Can anyone help please? I have been asked to help a little with the bloke who is presently researching for Pete Livesey's biography. Pete was best known for his climbing achievements, with British routes such as Footless Crow and overseas routes such as the Troll Wall in Norway. However he was also a hard caver and did some significant cave diving. It's important that Pete's contribution to caving is properly covered in the bio. At the moment I have two main questions:

Does anyone know whether he was actually a member of the CDG - and if so, between which dates and which Section he was in?

Does anyone know how I might contact John Stanger, a Phoenix Mountaineerinmg Club member who partnered Pete on the Troll Wall route in 1967 and also caved with Pete? I believe there is a possibility he may be somewhere in the Holmfirth area.

If anyone can offer any useful information I'd be grateful to hear from you (maybe best as a PM if it's about contacting John Stanger.)

My apologies - the title should have read "About the late PETE LIVESEY".

I've put  a link on UKBouldering.com.

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8314.0.html

Worth a shot, May get a response on there.

I'd need to have a look and contact some old friends. I know he used to work at Bewerley Park where I used to work and I heard numerous little stories about his caving there. I'm sure he did a bit of a cross over too in which he did some climbing in caves.

I'll see what I can uncover.

Remember seeing him on one of those "Hard Man" sports programs they used to put on over Xmas (like they do the Strong Man ones, still.) He didn't come first in any of the individual events but was always there or thereabouts and won overall.

And that was after sitting up all night drinking rum with the production crew.

Class. 

Many thanks all - useful stuff!

Not that you'd want to put this in a book or anything, but I was climbing up at Brimham when I was about 15 and watched this guy who was about the same age as me fly up a route graded HVS in what seemed to be mere seconds.  A bloke nearby said it was Pete Livesey.

I dug out my BBS 12 years and typed Livesey

AA Mr. Peter Livesey Craven Herald 6th March 1998: 2. Better known as a climber, Pete Livesey was in his ealier years very much involved in caving and cave diving particularly in the Yorkshire Dales.  (RM). 98.4123

I also keyed in Livesy and got:

WALTHAM, Tony; EYRE, Jim; COBLEY, Dave Pete Livesy BCRA Caves and Caving; No 80; Summer 1998 : 12. A tribute to a well known caver and climber. (RAR). 99.3917

I think that there is also a Canadian connection.  Has anyone got a set of The Canadian Caver that they can search?  Their website was not very helpful.

I canna answer your two questions, Pitlamp, but I can add a bit of information about Pete that I am sure that you already have...

He started caving in about 1960 with the Bradford Pothole Club, and included in his exploits was climbing what is now the bottom pitch in Pay Sank, and being on the Mossdale pushing trips in the early 1960s. I'm sure that Ged Benn and Brave Duck would have caved regularly with him... He was still writing articles for the BPC Bulletin in 1965, and I seem to remember caving with him at the end of the sixties.

I also think that Pete was a member of the 1965 Jamaican expedition with Mike Boon and Farmer Stoyles.

If I remember rightly, the Northern section of the CDG was formed in 1963 / 1964, and one of their first concerted explorations was Langstroth Cave.  Pete climbed the main aven in Langstroth, and so I suspect that he was a member. He also did a lot of caving with Mike Boon, who was also a member. Didn't Pete dive in Stonelands at about the same time?

As far as his diving was concerned, have you tried asking Father Christmas? Santa Claus was diving in Ingleborough Cave in 1962, and was a member of BPC and CDG at the time, so he may well have a better idea of Pete's underwater career.

One of Pete's best friends at the time of his untimely was Ken Robinson, from Grassington. Ken used to be a caver from about the same period, and may well have further information.

Langcliffe is correct Pete was on the Exploration of Quashies River Cave, Jamaca in October 1965 - Reference - Down to a Sunless Sea by J M Boon (1977) Chapter 8 pages 91 to 105

Many thanks - all good stuff. I've directed the bloke who is actually writing the obituary to this forum, so keep the info rolling in.

(I did indeed interrogate a certain Mr.F.Christmas and he had some super stories to tell.)

rhychydwr1 said:

I think that there is also a Canadian connection.  Has anyone got a set of The Canadian Caver that they can search?   

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In 1970 Livesey was very briefly (only one day, I believe) involved with the exploration of Yorkshire Pot, a 386m deep cave in the south Canadian Rockies.  Details can be found on page 81 of Cave Exploration in Canada (1976; long out of print) and more briefly in The Canadian Caver #3 (1970).  The latter reference includes the cryptic "Livesey returned to camp that evening with the team's Jumar set, leaving [Peter] Thompson to cut prusik knots from the end of the 130 foot rope."

If either of these references are of interest, and not available in Britain, I can send copies of the relevant pages.  One would think that Livesey must have climbed in the Rockies during that same time, and an inquiry to the Alpine Club of Canada might be worthwhile.

rhychydwr1 said:

Their website was not very helpful.

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The website http://www.cancaver.ca/pubs2/cc/index.htm does include a comprehensive index, but it is organized by cave name, not by caver name.

I believe the Canadian material mentioned by Ian should be in the UBSS library, if not the BCRA one. I should be able to scan 'em if needed.

If he was climbing in the rockies - would Albi Sole be worth contacting, He was an Eldon member back then so caver and climber, resides in Banff now, I believe.

Might try and email him.

He had an obituary in the Guardian I think.
wasn't he involved in an Iran trip..Ghar parau even?

cavermark said:

wasn't he involved in an Iran trip..Ghar parau even?

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Yes, he was on the 1972 expedition. He was also on the infamous Kelly expedition to Provatina, and discovered the Epos Chasm with Sion O'Neill.

Ey up Pitlamp,
I have just contacted a work colleague who was a good friend of Pete's , he is going to email me John Stangers address.
When i receive this i will PM you

Excellent! Thanks Tim.