Thirty six years ago I received a message from the Police asking for assistance. They were faced with a new problem. A young potholer had met with an accident in Gingling Hole on Fountains Fell and they required the assistance of people who knew this underground system.

The known potholers of that period were gathered together, formed a scratch team, and after twenty six hours this youth was successfully brought to the surface. As a result of this, meetings were held, attended by the Police, Ambulance Authorities, and representatives of Caving Clubs, and the Cave Rescue Organisation was founded.

A small quantity of equipment was kept at Settle Police Station and from these early beginnings the C.R.O. has grown.

In those early days when many open pots had not been explored and 'digs' were almost unheard of, the equipment kept at Settle seemed to be quite adequate. But there have been changes. Wet suits have replaced woollies and old clothes, electron ladders the old naval ladders. With lightweight tackle and improved lighting the modern potholer has been able to retain his energy to penetrate into systems more distant and deeper than our wildest dreams could imagine. New Systems are continuously being discovered and with each discovery a new problem faces the C.R.O.

The calls for assistance are rapidly increasing; almost every week we are needed to investigate cases where potholers are several hours later than expected or where they are lost in some complicated system, trapped by flood waters or failing lights. Only recently we had five such calls in one long week-end.

We are also called to the hills to render assistance to injured or exhausted walkers and sheep or lambs trapped on crags or in pots.

When there is a call, the West Riding Mountain Rescue Ambulance turn out with the team and establish radio communications with the W.R. Police at Settle. The C.R.O receives tremendous support from the Police and Ambulance Authorities and also from the Fire Service when pumping operations are necessary.

The interest in Cave Rescue has increased enormously during the past few years and we now have in our team members of the medical profession, mining engineers, radio-techhicians and experts in electronics, explosives and cave diving.

Discussions are being held with these members with a view to solving the problem of extricating an injured potholer from the newly-discovered tight holes.

It has been accepted that it might not be possible to remove a seriously injured potholer immediately from some of these holes and the question of underground hospitalisation is being considered. Some equipment for this purpose is already in the depot.

The C.R.O. is also dealing with many other aspects of rescue which the new era of potholing has created. Of these we have diving, rock-drilling, blasting, pumping of underground sumps, communications and many other minor problems, some of which are already solved and others still under discussion.

Members of the team meet every Wednesday Evening at the depot at Clapham and spend the evening checking over the equipment and vehicles. Lamps are charged, phones tested and new equipment made.

It must be remembered that the rescuing of the injured is the responsibility of the Police and when a call is made for assistance this must be made through Police channels.

It must also be remembered that the Organisation is a voluntary one depending entirely for its membership on volunteers. I would like to see it stay that way, for I feel that the tremendous effort put in by all on the occasion of a rescue would never be matched by paid personnel.

At times, there has been sone criticism of the rescue performance of the C.R.O. We admit that the C.R.O. is not perfect and we at our meetings are its severest critics, but we do strive to improve and we are continually working with that end in view.

Cave Rescue is the concern of all cavers and wherever situated there are plenty of projects in hand to keep any group busy. One such project is the design and development of an underground stretcher. We are still using the same type of stretcher that we used when the organisation was founded. It has been modified, but it is still far from satisfactory. Nothing better has yet been made so if anyone can produce one we shall be very grateful. It would have to be flexible enough to carry an injured patient through a nine inch corkscrew passage, rigid enough to support a patient with a spinal injury, tough enough to be hauled up a 200ft. pitch and would need to give protection against cold and water.

R. HAINSWORTH
President
Yorkshire Cave Rescue Organisation