Stuart Whitmey - Gouffre Berger 1967 Expedition
Following the unsuccessful 1964 expedition to explore beyond the terminal sump in the Gouffre Berger, Ken Pearce got together a larger team for a more organised attempt in 1967. Unfortunately, the shadow of the Mossdale Caverns incident from a couple of months before loomed over it, and the expedition soon began to splinter under the psychological pressure. Pooling resources with the Pegasus expedition led by Peter Watkinson, Pearce managed to pull it back together, and made a successful attempt on the sumps, passing sumps 1 and 2 before being stopped by a pitch. This account by one of Pearce's right-hand men, Stuart Whitmey who was also on the 1964 expedition, provides a great insight into the the highs and the lows of the expedition. It was recorded on Stuart's 74th birthday. Accounts of the same expedition by Mike Wooding, Dave Gill and Frank Barnes may also be found in this archive.
Interviewee: Stuart Whitmey
Interviewer: Johnny Latimer
Title: Gouffre Berger 1967 Expedition
Date of recording: 18 January 2015 (published 19 Jan 2015)
Sound recordist: Johnny Latimer
Copyright details: Stuart Whitmey and Johnny Latimer
Duration of recording: 24 minutes 10 seconds
Recording details: Sampling frequency: 44,100 Hz; Channel mode: stereo
MP3 file details: File size: 22,681 kB; Bit rate: 128 kbit/s constant; Compression: 91%
No. comments added by listeners: 1 Add your own comment
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Listener comments on this recording
| Contributor: Jed Scott, Noel Booth, and Bob Gillibrand | Date: 7 October 2015 15:44 |
We are so pleased to endorse Stuart's interview. For far too long Ken's abilities have gone unreported. |
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