to the top of
the corrie for another run before it grew dark. Most members were
beginners; few could manage anything other than steady stem turns but
we all enjoyed every run, often spiralling out of control when
patches of snow gave way to the heather covered hillside
Motor bikes were a common form of transport at that time with many
members having a wonderful collection of British bikes. BSA's
Triumphs, Enfield's AJS among other makes. Bernard Wright had a most
up to date machine a Shaft drive Sunbeam. On one Easter meet to the
Cairngorms the club bus came across Bowden Black and Millie standing
at the side of the road near the Devils Elbow looking forlorn at the
burnt out remains of their Motor bike and sidecar. Johnny Palmer had
a three wheeler Morgan and used a trimmed jam label as a facsimile of
a road licence.
Plum, who had just acquired a small Ford van in 1952 for his plumbing
business was one of the first members to have four wheels. It was
became a club legend, a transport revolution in the sense that it
opened up many places previously difficult to get to when relying on
public transport or hitch hiking. In his early driving days Plum was
teaching himself to drive. Genuine on job training! I was a
passenger on one of the first meets he used the van to Mosedale. He
was quite enchanted with his new toy and we spent all day Sunday
touring the Lake District. Many later claimed Plum never did learn
to drive. He had a favourite expression as we slowly negotiated the
twists and turns of the narrow road. "By sheer bad driving we're
holding our own."
Whit week 1952 and a journey on the back of Len's lorry to Wastdale.
With Fred Chorlton and Gillian Kinsey we went over Scafell Pike and
down to Langdale to spend the evening in the bar room of the Old
Dungeon Ghyll. Later we kipped in the Wall End Barn, a very popular
hang out for rock climbers. The next day we walked over to the
Coniston Club Hut before meeting up with Len for the ride home.
May 17th
A Club meet at Birchens where I met Brian, Fearnley (Trog) who later
became my Brother in Law. He also ended up in New Zealand and became
an active member of the New Zealand Alpine Club. He was the
expedition doctor on the Janu Expedition along with Pete Farrell,
another KMC member who had emigrated to NZ. Birchens was his first
K.M.C. meet and he was eager to be climbing by first light Sunday
morning. The usual camp site was in a field below the crag close by
the farm. The farming couple at Birchens were survivours from another
age. No electricity connected their farm and water came from a well
by the side of the farm house.
Rarely did you meet the Farmer's wife but the Farmer, quite an odd
character, used to stomp around his fields muttering to himself in an
almost unintelligible, accented English ignoring the nearby campers
and climbers.
The Robin Hood pub was more ancient than the farmer or the publican.
Beer was kept in huge wooden barrels in a low half cellar. The
publican's wife (Who seemed to do all the work) would bring the beer
up into the Taproom in a large pewter jug and fill glasses to order.
Sitting outside at the long tables on a summer's evening was always a
special pleasure. In late summer the air was filled with the scent of
billberries which grew in abundance on the moor behind Birchens Edge.
June 21st
Another club meet, Ilkley Rocky Valley. We camped by a small
abandoned shooting lodge with a fresh water spring nearby. Plum had
named the palace 'Whisky Springs.' On the Saturday evening we all
enjoyed a riotous time at a local dance.
There were no seats in the back of Plum's Ford van; passengers
squatted among all the camping gear. One late evening returning form
a meet two of us were in sleeping bags with legs hanging out of the
rear doors. Apparently there had been a series of livestock thefts of
sheep and pigs in the area and someone had reported that a small red
van had pigs in the back. When a police car pulled us over to
investigate Plum was at his persuasive best and we continued on after
being instructed to keep the rear doors closed.
August 22nd
Set off for the Isle of Skye in the Yak's car with Trog Fearnley and
Fred Chorlton. We arrived Glenbrittle 8 am after travelling all night
via Glasgow and Fort William. It was a marathon drive by Dick Mann
who did all the driving in his little 750 Renault, with four
passengers and all our gear on a roof rack.
Dick was a very pleasant character, always eager to please but
incredible clumsy, always tripping up over things. Alan Ebbral had
given him the name 'The Yak' because over the previous wet whit
weekend Dick was wearing a large ex-army poncho over his rucksack and
from a distance looked like a beast of burden. Giving odd nicknames
was quite common for awhile.
The highpoint of the week, besides climbing Cioch West, was the boat
trip to Loch Corruisk in fine weather followed by a long scramble
over the Dubh Ridge to Alastair. We had been advised to do this
combined boat and climbing trip by Gillian Kinsey on the Wastdale
meet earlier in the year. It certainly lived up to expectations.
At the time a one week-annual holiday was still quite common for many
KMC members many who also worked on Saturday mornings. On reflection
it was all the more remarkable that we were able to cover so much
territory in the short time available.
Sept 6th - 7th
Went to Pontsbury Rocks with Ewart Swann on his unusual and rare
motor cycle; a 500cc two-stroke water-cooled Scott. When I visited
Ewart years later at his house in Conway he related an amazing story.
Ewart decided to go to New Zealand in 1961. He fixed a sidecar on
his Scott and set off with his pet dog for the long overland journey.
He reached Afghanistan before discovering the dog would not be
allowed to enter New Zealand without a six month quarantine period.
After working in Afghanistan for a while he returned to the U.K and
then immigrated to Canada (with his Dog) and worked for many long
years as a Forest Fire Warden in Northern British Columbia.
This meet was a period when Plum had a 'Yen' to discover new and
hopefully unclimbed crags. He was always looking for something
different, either crags or mythical snowfields. The climbing at
Pontsbury turned out to be a combination of rock and tree climbing as
the crag was completely overgrown.
Christmas Meet 1952
Met Brian Fearnley at the Manchester Bus Station and caught the
4-30pm bus to Ambleside. Walked over the Struggle (Kirkstone Pass) to
Patterdale with our camping gear, skis and ice axes.
Spent Christmas Day skiing on Sticks Pass in lousy weather. Boxing
Day we went to Cross Fell. Returned to Patterdale in time for the
Christmas Hop in the evening. The next day we all did a ski tour of
the Dodds. Followed by the long walk back over the Kirkstone Pass to
Ambleside for the bus to Manchester.
Dec 31st: New Years Eve
Details hazy but this may well have been the New Year's party where
Plum prepared a very strong Rum Punch which resulted in a certain
amount of ribald behaviour followed by true confessions and acute
embarrassment for some members.
1953: Feb 7th - 8th
The New Inn Langley, a KMC Supper Meet. After supper we chased off to
North Wales in search of snow and camped at the foot of Tryfan. This
was a typical Plum adventure, he was prepared to go anywhere at the
oddest times in search of Ski-able snow. On awakening Sunday morning
everything was snowbound. I was amazed how alpine the mountains
looked and remarked to Plum that Y Garn looked like the Jungfrau.
"Wait till you see the bloody Jungfrau" was Plum's reply. Later that
year I did see the Jungfrau when along with Plum, Robbie and Derek
Seddon we went on an Ingam's Austrian Alpine Club special to the
Austrian and Swiss Alps.
Bregalia Group 1953. Photo D Seddon.
March 7th - 8th
Visited the Rhinogs in Wales with Fred, Plum. Robbie, Trog, the Yak
and the Blob (Alan Ebbral.) Plum, ever keen to explore relatively
unknown crags, had heard about the Rhinogs. Another case of Plum
discovering places little visited and well off the beaten track. We
stayed overnight in 'Rancho Rhinog', the name given by Plum to a
quite splendid shooting cabin we had discovered.
The cabin was well appointed with wooden furniture, cooking
implements cutlery, plates, cups and saucers. We climbed what we
considered a few new routes then walked the Rhinog ridge in perfect
weather.
April 2nd - 6th Easter 1953
With Fred Chorlton, Robbie and Rover we departed Manchester at 8 p.m.
in Plum's van, bound for Scotland. In clear and sunny weather with
the hills looking their best, we arrived at Glen Derry Lodge after an
all night drive and carted our gear to a camp at 2000 ft.
April 4th
Moved our camp to the Lui Beag 2,500 ft and climbed Derry Cairngorm
3,788 ft. It started to snow heavily at 6pm and continued throughout
the night. We awoke the next morning to find the tents completely
covered with snow and had to dig our way to the surface.
Easter Sunday
Climbed Ben Macdui on skis in very cold misty conditions. We had a
very narrow escape skiing back down to the tents in a white out
nearly skiing over a huge cornice.
Easter Monday
Skied down to Derry Lodge and drove to the Devil's Elbow. Climbed
Cairnwell 3000ft with our skis for one last run before returning to
Manchester
April 24th
K.M.C. Indoor meet. Alf Bridge, Some thoughts on Climbing.
Alf Bridge was a veteran climber with quite a reputation; He had
climbed in the Himalayas and was closely connected with the
preparations for the coming 1953 successful British Everest
Expedition. We were very impressed with his concept of controlled
falling.
May 16th
Wharncliffe Rocks with Brian Wilson in his Morris Cowley we named the
Chariot. Boozed at the King and Miller in the evening. By now more
K.M.C. members were becoming proud owners of cars, mostly pre-war
oldies. There is a photograph of the Morris Cowley on this meet in
the 50th anniversary edition of the K.M.C. Newsletter.
June 1st
Back to Scotland to explore Lochnagar. In the evening we went to a
local dance arriving before the pubs closed to find we had the pick
of the local village girls. All went well until the pubs closed and
the young stalwarts arrived. Trog bruised local feelings by winning a
bottle of whisky in the raffle. When it came time to return to our
tents we couldn't find our climbing boots we had discarded as
unsuitable for dancing. After unsucessfully hunting around we were
given a sly tip off. The local lads had thrown all our boots
(including Plum's monsters) into the urinal where many of the drunken
locals had pissed on them. So much for Scottish-Anglo accord.
June 11th
A trip to the Palace Theatre. Why we went as a K.M.C. group to the
Palace I don't recall but it may well have been to hear a well known
Scottish Tenor singing Scottish ballads. Plum considered everything
Scottish sacrosanct at that time. Good singing during the evening of
most club meets was always enjoyed on a Saturday night festering in a
tent or in whichever local pub we visited. There were many fine
voices and most knew a grand range of folk songs. In 1953 a club song
book was produced.
May Newsletter Index.
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