I came across an inscription in carbide at the end of a passage in the Summertime Series in Agen Allwedd. We believe we were the second party to enter this passage as there was very little signs of disturbance. At the end was an inscription in carbide 'UCSW 14.4.62' .
I have failed to find any notes of this early trip and was told UCSW may stand for 'University Caving Society of Wales' which may have been a forerunner of Aberystwyth Caving Club. Can anyone enlighten me?

John

Full details of our trips and surveying the Central Avenue area, in Chelsea Speleological Society Newsletter Vol. 59 No 10/11/12. pages 77-82.

Possibly University College of South Wales, which merged with others in 1988 to become Cardiff University.

University College of South Wales (more fully, University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, though the last bit was often omitted).

This was the name of University College Cardiff from 1883 to 1972; UCC merged with University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology in 1988 to form University of Wales College of Cardiff which in 2004 became Cardiff University. So this seems to have been a lineal ancestor of the current Cardiff University Caving Club.

Aberystwyth Caving Club began as University College of Wales Caving Club in 1966 as the university's full title was UCW Aberystwyth - a subtly different set of initials to those forming this inscription.

Thanks Chris and Rob, I had also considered University College of South Wales but the time frame seems too wrong.
I doubt any of these clubs have archives going back 55 years that would highlight the trip being taken to Aggy in April 62. But worth an ask ?

Worth an ask.

My experience of university clubs was with Aberystwyth - I compiled and publisuhed a club history in 1990 (http://www.abercavers.co.uk/thrutch/015 ) and found that prior to a decade earlier there was nothing to work from. The club 'log books' (handwritten trip accounts usually compiled in the pub after a trip) and the occasional club publication 'Thrutch' both began at that time. In other words nothing in the club 'archive' extended back further. The only material I located were Athletic Union finance files which prior to computerisation contained hard copy expenses claims and so, fortunately, listed transport costs for stated destinations at stated dates: thus I knew which caving areas were visited and when, but not who attended nor which caves were visited. I fell back on contacting ex-members for recollections (see second paragraph of Introduction); a few seem to have kept personal trip diaries which very usefully informed the recollections they sent me but much of the recollections I received were understandably generalised after the passage of up to 20 years, not least because most had drifted away from caving within a few years of leaving university. Although Aberystwyth was a different university and a different club, this may give you some insight into what to expect.

If the UCSW club was pushing what was at the time the further reaches of Ogof Agen Allwedd, it is just possible that something was recorded in a national caving journal - I believe that the British Caver was the only one around in 1962?

Another possibility is that if the university or the university union published a student newspaper or a termly /annual round-up of activities, then the caving club may have submitted a report: surviving runs would best be inquired about in the university library.

Thin hopes I'm afraid...

Is there anyone around from 1962 who can throw any light on the matter?

My Dad was a member of Cardiff Uni cavers in the sixties. I'll ask. I had the impression the club went by the name UCCCCC - University College Cardiff Climbing and Caving Club. There may have been alternative names!

Hi,

I started at The University College of S.Wales & Monmouthshire in Oct 62.
At this time the was a club known as the Outdoor Club. This was really a Rambling Club some of whose members caved & some climbed. It started the academic year with a huge influx of new members and the originals were overwhelmed! There was a freshers week trip to Lesser Garth which for some long forgotten reason I missed. Mick & Judy Day first met on this trip! The committee then ran a coach trip walking in Snowdonia which over blew the entire budget for the year. In February 63 we went to SWCC and were introduced to the delights of OFD (1 as it is now known).
The next academic year the club was reformed as University College Cardiff Caving & Climbing Club (UCCCCC) or UC5.
I can't shed any light on this matter. Except that one of the members was a Chelsea member Name (I think was possibly Dave or maybe Dudley).
Around about 1968 the cavers & climbers went their separate ways.
I think Judy has the logbook which we used to write in the pub or in the van going home. I think this log book started about 1964 or5.

Idris Williams
 

Thanks Dad!

robjones said:

My experience of university clubs was with Aberystwyth - I compiled and publisuhed a club history in 1990 (http://www.abercavers.co.uk/thrutch/015 ) and found that prior to a decade earlier there was nothing to work from. The club 'log books' (handwritten trip accounts usually compiled in the pub after a trip) and the occasional club publication 'Thrutch' both began at that time. In other words nothing in the club 'archive' extended back further.

Click to expand...

....but then at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Aber club in 2016 another set of financial records surfaced covering the years 1969 to 1974, having been accidentally conserved in the hands of Prof Gunn.

....and I found I had a log book started by Chris Kershaw in 1969, but with only rough notes of one trip. A lot of other potentially ephemeral material such as bills and correspondence with suppliers also came to light.

....and then it was found that there had been another caving club at the college started in 1963, this folded shortly before Mrs Trellis got the present club going.

Rob did a superb job with the 1989 history but was hampered by not being able to trace retired cavers - the Internet makes this much easier. There is now material for a much enlarged second edition of Rob's history, but I can't talk him into it!

.