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A Brief History of the Club Dudley Cave Rescue Team was formed in
1966 as part of the Dudley Auxiliary Fire Service after a number of
incidents in the underground limestone caverns around Dudley. In its early
years it was called out on several occasions. Soon
the activities of the team spread to mine and cave exploration throughout the
UK. In the 1970s the majority of the limestone
mines were filled in and so there was a much reduced need for the Club's
services. The last local callout,
until this year, was in 1975 when the Club was asked to carry out an extensive
search of the remaining underground workings. This was to do with the
infamous Leslie Whittle/Black Panther case. The Club these days is a general caving club, but still retains its rescue links. The last callout nationally was in 1994 when it was asked to assist in a difficult cave rescue in South Wales. We were also asked to "stand by" this year for a rescue in the same cave. The team visits all of the main caving regions in England and Wales: the Yorkshire Dales, Derbyshire, South Wales and the Mendips. The Club has its own meeting place which is well equipped for caver training. The name of the Club was changed to Dudley Caving Club in 1999. For a complete history of the Club see the Club publication:
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