Author: Andy Tomlinson

In his ‘On the hill with…’ Geoff Bell recalls that his President’s Meet on the Faeroes in 2004 was a gamble that paid off handsomely. Four members decided to sail there and in his article on this Meet in the same Journal he writes: Meanwhile Boece Cardus had clandestinely contacted me, sworn me to secrecy, and said that he fancied the idea of sailing there. A few days before our departure I had an email from him ‘…tight time table…weather is going to be crucial…my commander is beginning to say it is going to be a lot of hard work just for a Rucksack meet tick. Don’t hold your breath.’ This Classic Article recounts this journey and is a fascinating read and shows the breadth of interest and activities undertaken by Club members. The wonderful descriptions of the wildlife encountered could almost convert this confirmed non-sailor, however the thought of big waves and dense fog soon bring me to my senses! Click here for Sailing to the Faeroes with Boece and crew.

Philip Brockbank joined the Club in 1931, after his student days in the infant MUMC. It was said that few could go as fast or as far as Philip, and he was renowned for his innovation and meticulous planning of long walks, particularly in his native Pennines, which included the Marsden-Edale (single and double), The Four Inns, Colne- Rowsley (once solo), Moffat-Peebles, and Tan Hill-Cat & Fiddle. In 1954 he masterminded the first continuous Scottish Four-thousands, which this Classic Article recounts. Many walks were repeated several times, and by 1965 he had been up Kinder 706 times! He was responsible for the 14 issues of the Journal from 1947-60, more than any of our other Editors, and wrote 19 articles for it over a period of nearly 50 years. Frank Williamson joined the Club in 1947 and, like many then, was a member of the YMCA. Apparently, he could often be found in the lounge there on a Friday evening, planning some preposterous walk, many of which were Sunday Peak District marathons made possible by the then rail network. It was as a long-distance walker that he is be best remembered including the first successful traverse of the Scottish 4000’s.[…]

This Short History is a variation on the theme of Classic RCJ articles. It is an invaluable source of historical information on the Rucksack Club and its background is outlined in Roger Booth’s Introduction (Page iv). Brockbank first collected the historical texts in foolscap typescript and offered copies for nominal contributions. Members are fortunate that Mike Dent and Roger Booth obtained copies. Mike Dent then spent an immense amount of time and effort scanning and checking the typed text, sourcing and adding 69 historic photographs (because there were none in Brockbank’s original typescript) as well as an Appendix to describe each illustration in detail; finally, he wrote two pages of brief Biographical Notes about the two authors (Philip Brockbank and Eric Byrom), which are invaluable to the majority of current members who will know little about these two stalwarts of the Club.  It was prepared for publication in 2011 (with a single print run of around 40 copies) by Mike Dent, Roger Booth and John Payne all of whom put in a significant amount of work for which we are very grateful. It will not be published again, however this pdf version allows all members to delve into its pages. We[…]

  Eustace Thomas was a member who had a significant impact on many aspects of mountaineering and the Rucksack Club, joining in 1909. He was an engineer, long-distance athlete (‘inventing’ the Derwent Watershed) and mountaineer (the first Briton to complete the Alpine 4000m peaks in 1932). In the 1930s he was actively involved in the formation of mountain rescue services, designing and manufacturing a stretcher for carrying the injured, aptly named ‘The Thomas Stretcher’, which was the forerunner of modern rescue stretchers. He was very active within the Club and was President in 1924/25; engineering and the Club were considered his two main loves. This classic article from 2002, Eustace Thomas: Manchester Mountaineer, gives an insight into the man himself as well as documenting his many notable achievements.