Harry Long obituary: The pioneering caver who devoted decades to exploring Yorkshire
Harry Long, who has died at 86, was a respected and pioneering Yorkshire caver and long-time controller with the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.
Active from the late 1950s until recently, he devoted decades to cave exploration, search operations and documenting caving history in the Dales.
He was instrumental in the first excavations at sites like East Kingsdale and the large ‘shake hole’ known as Grey Wife, above Cote Gill, and was heavily involved in exploring the Matienzo caves in northern Spain.
Originally a civil engineer working on sea defences, Harry moved to Yorkshire from the south coast to pursue his interest in caving.
It was a passion that saw him exploring with his crowbar for new caves and potholes, noting where water disappeared down sink holes and working out where it rose or entered a known cave system.
His expertise led him to compile and co-write Northern Caves, the three-volume set of guide books for the Three Peaks, the Yorkshire Dales and the North East.
He also chronicled in a new volume, Any Time Anywhere, the 50-year history of the Fell Rescue Association.
As controller of the organisation he managed a number of difficult operations, some of which had tragic outcomes.
With his cameraman friend Sid Perou, he worked on the underground shoots for the regional BBC series, Beneath the Pennines.
Away from caving, Harry was a founder member of the Good Times Jazz Band, which played weekly for more than 30 years at the Fleece in Addingham.