RAOC Gazette - page 167
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1978 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1978 |
| Late date | 1978 |
| Transcription |
A TROG'S TALE THBRE were much mutterings recently when Fortress Head- quarters came to a grinding halt whilst the RAOC contingent j n Gibraltar took time off to complete their 'Staff T r o g s ' course, which entailed a trip into the depths of Lower St Michaels Cave. Situated mid-way along the Rock on the west side at a height of nine hundred feet above sea level, the Caves are a ier^s of fissures of both limestone and sandstone and were jj^ overed in April 1942 by tunnellers of the Royal Engineers. The Caves, which descend to a depth of eighty feet from the entrance and traverse in a southerly direction for approxi- mately two hundred and thirty yards contain stalactites, stalag- mites. flowstone, rim-stone, curtains or drapes, helicitites, straws and ' fairy snow. 1 They also contain many pools of fresh water, one of which, the Lake, is twenty feet deep in one point. After a brief talk on ' do's' and ' don'ts' by the Cave Guide WOl Marc Moody we descended into the depths of the lower cavjs on what for some of us felt like the beginning of a journey to the centre of the earth; or at least the centre of The Rock! leading to yet another flowstone slope which is descended again by means of grabbing a rope and sliding down. The merry band by this time was not so merry and one or two had signs that it was warming up as beads of perspira- tion were visible below the rim of their helmets. We were not made any happier by being informed with sadistic delight by the Chief ' Trog * Guide Marc Moody that had anyone slid the wrong way on the last rope, they would have ended up in a small but deep lake which no one had noticed till then! The tour proceeded from one chamber to the next with Marc pointing out items of interest such as rock formations resembling Winston Churchilis 1 Bust, The Little Drummer Boy, Arizona The Indian, The Bottomless Pit (not really bottom- less, but Oh My!), The Great Hall, O'Haras* Seat, The Rim- stone Pool and many more, each so different and so fascinating. Eventually we all arrived safely at the Lower St Michaels Lake, large, still, deep, cold and a terrifying prospect for the non- swimmers in our party! The only way round the lake is by a narrow ledge varying in width from four to one inch (yes really One Inch!). One slip would mean a cold bath ! Everyone proceeded Very slowly until they came to a large pillar, around which had been hitched a rope to assist you as foot and hand holds were virtually non- existant! Each member in turn slowly crawled around without mishap until finally it was the turn of the Camp Commandant, Major Moore. As he crawled round to his horror the rope slipped, not a lot but sufficient to cause him to fall backwards! His knuckles whitened on the rope as he bent double and sagged nearer to his icy bath! The rest of the party in true comradeship were by this time having hysterics! Finally Chief 'Trog* Marc hauled on the rope (Confidential next month) and pulled him to" safety. Once past the lake we saw The Alphabet Pool and finally we arrived at the end chamber. We had only travelled a few hundred yards but it had taken nearly two hours and much sweat. The RAOC Staff Trogs!! Left to right: Corporal Colin Lawrence, W 2 George Ottley, Private Mark Stalnthorp, Sergeant Andy Bale, W 2 Alan Govier, Major Tony Moore, Major Alan Allkins, W O l (Cdr) Marc Moody. The start, to lull us into a false sense of security, began with a short crawl along a tunnel for about twenty feet which opened out into the first of the many chambers. The only snag being that the floor of the chamber was twenty five feet below and the only way down was Commando Logistic style by rope! Despite this we quickly mastered the technique of ' walking backwards ' down the face and were soon safely in the first chambe-fc The next phase was another crawl through a much narrower, but shorter tunnel, at the end of which you haul yourself up in- to the next chamber, known to experienced * Trogs * as * The Boxing Ring '! For anyone entering for the first time it is a little nerve racking, as you find yourself standing on a small platform halfway up the chamber with a sheer drop below your feet! The Great Rift Chamber (to give it its proper title) slopes a * an angle of forty five degrees and is smooth flowstone for halt -he way until it suddenly drops sheer into the depths. A merits of ropes which give the impression of a boxing ring allow you to traverse to the other end where lots of broken rock gfves foot and hand holds, which enables an * easy * descent in- to the chamber. Once at the bottom there is a small opening — The end chamber at last. At this point after a much needed rest the RAF Photo- grapher who accompanied us took some photographs and we began our return journey. Finally, without mishap, we were again at the bottom of The Great Rift Chamber looking up and wondering how we had got to the bottom without breaking our necks. Finally we got to the top and gratefully staggered outside into the sun and fresh air! I think the next RAOC outing is on a motor launch which sounds much more civilised! 137 — |
| Book number | R0247 |