“I guess I must have been one of the first boys to visit Farchynys.

Certainly, I remember well the first Arduous Training camp…. Do they still do that?

I think it was 25 miles a day with full pack and sleeping out. In any event, it was a tough one, with bad weather, and we eventually returned to the Coach House quite late. A few of us including Ian Stockley (aka Sox) and I, and possibly one other, decided to go to the pub in Bontddu or possibly hitch to Dolgellau.

In any event, we got back seriously late, to be met by Mr Burgess who instructed us to remain outside, eventually throwing down the keys to the minibus complete with its wooden slats and no sign of blankets. A fitful night followed, broken only by Sox falling asleep over the steering wheel and setting the horn off. Morning arrived, eventually, and we were allowed into the Coach House to feed and prepare for the 14-mile run.

I think it was there that I realised I could run a bit, as after all that, I believe I actually came third!”

Andrew Lees QM 1962-69

Editor’s Note: Ian Stockley led a highly characterful life after QM and died in 2018.