West Bromwich Mountaineering Club
Encyclopedia
West Bromwich Mountaineering Club (WBMC) is one of the oldest and most active climbing and hill-walking clubs in the West Midlands
. It currently meets at "The Globe" in Reform Street every Thursday night and has a membership of almost 300. Every month it runs a coach to a mountainous region in England
or Wales
, on which seats are available to its members and the general public on a 'first come - first served' basis and also maintains a members-only hut in the Nant Gwynant
valley. It affiliated to the British Mountaineering Council
in 2003 and became a Community Association
Sports Club (CASC) in 2005.
, was asked by his Local Education Authority
to develop camping trips & outdoor activities for local schoolchildren. At that time there were only 3 outdoor centres in the whole country and no certificates of mountain leadership of any kind so he set about organising mountaineering courses for schoolteachers based at Helyg & Ynys Ettws huts in Snowdonia. The idea of forming a mountaineering club in West Bromwich
materialised while participants socialised at The Royal Hotel (now Plas y Brenin
) and the Pen-y-Gwryd
. The first meet was to the Long Mynd
on 13 January 1952, the first committee meeting on 23 May & the inaugural Annual General Meeting held at the Arden Hotel on 16 October 1952, at which Wright became the first chairman. The "Star and Garter" was the club's first home until it moved to "The Globe" in 1959 where it has remained apart from brief spells at "The Flowerpot" and "Merry Go Round". Sir Chris Bonington
contributed the forward to a book published in 2002 celebrating the club's golden jubilee. The group produces a monthly newsletter and copies of these going back to 1989 have been deposited with Sandwell Community History & Archives Service at Smethwick
Library and can be consulted there.
and as few members owned cars, it was important for the club to be able to offer convenient travel to hills in other parts of the UK. So the monthly coach meet was born, typically setting off from West Bromwich at 6.30am and picking up at 8 to 12 places en route to north
or mid Wales
, the Peak District
or the Malvern Hills
. With no M6 the Lake District
was out of the question for a day trip as it was usually after midnight before the coach returned to the West Midlands
. Reports on some of these coach meets can be found on the internet.
) Education Authority bought Plas Gwynant
, one-time home of prime minister
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, together with its outbuildings for less than £5,000. The Club used this site for camping but after a few years was offered a disused Dutch barn
in the grounds for conversion into a hut. Work began in January 1961 to dig out and level the floors and it was officially opened for use in 1963. Electricity was connected in 1967 and a toilet and shower block added in 1975.
have seen ascents by WBMC members and the highest points reached so far are around 22000 ft (6,706 m) by Dot & John Wagstaff during an unsuccessful attempt on Lenin Peak in 1998 and the 23100 ft (7,041 m) summit of Lhakpa Ri in Tibet
by John Edwards in September 2006.
However, there have been many other achievements by individuals in the club. Mike Nicholls, John Hipwood, John Wagstaff, Nev Tandy, Mike Lay, Paul Cleary & Brian Green have completed all the Munros and John Hipwood and Mike Nicholls, having climbed over 1200 Marilyns, were 24th & 34th in the 'RHB Hall of Fame' in2010.
Members names are also on completers lists of lesser hills such as the Nuttalls & County Tops in England & Wales.
Members have recorded ascents of many alpine peaks including Mont Blanc
, Monte Rosa
, the Matterhorn
& Grossglockner and further afield have planted the club flag on the summits of Aconcagua
, Aneto
, Mt Ararat, Mount Elbrus
, Jebel Toubkal, Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak
and virgin summits in Kyrgyzstan
and Antarctica.
Ken Priest & Pete Goddard are currently two of the club's leading climbers.
Van Greaves has published several books of mountaineering photographs and walking as well as many articles in UK walking magazines and Bob Charteris has created the 100 mile Teme Valley
Way walk.
In the 1970s and 1980s WBMC members regularly participated in the Welsh 1000 m Peaks Race
and the Long Mynd
Hike. John Wagstaff set a race record of 8 hours 47 minutes for the latter in 1981 which stood until 2002 when the route changed. On 17/18 June 1978 Wagstaff completed a triple crossing of the 14 Welsh 3000s
(around 66 miles and 22,800 feet of ascent) in 22 hours 49 minutes, a feat which has so far not been repeated,
and he is still the only club member to complete the Bob Graham Round
of 42 peaks in the Lake District, a feat he achieved in June 1979 supported by a number of club members.
most years.
In August 1989 Malcolm Collins fell to his death while climbing solo on Sub Cneifon Arete in the Ogwen Valley when a rock spike gave way. A trophy in his name is awarded at every annual general meeting
to a club member in recognition of mountaineering achievement or services to the club. Recipients of the silver rosebowl have been 1990 Graham Sockett, 1991 Bob Lister, 1992 Ken Priest, 1993 Geoff Robinson, 1994 Mike Nicholls & John Wagstaff, 1995 Mike Smith, 1996 Peter Woodward, 1997 Iris Cooksey, 1998 Nev Tandy, 1999 Dot & John Wagstaff, 2000 Paul Cleary & Pete Goddard, 2001 John Mitchell, 2002 Hilary Jones, 2003 Nigel Kettle, 2004 Ann Tandy, 2005 John Mitchell, 2006 The "Elbrus Eight", 2007 John Edwards, 2008 John Eadon, 2009 Mike Thompson & Malcolm Vaughan, 2010 Bob Duncan.
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. It currently meets at "The Globe" in Reform Street every Thursday night and has a membership of almost 300. Every month it runs a coach to a mountainous region in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
or Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, on which seats are available to its members and the general public on a 'first come - first served' basis and also maintains a members-only hut in the Nant Gwynant
Nant Gwynant
Nant Gwynant is a valley in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north Wales. The A498 road descends into the valley in about two miles from Pen-y-Gwryd; it follows the Nant Cynnyd, the Afon Glaslyn and alongside Llyn Gwynant, then beside the Nant Gwynant river to Llyn Dinas and passing below Dinas Emrys to...
valley. It affiliated to the British Mountaineering Council
British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers...
in 2003 and became a Community Association
Community association
A community association is a nongovernmental association of participating members of a community, such as a neighborhood, village, condominium, cooperative, or group of homeowners or property owners in a delineated geographic area. Participation may be voluntary, require a specific residency, or...
Sports Club (CASC) in 2005.
History
Early in 1951 Bert Wright, a member of the Climbers' ClubClimbers' Club
The Climbers' Club is the senior rock-climbing club in Wales and England . It was founded in 1898 and publishes guidebooks in the main climbing areas in Wales and Southern England...
, was asked by his Local Education Authority
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
to develop camping trips & outdoor activities for local schoolchildren. At that time there were only 3 outdoor centres in the whole country and no certificates of mountain leadership of any kind so he set about organising mountaineering courses for schoolteachers based at Helyg & Ynys Ettws huts in Snowdonia. The idea of forming a mountaineering club in West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
materialised while participants socialised at The Royal Hotel (now Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin, is currently the The National Mountain Centre for Wales . The Centre is situated in Dyffryn Mymbyr, the Mymbyr Valley, in Snowdonia and is less than a quarter of a mile south-west of the centre of Capel Curig on the A4086 road....
) and the Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers in Gwynedd, North Wales and a quarter of a mile from the boundary with Conwy in northern Snowdonia, close to the foot of Snowdon...
. The first meet was to the Long Mynd
Long Mynd
The Long Mynd in Shropshire, England, is a part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury, and has an area of over 22 square kilometres , most of which takes the form of a heathland plateau. Most of the land on the Long Mynd is owned by...
on 13 January 1952, the first committee meeting on 23 May & the inaugural Annual General Meeting held at the Arden Hotel on 16 October 1952, at which Wright became the first chairman. The "Star and Garter" was the club's first home until it moved to "The Globe" in 1959 where it has remained apart from brief spells at "The Flowerpot" and "Merry Go Round". Sir Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
contributed the forward to a book published in 2002 celebrating the club's golden jubilee. The group produces a monthly newsletter and copies of these going back to 1989 have been deposited with Sandwell Community History & Archives Service at Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
Library and can be consulted there.
Coach meets
In the early days the mainstay of the club's activities was rock climbing in SnowdoniaSnowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
and as few members owned cars, it was important for the club to be able to offer convenient travel to hills in other parts of the UK. So the monthly coach meet was born, typically setting off from West Bromwich at 6.30am and picking up at 8 to 12 places en route to north
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
or mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
, the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
or the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
. With no M6 the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
was out of the question for a day trip as it was usually after midnight before the coach returned to the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. Reports on some of these coach meets can be found on the internet.
Club hut
In December 1957 West Bromwich (now SandwellSandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
) Education Authority bought Plas Gwynant
Plas Gwynant
Plas Gwynant is a educational resort in Snowdonia, Wales. It is owned by Sandwell and considered by some as a inclave of Wales and an exclave of England. Most primary schools in Sandwell visit it on a yearly basis, providing skills and a good experience...
, one-time home of prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, together with its outbuildings for less than £5,000. The Club used this site for camping but after a few years was offered a disused Dutch barn
Dutch barn
Dutch barn is the name given to markedly different types of barns in the United States and Canada, and in the United Kingdom. In the United States, Dutch barns represent the oldest and rarest types of barns. There are relatively few—probably less than 600—of these barns still intact...
in the grounds for conversion into a hut. Work began in January 1961 to dig out and level the floors and it was officially opened for use in 1963. Electricity was connected in 1967 and a toilet and shower block added in 1975.
Achievements
To date none of the fourteen 8,000 metre peaksEight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
have seen ascents by WBMC members and the highest points reached so far are around 22000 ft (6,706 m) by Dot & John Wagstaff during an unsuccessful attempt on Lenin Peak in 1998 and the 23100 ft (7,041 m) summit of Lhakpa Ri in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
by John Edwards in September 2006.
However, there have been many other achievements by individuals in the club. Mike Nicholls, John Hipwood, John Wagstaff, Nev Tandy, Mike Lay, Paul Cleary & Brian Green have completed all the Munros and John Hipwood and Mike Nicholls, having climbed over 1200 Marilyns, were 24th & 34th in the 'RHB Hall of Fame' in2010.
Members names are also on completers lists of lesser hills such as the Nuttalls & County Tops in England & Wales.
Members have recorded ascents of many alpine peaks including Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
, Monte Rosa
Monte Rosa
The Monte Rosa Massif is a mountain massif located in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps. It is located between Switzerland and Italy...
, the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
& Grossglockner and further afield have planted the club flag on the summits of Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
, Aneto
Aneto
Aneto is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third highest mountain, reaching a height of . It lies in the Spanish province of Huesca, the northernmost of all three Aragonese provinces. It forms the southernmost part of the Maladeta massif...
, Mt Ararat, Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
, Jebel Toubkal, Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak
Mera Peak
Mera Peak is a mountain which lies in the Himalayas, in the Sagarmatha region of Nepal. At it is classified as a trekking peak.The first ascent was on May 20, 1953 by Col. Jimmy Roberts and Sen Tenzing. The region was first explored extensively by British expeditions in the early 50s before and...
and virgin summits in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
and Antarctica.
Ken Priest & Pete Goddard are currently two of the club's leading climbers.
Van Greaves has published several books of mountaineering photographs and walking as well as many articles in UK walking magazines and Bob Charteris has created the 100 mile Teme Valley
River Teme
The River Teme rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown in Powys, and flows through Knighton where it crosses the border into England down to Ludlow in Shropshire, then to the north of Tenbury Wells on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border there, on its way to join the River Severn south of Worcester...
Way walk.
Challenge walks and races
Neville & Anne Tandy organised two major UK challenge walks for over 40 years.- The 25 mile 'Mid Wales Mountain Marathon' over 7 summits between Dinas MawddwyDinas MawddwyDinas Mawddwy is a village in Gwynedd, north Wales, just to the side of the A470 so that most visitors pass the village by. Its population is roughly 600. The village marks the junction of the unclassified road to Llanuwchllyn which climbs up through the mountains to cross Bwlch y Groes at its...
and DolgellauDolgellauDolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
which was first promoted in 1964 includes over 7000 feet of ascent. - The 'Reservoir Roundabout', a winter walk of 20 miles in the remote Elenith area around the ClaerwenClaerwenThe Claerwen reservoir and dam in Powys, Wales, were the last additions to the Elan Valley Reservoirs system built to provide water for the increasingly demanding city of Birmingham, in neighbouring England. Built mainly of concrete, the exterior of the dam face is dressed stone. The dam itself is...
and Elan Valley ReservoirsElan Valley ReservoirsThe Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales , using the rivers Elan and Claerwen...
, was inaugurated in 1967. Neville Tandy is by far the most prolific entrant in the 45 miles Across WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Walk, with over 30 completions including the first ever double crossing in 1984.
In the 1970s and 1980s WBMC members regularly participated in the Welsh 1000 m Peaks Race
Welsh 1000 m Peaks Race
The Welsh 1000m Peaks Race takes place on the first Saturday in June each year. The 32 km route is also known as the Snowdonia Summits Marathon as competitors have to reach the top of the all the 1000 metre peaks in Wales....
and the Long Mynd
Long Mynd
The Long Mynd in Shropshire, England, is a part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury, and has an area of over 22 square kilometres , most of which takes the form of a heathland plateau. Most of the land on the Long Mynd is owned by...
Hike. John Wagstaff set a race record of 8 hours 47 minutes for the latter in 1981 which stood until 2002 when the route changed. On 17/18 June 1978 Wagstaff completed a triple crossing of the 14 Welsh 3000s
Welsh 3000s
This is a list of what are known as the Welsh 3000s, i.e. those 15 mountains in Wales which have a height of 3000 ft or more. Geographically they fall within three ranges, all sufficiently close to make it possible to reach all 15 summits within 24 hours, a challenge known as the Welsh 3000s...
(around 66 miles and 22,800 feet of ascent) in 22 hours 49 minutes, a feat which has so far not been repeated,
and he is still the only club member to complete the Bob Graham Round
Bob Graham Round
The Bob Graham Round is a circuit of 42 fells in the English Lake District, including the peaks of Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Scafell and Scafell Pike...
of 42 peaks in the Lake District, a feat he achieved in June 1979 supported by a number of club members.
Accidents and awards
Every mountaineering club has its share of mishaps as slips and falls can sometimes lead to sprains, broken bones or worse but WBMC has been fortunate in that it has only had a couple of serious accidents. On 23 July 1972 Len York reached the summit of the Matterhorn for the second time in 12 months but a fall on the descent led to a spinal injury which left him paraplegic. In spite of this York still manages to reach mountain summits and revisits ZermattZermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
most years.
In August 1989 Malcolm Collins fell to his death while climbing solo on Sub Cneifon Arete in the Ogwen Valley when a rock spike gave way. A trophy in his name is awarded at every annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
to a club member in recognition of mountaineering achievement or services to the club. Recipients of the silver rosebowl have been 1990 Graham Sockett, 1991 Bob Lister, 1992 Ken Priest, 1993 Geoff Robinson, 1994 Mike Nicholls & John Wagstaff, 1995 Mike Smith, 1996 Peter Woodward, 1997 Iris Cooksey, 1998 Nev Tandy, 1999 Dot & John Wagstaff, 2000 Paul Cleary & Pete Goddard, 2001 John Mitchell, 2002 Hilary Jones, 2003 Nigel Kettle, 2004 Ann Tandy, 2005 John Mitchell, 2006 The "Elbrus Eight", 2007 John Edwards, 2008 John Eadon, 2009 Mike Thompson & Malcolm Vaughan, 2010 Bob Duncan.
See also
- Scottish Mountaineering ClubScottish Mountaineering ClubThe Scottish Mountaineering Club is Scotland's second oldest mountaineering club. Founded in 1889, in Glasgow, the private club, with about 400 members, publishes guidebooks and runs a list of Munroists.-History:At the time of the club's founding there were a number of experienced Alpinists...
- Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
- Climbers' ClubClimbers' ClubThe Climbers' Club is the senior rock-climbing club in Wales and England . It was founded in 1898 and publishes guidebooks in the main climbing areas in Wales and Southern England...
- Hill lists in the British IslesHill lists in the British IslesThe mountains and hills of Great Britain, and to a lesser extent Ireland, are the subject of a considerable number of lists that categorise them by height, topographic prominence, or other criteria. They are commonly used as a basis for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt to reach all the...
- Mountains and hills of ScotlandMountains and hills of ScotlandScotland is the most mountainous country in the United Kingdom. The area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault is known as the Highlands, and contains the country's main mountain ranges. Scotland's mountain ranges, in a rough north to south direction are: The Highlands & Islands, The Hills...