At the time, the publicity and media coverage surrounding the desperate rescue attempt briefly put the normally tranquil Derbyshire village at the centre of public attention, both nationally and internationally, for a few days whilst the operation was on tenterhooks.
In March, 1959, a party of seven cavers ventured well beyond the public show caves and into the far reaches of Peak Cavern, in order to re-visit a remote chamber, discovered only a fortnight earlier, which contained a spectacular flowstone formation, and had therefore been named the "Great Cascade Chamber".
Their objective was to explore a narrow shaft in the floor of the Chamber which, it was thought, might provide a connection through to the adjacent Speedwell Cavern.
The first of them to descend into the shaft was a tall university student named Neil Moss. Due to his height, he encountered an unforeseen problem in that he could not bend his knees sufficiently to climb back up the ladder which had been lowered into the shaft for this purpose.
This posed a quandary for his six fellow cavers, who were unable to lift him out, and it set in motion a rescue operation which led to a nationwide appeal for assistance, leading to large numbers of volunteers, journalists and onlookers gathering in Castleton.
They were faced with a race against time, because reduced oxygen levels inside the shaft were making it difficult to breathe, both for the trapped student and those endeavouring to rescue him.
Dronfield-based solicitor David Ward began researching the background to this story during the dark days of lockdown, in a the hope of reviving interest in the events of 66 years ago.