Gaping Gill amateur movie

[alanw]

Silent, colour, amateur movie of Gaping Gill Winch Meet, 1963. Overground and underground. Lots of water down the Beck!.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film...gill-ingleborough-yorkshire-dales-1963-online

 

[shotlighter]

Looks sporting!

 

[langcliffe]

Is that Farmer Stoyles on the winch?

 

[braveduck]

Is that Farmer Stoyles on the winch?

It looks like him ,but I do not think that is the BPC winch ,even in 1963! The belt looks right ,but the engine was behind .

 

[mikem]

Sid perou interviewed Ray stoyles in 2009, which covered the 1960s winch meets:

British Caving Library

caving-library.org.uk

Part of that, with a photo of him, was used at 9 mins in Mike Boon's obituary (although he says he was only 19 for the 1965 Jamaica exped):

British Caving Library

Film: Sid Perou: In Memory of Mike Boon

caving-library.org.uk

 

[mikem]

According to Yorkshire /NE film archive it was the craven:

YORKSHIRE - FELL BECK AND GAPING GILL, INGLEBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE DALES

This film by amateur film maker Ronald Pringle, a member of the Craven Pothole Club, showing potholers exploring Gaping Gill underground river and caves in N...

www.yfanefa.com

"A man dressed in protective clothing essential for potholing, assists a woman, Sylvia Cook wife of fellow club member Len Cook, into a waterproof cape and protective helmet."

 

[Pitlamp]

Yes, I think Mike's right; it was a CPC winch meet. Pretty sure I recognise the late Hugh Bottomley and the late Ian Metcalfe, both of whom were lifelong CPC members.

I don't recognise the winch driver but I doubt it would have been Ray ("Farmer") Stoyles. Unfortunately I do recognise the "Gaping Gill weather" only too well!

 

[cavingbiker]

Nice to see that not much has changed.

 

[lexik]

Yes, I think Mike's right; it was a CPC winch meet. Pretty sure I recognise the late Hugh Bottomley and the late Ian Metcalfe, both of whom were lifelong CPC members.

I don't recognise the winch driver but I doubt it would have been Ray ("Farmer") Stoyles. Unfortunately I do recognise the "Gaping Gill weather" only too well!

If it was taken in 1963 - Ian didn't join till he was 16 in 1965 - where did you think you recognised him - he was a fairly chunky figure by 18 when I first met him - but I don't see anyone that matches that description

 

[Pitlamp]

Isn't he the chap who stars in the parts of the film in South Passage and on Pool Traverse?

I have vague memories of discussing that film with him some time ago. (I also had to wait until 16 to join but I was caving with the club for a long time beforehand.) It would have been when Ian visited GG in more recent years and made a video of the walk up there from Clapham. He may have used a few short clips from that film in the video. (Admittedly my memory isn't too firm on that.)

This (below) is the person I thought might have been Ian. If I'm wrong it'd be interesting to learn who it is.

 

[lexik]

Isn't he the chap who stars in the parts of the film in South Passage and on Pool Traverse?

I have vague memories of discussing that film with him some time ago. (I also had to wait until 16 to join but I was caving with the club for a long time beforehand.) It would have been when Ian visited GG in more recent years and made a video of the walk up there from Clapham. He may have used a few short clips from that film in the video. (Admittedly my memory isn't too firm on that.)

This (below) is the person I thought might have been Ian. If I'm wrong it'd be interesting to learn who it is.

View attachment 20592

 

[lexik]

Hmm - not convinced - check the photos in his obit in the record

I'll pm more

 

[Pitlamp]

Ta. If not him, I wonder who that is then?

Do you agree about Hugh Bottomley?

 

[Russell Myers]

The film has all the hallmarks of the late Len Cook who produced a significant number of caving films. Sylvia, his wife, is the lady in front of the camera. Hugh Bottomley appears quite regularly and the other caver in action in Pool Chamber looks to me like the late Bob Powell. Bob was in the international expedition which bottomed the Goufre Berger for the first time in 1956 including him. Copy photo of him below from CPC Jubilee publication 2005.
It isn't Ian Metcalfe but I think the other character is the late Stuart Sturrock, long time member of the heavy gang.
I don't know who the winch driver is. The winch with various engine incarnations, lasted us until it was replaced entirely in 1984 by an hydraulic operated bespoke replacement. An improvement all round as it had to be driven down rather than the victim being held on friction brakes and gravity allowed to do it's thing. In the silly season, this gave potential for a 10 second drop! The current winch does about 1 minute both up and down and has automatic over run control at the bottom and top.
The other thing that caught my eye in the film was the color of the flood water. It looks more like white water rather than the brown beer color with a Guinness head we normally see these days in a flood. Odd.

 

[lexik]

nice one Russ - spot on with the identification

speaking of the old winch - Ian told me various tales including that he buried part of it after it was broken up - sadly don't remember where!!

might need a metal detector to recover some of it to decorate the cottage wall

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks Russell; some interesting information there.

 

[Russell Myers]

nice one Russ - spot on with the identification

speaking of the old winch - Ian told me various tales including that he buried part of it after it was broken up - sadly don't remember where!!

might need a metal detector to recover some of it to decorate the cottage wall

I can't member if it was the Lister or Enfield but it ground to a halt one day and when the timing case was opened, all the innards fell out in a broken mess - terminal. It's interment was up on the moor but I wasn't around to note the burial site other than in later years, odd cogs would come to light when digging various pits. I have a vague memory of it's carcass being exhumed when the fell was gripped but it was quickly re-interred in case anyone had ideas of rejuvenating it. By all accounts, it was a right bar steward to start.