Newsletters

Highlights from the archive

We are in the process of digitising the club’s newsletter collection. Here are a few highlights we’ve discovered so far:

• 1975-10-01 the club is forced to levy £3 per member to pay off the club’s £556 overdraft since the bank is not satisfied with the rate of repayment of it. Chris Gore gets arrested for climbing on the walls of a warehouse, requiring the President, Editor and (luckily)( the presence of Ken Wilson to assert that he was a bone fide climber..

• 1975-09-01 brings in many line drawings, much climbing at home and in the Alps and a not so fun dysentery trip in the Himalayas.

• 1973-12-01 “Although I stand the risk of being dismembered by my colleague, Layback Lil, I must pass a comment on the growth of climbing among the girls of the club, who are climbing together instead of being mere followers of their menfolk. This is altogether a good thing, for in my opinion the whole essence of mountaineering is in leading and solving your own problems, and if there is a male on the rope he inevitably takes over, or ceremoniously hangs back, which can be even more debilitating to an emergent leader. Let us hope that they will be joined by many many more and then we can have a really strong girls section“

• 1973-03-01 “Regular readers of this irregular Newsletter will be aware of the saga of Bryn Brethynau which like the Viking sagas before it has passed through many strange adventures but none stranger than the fearsome fight with the dragon Sillitoe, half—witch, daughter of Ragna± Hairy—breeks and the Hammer the English. The saga has ended with victory to the barbarian hordes of the N.L.M.C. The deeds of the stronghold BRYN BRETHYNAU have been lodged with the Bank who do not believe in fairy stories so the Club should be able to forget the troubles of the past and proceed with confidence for the future.”
  The club membership had declined to only 73 members due to various factors and the purchase of the buildings will allow the club to thrive once again.

• 1971-07-01 a bumper edition that includes a list of the 9 cars that Ben Wintringham has owned so far, a list of presidents and newsletter editors, a potted history of the club, the launch of the Hut Appeal to buy the building, a few bad jokes and a full address list of the 170 members.

• 1971-03-01 when Dr. Sonnek - the father of a young member who died in a tragic car accident - gave £1500 to the hut appeal fund; the calculated cost of a lift to N. Wales is £2.25 per person; a review of the radical MacInnes Terrordactyl ice axe that concludes “only hard ice climbers are likely to buy them” and the club gives up after 15 years of Wednesdays at the Fishmongers Arms due to noisy live bands.

• 1970-12-01 when the club voted to buy the cottage and Dr. Sonnek generously donated £100 to the hut fund and promised more.

• 1970-09-01 has the accident report and memoriam of the tragic Alpine death of Judy Barham. Two club members were also detained by armed security and police when they were suspected of planning an armed hijack. Trying to avoid luggage weight limits by smuggling climbing gear on your person is not a new thing, despite regular UKC posts by climbers who have succeeded (in smuggling, not hijacking).

• 1970-03-01 where more routes are climbed at Baggy Point (“B.P. Super”) and an orgy is reported to have take place at a North London flat.

• 1969-11-01 reports on the initial wave of new routes at the brand new secret crag “BP Super” that the NLMC predominately developed.

• 1969-10-01 where the number of climbed alpine routes puts recent club trips to shame, though the number of accidents does the opposite.

• 1969-06-01 When Marion Wintringham had an epic and many tales of adventurous new aid routes around the country were told.

• 1969-04-01 The results of the Extraordinary General Meeting to decide whether to purchase the Deiniolin hut (see next bullet). Who can drive Benj’s F type the fastest at Black Rock Sands?

• 1969-03-01 The Club proposes to buy a hut in Deiniolin for £2,900, put to an E.G.M. The surveyor’s report includes “It has a fair standard of accommodation and all modern amenities, and that it has not sold is probably due to the rather depressing appearance of the village and the lack of outlook from it.” How much has the village changed….?

• 1968-11-01 has amusing profiles of committee members such as Alan Bordoley, Bob Adams and Ron Denton.

• 1968-04-01 Rules for the Club cottage and Barn - fun to compare with the current ones at the back of the Constitution.

• 1968-03-01 How to go on an Alpine Holiday including where to go, who with and what to take - never forget a lemon.

• 1966-04-01 Climbing in South Wales is a historical description of South Wales crags, which is a great snap-shot of the state of development , e.g. “There are also reports of climbable cliffs in pembroke on the coast.”. There are currently 5 guidebooks covering 1000s of routes there.